Archive for the ‘Hours of Service’ Category

It has been quite some time since my last post to this blog and if I had such a thing as regular readers I apologize. Between a lot of pressures on the job and a lot of other things going on, this blog got sadly neglected. None of it was really a good reason but most certainly a good excuse.
Hopefully, all that will change however, as I have moved my truck to a new company. As of Friday the 19th of February I am officially a driver/broker with Fastrax Transportation out of Hartland, New Brunswick, a division of Day & Ross.
I owe a deep vote of gratitude to Fastrax Broker Manager, Gerry Betts and his very capable assistant Andrea Grant for making the transition painless, if not downright enjoyable.
My previous employer, while acceptable in many aspects and even above average in a few, just didn’t seem capable of allowing me to meet their expectations without breaking the hours of service regulations on a daily basis. To be honest my last few months with them had me almost to the point of burnout.  As an example, I got a $488 logbook fine on my last trip with the previous employer. I hadn’t had a logbook violation in the past 16 years. This one totally attributable to lack of sleep and exhaustion.
Today is Sunday the 21st of February and I’m in Northern Ontario on my way to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba with a load of McCains frozen french fries and pizzas. I had almost forgotten what it was like to drive mostly daylight hours and get a good nights sleep.
Now I’m not one bit afraid of a good days work or a good nights work for that matter. But when I’m expected to do both on a continual basis I’m forced to draw the line, for other people’s safety if not my own.
I truly hope if there are other drivers out there whose employers play fast and loose with their safety and well being that they too will have the common sense and ability to make a change.
Marilyn has been very supportive throughout this transition and is every bit as relieved as I am at the prospect of running legally once more. She doesn’t see me often but when she does she prefers it when I’m not quite so uptight.
Stay tuned to this blog and I’ll keep you posted on how Fastrax proves out on this and other factors. Who knows this may be the company to fit your needs as well.

If any of your decide to put in an application at Fastrax please tell them the GrumpyOlTrucker sent you.

PS. I’ll be posting pics of the truck with the new decal package whenever the weather allows it to be clean again for five minutes.

Hello again from the UK.

When I read back over my last post, I couldn’t help feel that it was all a little
gloomy, so I’m going to try and tell you of some of the good things about truck
driving over here.

As you may be aware, our island is only about 900 miles from top to bottom,  and not more than 200 miles wide. This means that a British truck driver is never far from home and, as I’m pretty much in the middle, I’m never more than one days travel from the family. Long distance drivers are the ones that choose to stay away from home all week, as there are financial rewards for doing this, but most of us can get home once or twice during the week if we choose. My employer has about ten terminals throughout the country, and they prefer to move goods longer distances during the night, for local delivery the next day, so nights away from home are becoming less and less frequent.

Our system of payment is much different to yours, and I personally think it’s much more fair. The drivers hours regulations (HoS) don’t allow any form of payment that would encourage rule breaking, so payment by the mile is out. I think it’s fair to say that the majority of drivers are paid by the hour, although some, especially those on fixed working weeks, are paid a monthly salary. The best example I can give is my own employer and this pay scale is fixed for every driver in the group, and is reviewed every April. My basic rate of pay is £7.20 ($13) per hour and is paid for the first 39 hours of every week. Anything over 39 hours is paid at £10.80 ($19) per hour, and we are paid from the moment we start to the moment we finish. We also
receive a small meal allowance and £40 ($70) each week attendance allowance. For every night we spend away from home there’s a £20 ($35) tax-free subsistence allowance. We are paid by direct deposit every Thursday for the previous weeks work. Deductions are made for income tax and national insurance (which pays for health care, social benefits, sick pay and pensions) and usually run to about 25% of your wages.
It all boils down to about $650 – $750 in my pocket at the end of the week.

Legally, every worker over here is entitled to 4 weeks paid vacation every year, although most good employers offer more than this. I started on 5 weeks and 3 days, and this rises to 6 weeks and 2 days depending on length of service. My rate of holiday pay is determined by my average wage over the previous 13 weeks.

We don’t have to pay lumpers either – the vast majority of stuff is unloaded by the delivery locations own staff. We make much greater use of curtain sided vehicles than you, and loads are always on pallets, so loading and unloading is usually quick and easy. Places like Asda, which is the UK division of Walmart, may make you wait a couple of hours, but, as you’re paid by the hour, it’s not too hard to handle.

And, of course, there’s Britain itself. As I’ve said, Britain is crowded and can be a pain to drive around – but it’s also overflowing with history and you’re never far from something to look at. 8 miles from my house is the old city of Durham. It has a magnificent castle and cathedral, built by William the Conqueror 950 years ago. If I head north, I pass Alnwick (pronounced ann-ick) Castle, home to the Duke of Northumberland, which is the oldest continually inhabited castle in the country. A bit further north, and I’m in to Edinburgh, a fine and noble city, filled with culture and heritage. Add green rolling hills, forests, rugged coastlines and pretty villages and a relatively benign climate and you soon realize that English truckers have a lot to be thankful for, and we all forget this from time to time.

That’s all for now folks

Take care
Ian

Greetings all!

In this post I’m going to give the North American equivalent to the points Ian made in his first article about trucking in England.

Of course many things about trucking are similar all over the world. When we learn some of the differences, however, we sometimes realize, “Maybe we don’t have things quite so bad after all.”

The first thing Ian mentioned was truck makes. We do have many Volvos on the roads here in North America but that’s where similarities end. The majority of trucks in Canada and US are, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, International, Western Star and of course Volvo. Cabovers which once were quite popular here are much rarer now, although there are still a few around. They are mostly used to haul trains (multiple trailer units) on main routes between major cities.

I believe the “artics” Ian refers to is an abbreviation or slang for “articulated lorries”. He doesn’t use the term lorry, but I believe its still the standard British term for truck.
Although many different sizes of semi trailer combinations are allowed on various North American roads the most common trailers hauled now are 53 footers although there are still a number of 48 footers in use especially in the US, where their maximum gross weight is lower than in Canada.

That seems to be one of our greatest difficulties in North America, is the differences in regulations, especially for those of us who cross the border on a regular basis. We are constantly battling differences in weight allowances, hours of service regulations, as well as other rules which even vary from state to state and province to province. One may be perfectly legal in one jurisdiction and suddenly find ourselves on the wrong side of the law as soon as we cross that invisible line.

While most trucks in North America as yet, don’t have Tacographs as they once did, there is a push to bring in black box recorders to report every move made by truck and driver. This is seen by many as invasion of privacy but eventually I think the powers that be will win out in the end. Especially as more and more less scrupulous operators push the limits and get involved in needless, sleep related accidents.

Both Canada and US have passed new hours of service regulations within the past couple of years, but as usual they are not the same in both countries and even DOT officials interpret them differently from one jurisdiction to the next.

Some companies have gone over to electronic logs, but similar to what Ian was saying, they offer absolutely no flexibility and require some very stringent planning to avoid being in violation.

Because of less need for length restriction in North America, most long haul trucks at least, have fairly roomy sleeper accommodations. The average sleeper length being from 60 to 72 inches usually with TV/DVD, power inverters, microwave ovens and fridges. Some trucks that haul lighter commodities on a regular basis have 10 to 14 foot living accommodations complete with toilets, showers and washer/dryers. These are becoming more and more a necessity as many drivers stay out for two or more weeks at a time and some for months.

Ian mentioned speed limiters and those have just recently become mandatory in Ontario and Quebec. This was brought on by the various lobby groups and trucking associations. One would think that would mean the majority of drivers are for them, but not so. The primary membership and governing bodies of the trucking associations in this country are the owners of trucking companies. We really have no organization that truly represents only drivers.

I personally, as an owner operator, have no problem with speed limiters, as I pay my own fuel bills and need to conserve in every way possible. My company requires them anyway, so its not an issue for me.
While I welcome hours of service regulations and speed restrictions many drivers, especially from the old school, see it as an invasion of personal choice. I figure if it helps to keep them alive and out of the hospital it can’t be all bad. Many companies though, still book their loads as if they have 100 mph trucks, and while they purport to want their drivers to run legally, their dispatching policies force drivers to constantly be pushing and extending the limits. Of course trucking companies are subject to audit at any time from any jurisdiction, and fines are stiff for blatant violations. Sadly, it often takes a severe accident or incident to prompt such audits, and by then it is too late.

While many differences occur from country to country in the trucking industry, a bad week is still a bad week and for me anyway, there seem to be more of those than the good kind. Keep on Truckin!

Hi all.

So whats it like to be a British Trucker? To be honest, it’s a thoroughly thankless task. Crowded roads, impatient drivers, inconsiderate employers and draconian legislation all add up to stress, tiredness and misery.

British road are very busy. Rush hours are, as you’d imagine the worst time to travel – but they seem to be getting longer. Morning rush is between 6.30 and 9.30, and the afternoon peak seems to be from 3 to 6. There are no roads over here that you can just get on and drive for hours and hours. The longest single road in the UK is a little under 400 miles, but to travel the length of it would be considered a full days work. Along the way you’re sure to encounter road works, road hogs and road rage.

One thing you won’t find is good food or places to park for the night. The days of the family owned truckstop are long gone, so now all you’ll find are service areas that cater for all road users, and are owned by large “hospitality” companies. As a result, they are totally focused on separating you from your hard earned cash, and giving as little as possible in return. Most contain some sort of fast food franchise, usually one of the big US burger chains, as well as a “family” restaurant, in which you’ll find grossly over-priced, poor quality food, that’s been sitting for hours under heat lamps – the only thing that isn’t as tough as shoe leather are the limp, soggy french fries. Other facilities in these service areas include one filthy shower that will give you an occasional dribble of tepid water, a shop selling rubbish at a 50% mark up and a game arcade. For the pleasure of parking here, we are charged about $35!

So more often than not, you’ll find trucks parked up in lay-bys (which are little areas at the side of the road for motorists to stop for a few minutes), or on industrial areas. Naturally, there are no facilities here – no toilets, washrooms, or food.

On the plus side, we don’t have to stop at every scales we come to. Most scales over here are also check points, where Police and Government Inspectors will examine you and your vehicle. These only operate part-time, and you only stop if instructed. Most of the officers know what they’re looking for, so if you drive for a well known and respected operator, you get left alone. I’ve only been stopped once in the last 5 years.

We face the same issues as you regarding the people we work for too. Planners and dispatchers that make promises to customers that the driver can’t possibly acheive, delivery and collection locations that think you have nothing better to do than sit and wait for hours on end, and people generally blaming the driver for everything that goes wrong.

Life tends to be easier if you travel out of the UK and into Europe, but not always. Most of the European bound traffic travels from here to France, and the bulk of that travels by ferry or tunnel from Dover in south-west England to Calais in north-east France. As this is a very busy route, it has become a focal point for French strikers, so whenever the French farmers or truck drivers have some sort of grievance, the first course of action is to block the roads approaching Calais. Similarly, the French fishermen have no hesitation in using the thier boats to blockade the entrance to the port. However, if you’re lucky enough to get over unscathed, Driving in Europe is a much more relaxed and pleasurable experience, and drivers seem to be treated with a lot more respect.

So your deliveries in Europe are done, and you’ve got your collection and you’re heading home – but your problems aren’t over yet! Believe it or not, there is a massive movement of people out of Africa, and they all think that England is the promised land. They pay all their savings to people traffickers and make epic journeys up through the Sahara desert to Libya,  across the Mediterranean sea to Italy, then up through Italy into France where they all converge on Calias. Here, at the final hurdle, they’re looking for an England bound truck on which to stowaway. You must check your vehicle VERY carefully, as there is an automatic fine of £2,000 for every illegal immigrant that comes in to the country in your vehicle, even if you can prove you didn’t know they were there. Drivers used to report any stowaways
they found, but now are more likely to let them go free to avoid the fines.

As with everything in life, there are good and bad things in a truckers life over here, so I’ll talk about the good stuff next time.

Take care.

Hello All!
Yesterday (12 April 2009) a truck driver from England, Ian Sayer posted a comment in response to my post on Top Ten List. I liked what he had to say and how he said it, so promptly invited him to post some articles describing
trucking in his part of the world.

He quickly complied and here is part one. By the way, please take a few seconds to vote in our poll on the right of this screen. I would like to invite other drivers around the world to contribute to this blog but will
leave it up to the majority of my readers to decide how often this happens.

Hello everyone, and greetings from England.

Recently I made a comment on this site, and Grumpy very kindly asked me to submit a few articles on the differences in truck driving over there and over here.

Many European drivers have made the great leap across the Atlantic, and most love it. Yet, sadly, some simply can’t handle it, and the main reason is the MASSIVE culture shock they encounter when faced with the realities of what they’ve committed themselves to.

The most obvious difference is, of course, the vehicles. The American makes are rarely seen on our roads, although some are used as wreckers or show vehicles. Common over here are Volvo and Scania from Sweden, MAN and Mercedes-Benz from Germany, Renault from France and Iveco from Italy.

Because of the small, crowded nature of the British Isles, our trucks haveto be more compact than yours. Standard sized semi-trucks (or artics, as we call them) are about 55 feet long, and maximum weight is around 97,000 lbs running on 6 axles.

Because of the overall length restriction, we use “cab over” type vehicles, as this allows us longer trailers. Driving cabs are wider, but sleeper berths are much smaller than yours – generally a 24 – 30 inch wide bunk, directly behind the seats.

Engine sizes are broadly similar to yours, but our emission and noise limits are much tighter, and fuel is much more expensive, so we pay greater attention to economy. Aerodynamics and streamlining are important. We stopped using constant mesh transmissions long ago, and names like Eaton and Fuller are consigned to the history books now. The majority are syncro-mesh, and automatics are growing in number all the time.

We also have the Tachograph. All commercial vehicles, including vans, light trucks and buses are fitted with tachographs, which records all the informationyou would write in your log books, plus information about your speed. Since 2006 we’ve had digital tachos that record all the information onto a small plastic card, similar to a credit card, with a memory chip on it. We simply insert it into a small unit in the truck (same size as a radio) at the start of the shift, and remove it at the end. Once every couple of weeks, we take the card into the office, and download it into the computer, which stores all the information for 2 years.

The main purpose of the tachograph is to record our hours of service. Police officers and government inspectors carry card readers, so you can be checked at the roadside, and the penalties for infringements can be severe – up to £2000 fine or 2 years imprisonment, so we take it very seriously!

The big disadvantage of this system is there is no ability to “run over” by 10 minutes or so, say, to get to the truck stop or reach a customer. If you calculate the time you need, you’re screwed, and the details are stored for 2 years, so there’s a good chance you’ll be found out.

Oh, I nearly forgot – speed limiters. It seems that more and more of you are getting them, but we’ve had them since 1988 and it took a lot of getting used to. 56 mph is as good as it gets for us. The worst thing is trying to overtake a truck who’s limiter is set 1 mph lower than yours – it takes ages!

That’s all for now. I’ll write again soon and tell you about life on the road over here, and the day-to-day problems we face.
Take care

Ian