Hours Reform May Prod Loading Dock Changes
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A probable change in the way the federal government counts non-driving hours worked could prod shippers into quicker processing of drivers and their freight at the nation’s loading docks, according to both a prominent federal transportation official and a major trucking executive.
Under the current hours rule that dates to 1939, a driver can work up to five hours a day in non-driving tasks before it cuts into his or her allotment of 10 driving hours.
While DOT’s proposal has been shelved for a year, the hours of service may change in another form, said Clyde J. Hart Jr., the top official at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and Patrick Quinn, co-chairman of U.S. Xpress Enterprises (XPRSA), a large truckload carrier from Chattanooga, Tenn.
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The change offered by the Department of Transportation in May eliminated that distinction. It capped workable hours at 12 a day, regardless of the type of work: driving, waiting, loading or unloading.
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