Carriers May Need More Trailers to Keep Drivers Productive

August 30, 2000 10:44 AM, EDT

The Department of Transportation’s hours-of-service proposal could cause a sharp increase in demand for trailers and radical changes in billing procedures, according to an editor who studies labor issues in trucking.

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David R. Goodson has run the National Survey of Driver Wages for five years, and he expects to see changes in driver hours affect loading dock operations and the way trailers are used. In some cases, he believes, more trailers are going to be left at the receiver’s dock as the driver heads elsewhere to pick up another load.

Under DOT’s proposal, “there is going to be no distinction between driving and off-duty time,” Goodson said. That means drivers and the companies will seek to make every hour in the driver’s scehdule as productive as possible.

“Carriers will gear their operations around drop and hooks and running relays between terminals,” he said. “Drop and hook will help carriers avoid losing driving hours through trailer loading. Relays will allow long-haul carriers to keep drivers nearer to home for their mandatory weekend rest."

For the full story, see the Aug. 28 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.