P.M. Executive Briefing - Mar. 31
This Afternoon's Headlines:
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Report Plots Ways for Ending Toll Roads
Illinois Gov. George Ryan has released a long-anticipated report outlining options for ending tolls or cutting congestion on tollways in the state; possibilities include cutting out tolls completely or keeping tolls on commercial vehicles while removing them for passenger vehicles.The chief concerns are extending the electronic I-PASS system, to cut tollbooth congestion, and refinancing bonds, because current bond covenants say no tollbooths can be shut down.
Over 20 more complicated options include cutting out tolls on outlying parts of the tollway system, taking away barrier-plaza or exit-ramp tolls, or installing gantries over the road that can communicate with I-PASS transponders while the vehicles are in motion. Chicago Tribune (03/31/00) P. 1, Trib West Section; Worthington, Rogers; Long, Ray; Parsons, Christy; et al.
Shots Fired at Coca-Cola Delivery Trucks
A convoy of three trucks from Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, which has been the subject of a Teamsters strike since March 14, were fired upon Friday outside St. Albans, W.Va., with two trucks struck in the radiators and disabled.Union workers in Huntington, W.Va., began striking March 14, saying their pay and pensions are lower and health care payments higher than those for other Teamsters. Six warehouses in the state are being picketed, with the union workers at all six honoring the pickets, while nonunion drivers and managers have been driving trucks.
Union Local 175 President Ken Hall said the Teamsters are against violence and that bargaining is the way for the union to resolve issues with the North Carolina-based distributor, which is separate from The Coca-Cola Co. Associated Press (03/31/00)
Drivers Regularly Break HOS Regulations
A study conducted by University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire assistant professor Kristen Monaco of the at truck stops in the Midwest in 1997 and 1998 revealed information about HOS violations and other factors of the trucking life.According to the survey, some 54% of drivers had violated federal HOS standards more than once within the month before, and about 15% had broken the rules 16 times in that month. Forty-five percent said they followed the rules, but a mere 16% believed other drivers told the truth in their logbooks.
Monaco found that 40% of the drivers had spent nine or more of the previous 24 hours sleeping, but almost 30% slept for less than eight hours in the same period. But the time they spent sleeping was likely overstated by as much as 25%, said Monaco.
Weekly driving time averaged 60 hours for union drivers and 66 hours for nonunion drivers, but the researcher said it was likely 20% more than that if all time at the wheel, rather than just time on the logs, were taken into account.
he number of drivers who reported being reimbursed for non-driving work, such as loading and unloading and waiting, were likely overly optimistic because the drivers do not always receive the pay for those activities, said Monaco.
The researcher estimated an average $10.03 per hour yearly pay for the truckers, with non-union drivers earning $9.21 and union drivers earning $12.58 on average. The survey found 52% of union truckers and 63% of nonunion truckers were paid by the mile. Owner Operator (03/00) Vol. 30, No. 2; P. 18; Snyder, Charles A.
The War on Lumping
Although charging lumping fees to drivers was outlawed by the Motor Carrier Reform Act of 1980, it remains a source of expenses and frustration for owner-operators.According to Gary Green of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, drivers can pay $40 to $250 for unloading and possibly a gate fee as well. Drivers who refuse may have to deal with substandard equipment or long waits while truckers who paid get their freight unloaded.
The two problems with the provision of the law banning lumping fees are a lack of enforcement and, according to the Truckload Carriers Association's Bob Rothstein, no specifics on who is to perform loading and unloading.
Produce distributors in Michigan and Pennsylvania have lost court cases related to gate fees and lumping charges, and the TCA plans to study waiting time and find ways to reduce its ill effects.
Two recent studies sponsored by the TCA revealed that the trucking industry faces $1.6 billion in costs because of loading and unloading delays, and an average of over six hours is spent on the task by dry van drivers.
OOIDA suggests that owner-operators document incidents as thoroughly as possible and pass it on to somebody willing to do something with the evidence. However, Green acknowledges that drivers who report illegal practices run the risk of being blackballed by brokers, and many fear that customers let drivers come back if they complain. Owner Operator (03/00) Vol. 30, No. 2; P. 46; DeMarco, Tony; Snyder, Charles A.
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