A truck driver (usually referred to as driver , timster or driver in the United States and Canada; truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a truck driver , or driver in Ireland, UK, India, Nepal and Pakistan) is someone who makes a living as a truck driver (usually semi trucks, box trucks or garbage trucks).
Video Truck driver
Tasks and functions
Truck drivers provide essential services to the industrial community by transporting finished goods and raw materials on the ground, usually to and from factories, retail and distribution centers. Truck drivers are also responsible for inspecting all their vehicles for mechanical items or problems related to safe operations. Others, such as the driver/sales worker, are also responsible for selling, supplementing additional services such as cleaning, preparation, and entertainment (such as cooking and making hot drinks) and customer service.
Maps Truck driver
Type
There are three main truck drivers:
- Owner-operators (also known as O/Os, or "doublestuffs") are individuals who own trucks they drive and can rent their trucks on contract with trucking companies for freight transport for companies that use their own truck, or they carry cargo for a number of companies and are independent contractors who work alone. Some also rent trucks from companies and make payments to buy them in two to five years.
- Corporate drivers are employees of a special trucking company and drive trucks provided by their employers.
- Independent Carriers are those who have their own authority to transport goods and often drive their own trucks, may have a small fleet of anywhere from 1-10 trucks, maybe at least 2 or 3 trucks.
Job category
Both the owner owner/owner of drivers and company drivers can be in this category.
- Auto haulers works to transport cars on tailor-made trailers and requires special skills to load and operate this particular type of trailer.
- Boat haulers work on boats with sizes ranging from 10 feet (3.0 m) bass vessels to full-size boats up to 60 feet (18 m) using low-specific trailer boys can be set for each boat size. Ships with a width of more than 8 feet (2.59 m) or 13 feet tall (4.11 m) should have a license to move and are a huge burden. The
- van dryers driver carries most of the items on the highway with large trailers. Content may be perishable or impervious.
- Dry pneumatic drivers transport bulk sand, salt, and cement, among others. They have a special trailer that allows them to use compressed air to disassemble their products. - Generally known as Flow Boys among truckers. The
- Flat bed driver carries large items. Some examples are tanks, steel pipes and wood. Drivers need the ability to balance the load properly.
- LTL (Location-to-Location) drivers or "less than truckloads" are generally more local delivery jobs in which items are shipped by drivers in multiple locations, sometimes involving double withdrawals or a combination of three snippets.
- Reefer driver transport of goods cooled, temperature sensitive or frozen.
- The local driver works only within their local area limits. These areas may include crossing the country line, but drivers usually come home every day.
- Drivers of household goods , or bedbuggers, carrying personal items for families moving from one house to another.
- Regional drivers can work in some countries near their homes. They may be away from home for a short time.
- Interstate drivers (otherwise known as "over the road" drivers) often travel thousands of miles away from home for days, weeks or even months. For a critical load of time, companies may choose to use team drivers that can include more than one driver miles.
- Team drivers are two drivers who take turns driving the same truck in turns (sometimes husbands and wives), or some people in different states that split the distance (distance hauling) away from being distant from home for long period of time.
- The tanker driver (transporting tankies "tankers") trucks carry liquids, such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, milk, & amp; crude oil, and dry bulk ingredients, such as plastics, sugar, flour, & amp; cement in the tank. The liquid tanker driver requires special driving skills because the load balance changes from liquid movement. This is especially true for food grade tankers, which contain no baffles and one compartment (due to sanitary requirements). Also oil/oil fuel drivers require special certification.
- Vocational drivers drive vocational trucks such as truck cranes, garbage trucks, garbage trucks, or cement mixers.
- Drayage Drivers move cargo containers (aka "back pigs") that are raised outside or outside the chassis, at special intermodal stations.
- Bullrack transporting livestock locally around their hometown, or transporting regionally throughout the US. The term bullrack comes from a double deck trailer that is used strictly to transport livestock.
Clock rules
Australia
In Australia, truck and truck drivers and trailers combined with a gross vehicle mass of more than 12 tons should rest for 15 minutes every 5.5 hours, 30 minutes every 8 hours and 60 minutes every 11 hours (including driving and non-driving duties). In any 7 day period, a driver must spend 24 hours from his vehicle. Truck drivers must complete a logbook documenting hours and kilometers spent on driving.
Canada
In Canada, the hour of the service regulatory driver applies to any driver who operates "trucks, tractors, trailers, or any combination of those who have a gross vehicle weight of more than 4,500 kg or bus designed and built to have a designated seating capacity more than 24 people, including the driver ". However, there are two sets of service clock rules, one for above parallel north to-60, and one for below. Below the latitude, the 60-degree driver is limited to 14 hours of duty in every 24 hours. It's 14 hours including a maximum of 13 hours of driving time. The rest period is 8 consecutive hours in a 24 hour period, as well as an additional 2 hour rest period to be taken in blocks of not less than 30 minutes.
In addition, there is the concept of "Cycle". The prevailing cycle gives a limit on the total amount of time a driver can serve in a certain period before he/she has to take time off. Cycle 1 is 70 hours in a 7 day period, and cycle 2 is 120 hours in a 14 day period. A driver using cycle 1 must release 36 hours at the end of the cycle before being allowed to restart the cycle again. Cycle 2 is 72 hours of duty free before being allowed to start again.
Receipts for fuel, tolls, etc., Should be kept as MTO officers may ask to see them to further verify the correctness of the information contained in the driver's notebook during the inspection.
European Union
In the European Union, drivers' working hours are governed by European Union (EC) Regulation No. 561/2006 which came into force on 11 April 2007. Non-stop driving time should not exceed 4.5 hours. After 4.5 hours of driving, the driver must rest for at least 45 minutes. However, this can be divided into 2 breaks, the first at least 15 minutes, and the second at least 30 minutes.
Daily driving time does not exceed 9 hours. Daily driving time can be extended for up to 10 hours no more than twice a week. Weekly driving time should not exceed 56 hours. In addition, the driver can not exceed 90 hours of driving in two weeks. In any 24-hour period after the end of the previous daily rest period or the weekly rest period, the driver must take a new daily break period. An 11 hour (or more) break every day is referred to as a regular daily rest period. Alternatively, a driver may divide the regular daily break period into two periods. The first period should be at least 3 hours of uninterrupted rest and can be taken anytime during the day. The second should be at least 9 hours of rest without rest, giving a total rest of at least 12 hours. A driver can reduce his daily rest time to no less than 9 hours continuously, but this can be done no more than three times between two rest periods each week; no compensation for the required deductions. Daily breaks that are less than 11 hours but at least 9 hours long are called reduced daily rest periods. When daily breaks are taken, these can be taken in vehicles, provided they have suitable sleeping and stationary facilities.
'Multi-manning' Situation where, during each driving period between two consecutive daily break periods, or between daily break periods and weekly rest periods, there are at least two drivers in the vehicle to conduct the driving. For the first hour of multi-manning the presence of drivers or other drivers is optional, but for the rest of the period it is mandatory. This allows the vehicle to depart from its operations center and collect the second rider along the way, provided that it is done within 1 hour of the first rider starting to work. Vehicles manned by two or more drivers are governed by the same rules that apply to single manned vehicles, regardless of the daily break requirements. Where the vehicle is manned by two or more drivers, each driver must have a daily rest period of at least 9 consecutive hours in a 30-hour period beginning at the end of the last daily rest period or weekly. Organizing driver duties in such a way allows the crew task to spread over 21 hours. Maximum driving time for two people crew taking advantage of this concession is 20 hours before the daily break is required (though only if both drivers are entitled to driving 10 hours). Under multi-manning, the 'second' rider in the crew may not always be the same driver of the first shifting rider's duration but in principle can be any number of drivers as long as the conditions are met. Whether this second rider can claim a multi-crew concession in these circumstances will depend on their other tasks. In a multi-manning operation, the first 45 minutes of the availability period will be considered as a break, as long as the co-driver does not work.
Trips involving ferry or train transportation Where a driver accompanies a vehicle being transported by ferry or train, the daily break requirements are more flexible. Regular daily break periods can be interrupted no more than twice, but total interruptions should not exceed 1 hour in total. This allows the vehicle to be transported to the ferry and set off again at the end of the crossing. Where the rest period is disrupted in this way, the total recess time accumulated must still be 11 hours. The bed or sofa should be available during rest periods.
Weekly breaks Regular weekly rest periods are periods of at least 45 consecutive hours. One week of actual work begins at the end of the weekly rest period, and ends when another weekly rest period begins, which can mean that weekly rest is taken in the middle of a fixed (Monday-Sunday) week. This is acceptable - the working week does not need to be aligned with the 'fixed' weeks specified in the rule, provided that all relevant limits are met. Alternatively, the driver can take a minimum weekly rest period of at least 24 hours in a row. If a reduction is taken, it should be offset by an equivalent break period taken within a block before the end of the third week after the week. Compensation rest should be attached to a break period of at least 9 hours - which applies either weekly or daily rest periods. For example, when a driver reduces weekly rest time to 33 hours in week 1, he must compensate by attaching a 12-hour break period to another rest period of at least 9 hours before the end of week 4. This compensation can not be taken in some smaller periods. The weekly rest periods that fall within two weeks can be calculated in the second week but not in both. However, rest periods of at least 69 hours can be calculated as two rest per week of rest (eg 45 weekly rest followed by 24 hours), provided that the driver does not exceed 144 hours of work either before or after the rest period in question. Where the reduced weekly rest time is taken from the base, this can be taken inside the vehicle, provided it has suitable sleeping and stationary facilities.
Unforeseen events As long as road safety is not threatened, and to allow the driver to reach the appropriate stopping point, departure from EU rules may be allowed as far as necessary to ensure the safety of the person, vehicle or cargo. The driver should note all the reasons for doing so behind their tachographic recorder sheets (if using an analog tachograph) or on temporary prints or sheets (if using a digital tachograph) at the latest to reach the appropriate stop (see relevant). section that includes manual entry). Recurrent and regular occurrences, however, may indicate to law enforcement officials that the employer is not in the actual job of scheduling to allow compliance with applicable rules.
New Zealand
The requirements of heavy vehicle working time in New Zealand are:
- Rest at least 30 minutes every 5.5 hours working time
- Maximum 13-hour cumulative working time (plus 2x 30 minute breaks) in one cumulative workday before the 10 hour break is required, giving a total of 24 hours.
- After 70 hours of work collected, a driver must rest for at least 24 hours
Emergency service drivers may exceed business hours while attending priority calls.
United States
In the United States, hours of service (HOS) of commercial drivers are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Motor vehicle driver (CMV) is limited to 11 cumulative driving hours within a 14 hour period, after a break of no less than 10 consecutive hours. Drivers employed by operators in "daily operations" may not work more than 70 hours in any 8-day consecutive period.
The driver must have a 24-hour diary record of the status of the task of documenting all work and rest periods. The obligation status record must remain current until the last task status and record changes from the previous seven days that the driver kept on the truck and presented to law enforcement officers on request.
The on-board electronic recorder (EOBR) can automatically record, inter alia, when the vehicle moves or stops. FMCSA is considering making EOBR compulsory for all motor operators.
New rules of HOS (working hours) come into effect on July 1, 2013. It requires a 30-minute break to take before the eight-hour assignment is reached. There are additional HOS rules for California.
Shortage of truck drivers has been reported in the United States. Low retention rate.
Compensation
Truckers are paid according to many different methods. This includes salary, hourly, and a number of methods that can be broadly defined as cutting work. Work cut methods may include basic rates and additional payments. Basic tariffs either offset drivers by miles or by load.
A company driver who makes a number of "less than truck" (LTL) shipments through conventional truck boxes or tractor-trailers can be paid per hour and/or certain amount per mile, and/or per stop (aka "drop" or "dock bump" ), and/or per piece sent, disassembled, or "tailgated" (moved to the back of the trailer).
The main advantage paid by a mile is probably that the driver is rewarded according to measurable achievements. The main disadvantage is that what the driver might achieve is not directly related to the effort and, perhaps especially, the time required for completion.
Good housekeepers handle the most complicated and thus usually the tallest, potentially making multiple scheduled cargo ships.
Paid by mile
Distance calculations vary from operator to operator. Mil hub, or mile odometer ("hub" refers to the hubometer, mechanical odometer mounted to the shaft), pay the driver for every mile. Calculations are generally limited to no more than 3-5% above the estimated distance traveled by the operator before a red flag appears, depending on the operator's merit or how the tariff measures the estimated mileage capability of the software used. One mile hub version only includes the route specified per carrier, that is, a number of miles. Any "off-route" distance from any incentive is provided by the driver to the operator for free.
Many of the largest freight trucking companies in the United States pay their drivers by a short distance. The short distance is the absolute shortest distance between two or more zip codes, literally straight lines drawn on the map. This short distance seldom reflects the actual distance that must be taken to pick up and deliver the goods, but they will be used to calculate what the driver will get.
Short miles on average about ten percent less than the actual mile but in some cases the difference could be as much as 50 percent. An extreme example (but not unheard) will be the load taken in Brownsville, Texas, and sent in Miami, Florida. This trip will require the driver to travel more than 1,600 miles. However, the short route will trust the distance to only 750, as if the truck could drive across the Gulf of Mexico. Another extreme example would be the burden taken at Buffalo New York and delivered in Green Bay Wisconsin, giving no consideration that the three Great Lakes States lie between the origin and destination of the cargo.
Other obvious obstacles are mountains and canyons. Truck-prohibited routes sometimes make this same phenomenon, requiring the driver to drive some legal truck routes and approach the destination from behind (basically driving a fish-shaped hook route), because most direct routes can not accommodate heavy truck traffic.
Some trucking companies have tried to alleviate some of these differences by paying their drivers according to "practical miles". This is where delivery gives them certain routes to follow and will pay them for it. This is done in an attempt to compensate the driver for the actual work done. These routes will mostly follow the Interstate Highway system but will sometimes require drivers to use state and US highways and toll roads. Trucking companies practice this method to attract and retain veteran drivers. Household goods (HHG) for miles, from the Mileage Guide of Household Goods (aka "short miles") is the first attempt to standardize motor vehicle tariffs for moving household goods, some said on orders from the Department of Defense to move troops across the country, long been a major source of stable and reliable income. Rand McNally, along with predecessors of Moving & amp; The Storage Association developed the first Guide published in 1936, where it contains only about 300 point-to-point mileage.
Currently, the Guide to the 19th version has grown to contain distances between more than 140,000 cities, zip codes, or highway intersections.
There, if you ask many drivers, lies the injustice inherent in HHG-based mileage payments; miles are pushed point-to-point, not from "city" to "zip code" or "crossroads".
Paid by load
Paid by percentage is the preferred way of business among veteran drivers and owner operators. The typical percentage among the owners who pull the trailer-flatbed is between 85-90 percent of the haulage that is paid to the driver. In addition, drivers may receive 100 percent fuel surcharge and additional pickup or drip charges or for discharge loads. This creates a strong incentive for drivers to agree to attract very difficult burdens; ie very heavy or large parts, requiring hardening, cuts that are sent or received along dangerous routes away from the interstate. It also makes drivers and operators disagree to move "cheap goods". The percentage of load is the simplest way to calculate what the driver and truck will get.
Paid by hour
Companies like DuprÃÆ' Â © Logistics, traditionally paid by miles have turned to hourly wages. Regional and local drivers are usually paid hourly. In 2011 the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported an average of heavy truck drivers and over-the-road hourly wages of $ 21.74 per hour. BLS reported in 2012 that the hourly average wage is $ 18.37 per hour. In May 2013 BLS reported average hourly payments of $ 12.21 (10% below) to $ 28.66 per hour (top 10%). In March 2014, Payscale.com published that beginner-level truck drivers ranged from $ 11.82 to $ 20.22 per hour and the average hourly rate was reported at $ 15.53 per hour. The driving jobs of certain specialty industries such as oilfield services such as vacuum suction, dry bulk, and tow trucks, can receive a wage of $ 22.00 or higher per hour.
Custom license
Australia
In Australia, heavy vehicle licenses are issued by the state but are a national standard; there are 5 license classes required by heavy vehicle drivers:
- Light Rigid License (LR class) includes a gross vehicle with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of no more than 8 tons, with a crane trailer that weighs no more than 9 tons of GTM (Mass Trailer Gross). Also, buses with up to 8 tons GVM carrying more than 12 adults including drivers.
- The Rigid Medium License (MR class) includes a rigid vehicle with 2 axles and a GVM of more than 8 tons, with a pulled towing of no more than 9 tons of GTM.
- The Heavy Rigid License (HR class) includes a rigid vehicle with 3 axles or more with a towed carriage of no more than 9 tons of GTM. Also the bus is articulated.
- The Heavy Combination license (HC class) includes semi-trailers, or rigid vehicles pulling trailers with GTM over 9 tons.
- The Multi-Combination License (MC class) includes multi-combination vehicles like Road Trains and B-Double Vehicles.
Someone must have a C class (car) license for 1 year before they can apply for LR or MR class license and 2 years before they can apply for HR, to upgrade to HC class license one must have MR or License of HR class for 1 year and to upgrade to an MC class license someone must have a HR or HC class license for 1 year.
Canada
Driver licenses in Canada, including commercial vehicle licenses, are issued and organized by province. Regarding CDL (commercial driver license), there is no standardization between provinces and regions.
European Union
In the European Union, one or more licensed categories of Large Goods Vehicles (LGV) are required.
Medium Sized Vehicle:
C1 Cycling between 3500 kg and 7500 kg with trailer up to 750 kg.
Medium Sized Vehicle with trailer:
Rows between 3500 kg and 7500 kg with trailer more than 750 kg - total weight not more than 12000 kg (if you pass the category B test before 1.1.1997, you will be limited to total weight no more from 8250 kg).
Large Vehicles:
C Vehicles above 3500 kg with trailer up to 750 kg.
Large Vehicles with trailers:
C E Vehicles above 3500 kg with footage over 750 kg.
In Australia, for example, HC licenses include buses and freight vehicles in the UK and most of the EU, but a separate license is required.
Minibus:
D1 Vehicles with between 9 and 16 passenger seats with trailers up to 750 kg.
Minibuses with trailers :
D1 E The combination of vehicles in which the towing vehicle is in D1 sub-category and the trailer has a MAM of more than 750 kg, provided that the MAM of the formed combination does not exceed 12000 kg, and the MAM trailer does not exceed the mass of the towing vehicle.
Bus:
D Each bus with more than 8 passenger seats with trailer up to 750 kg.
Bus with trailer:
D E Each bus with more than 8 passenger seats with trailer over 750 kg.
United States
The United States uses a truck classification system, and truck drivers must have a commercial driving license (CDL) to operate CMV with a gross vehicle weight rating of over 26,000 pounds.
Getting a CDL requires a skill test (pre-trip inspection and driving test), and a (written) knowledge test that includes unique handling qualities for driving large and heavy commercial vehicles and the mechanical systems necessary to operate the vehicle (air brakes, suspension, cargo security, et al.), plus stated in accordance with medical examinations no less than every two years. For passenger bus drivers, current passenger support is also required.
A person must be at least 18 years old to get a CDL. Drivers under the age of 21 are restricted to operating in their licensing status (intrastate operations). Many large trucking companies require driver applicants to be at least 23 years old, with one year's experience, while others will recruit and train new drivers as long as they have a clean driving history.
The US Department of Transport (DOT) establishes various CDL classes and associated licenses as well as operational requirements and limits.
- Class A - Any combination of vehicles with GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of 26,001 or more pounds provides GVWR of vehicles withdrawn over 10,000 pounds.
- Class B - Any vehicle with GVWR 26001 or more, or any vehicle of interest to the vehicle, not exceeding 10,000 pounds GVWR.
- Class C - Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that does not meet Class A or Class B definitions, but is designed to carry 16 or more passengers, including drivers or signed for hazardous materials.
CDL may also contain the separate support needed to operate a particular trailer or to transport a specific cargo. This support is recorded in CDL and often appears in ads that spell out requirements for the job.
- T - Trailer double/triple (test knowledge only)
- P - Passenger (knowledge test, skill test may be required for some operations Required for bus driver.)
- N - Tank vehicle (test knowledge only)
- H - Harmful materials (just knowledge tests, also require fingerprint and background checks since the September 11 attacks)
- X - Combination of tank and hazardous materials
Other support is possible, for example, M support for transporting metal rolls weighing more than 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg), but being tested and issued by each country and inconsistent throughout the state (in this paper, M support is typical to the state of New York). The state law from which the driver's CDL is issued is considered to be the applicable law governing the driver.
If a driver fails in an air brake component of a general knowledge test or performs a skill test in a vehicle not equipped with air brakes, the driver issues air brake restrictions, limiting the driver to operate a CMV equipped with air brakes.
In particular, the five-tractor-semitrailer combination most often associated with the word "truck" requires Class A CDL to drive. Beyond that, the driver's employer (or shipping customer, in the case of an independent operator-owner) generally determines what support operations they require drivers to have.
Truck regulations on size, weight and route design
US.
Truckers are responsible for inspecting the shaft and gross weight of their vehicles, usually by weighing on the truck stop scale. Truck weight is monitored for boundary compliance by state authorities at weigh stations and by DOT officers with portable scales.
Commercial motor vehicles are subject to various state and federal laws concerning the limitation of truck length (measured from bumper to bumper), width, and length of the truck shaft (measured from the axle shaft to the shaft or the fifth wheel to the axle for the trailer).
The relationship between shaft weights and distances, known as the Dirty Formula of Federal Bridges, is designed to protect bridges.
A standard 18 wheel consists of three axle groups: one front axle (steering wheel), tandem drive axle (double), and tandem axle axle. The federal weight limit for NN traffic is:
- 20,000 pounds for a single axle
- 34,000 pounds for tandem axis
- 80,000 pounds for total weight
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Division of the US Department of Transport (US DOT) sets the limits of length, width, and weight of CMV used in interstate commerce.
Traffic interstate commercial trucks are generally confined to the interstate highway network and state highways known as the National Network (NN). The National Network consists of (1) the Interstate Highway System and (2) the highway, previously classified as a Primary System route, capable of safely dealing with larger commercial vehicles, certified by the state for FHWA.
The weight limit and length of the country (which may be lower or greater than the federal limit) affects the operation only from NN. There are no federal altitude limits, and states can set their own limits ranging from 13 feet 6 inches to 14 feet. As a result, the height of most trucks ranges between 13 'and 14'.
Truck driver issues (U.S.)
Unpaid working hours
In the United States, there is plenty of unpaid time, usually in the Sender or Receiver where the truck is idle waiting for loading or unloading. Prior to HOS 2010 the change was common for 4-8 hours to pass during this evolution. The CSA discusses this and incorporates legal methods for drivers and trucking companies to fill this excessive time. For the most part, the loading/unloading time falls into the 2-4 hour window even though the longer time still lasts.
Turnover and driver shortage
In 2006, the US truck industry as a whole employed 3.4 million drivers. The main problem for the long haul industry is that most of these drivers are old, and are expected to retire. Very few new employees are expected in the near future, resulting in a shortage of drivers. Currently, in the long-distance sector, it is estimated there are a shortage of 20,000 drivers. The shortage is expected to increase to 111,000 by 2014. Trucking (especially the long-distance sector) also faces an image crisis due to long working hours, long periods of time away from home, the hazardous nature of work, relatively low wages (compared to working hours) , and the "last driver" mentality that is common throughout the industry.
To help combat the shortage, trucking companies have lobbied Congress to reduce the age limit of drivers, which they say will reduce the shortage of hiring. Under current legislation, drivers must be 21 to transport goods across state borders, which the industry wants to drop to 18 years.
Employee turnover in the long-distance transport industry is notoriously high. In the 4th quarter of 2005, turnover in the largest operator in the industry reached a 136% record, meaning that operators employing 100 drivers would lose an average of 136 drivers each year.
Break time
Due to the nature of the work, most drivers endure more than 4 weeks at a time. Months for months and even longer. For the average large corporate driver in the United States 6 weeks is average, with every week out collecting driver one day off. This reaches the maximum set usually 6 or 7 days. This is the average for OTR (Over The Road) Line Haul and Regional drivers. Local and vocational drivers usually come home every night or every night. Most tractors are equipped with beds that range from 36 "to 86" in length. While there are larger sleepers that reach up to 144 "in length, this is not visible in the mainstream segment of the truck They are usually seen in special moving segments and households, where well loads are allowed to be overweight or oversize or very light but large.
Security
From 1992-1995, truckers had a higher total mortality total than other jobs, accounting for 12% of all work-related deaths. In 2009, truck drivers accounted for 16.8% of transportation-related deaths. Truckers are five times more likely to die in work-related accidents than the average worker. Road accidents cause most of the deaths of truck drivers, mostly caused by confused drivers in passenger vehicles unaccustomed to large trucks.
Unsafe actions of car drivers are a factor of about 70 percent of fatal accidents involving trucks. More public awareness about how to safely share roads with large trucks is needed.
The safety of their truck and truck drivers is monitored and statistics collected by FMCSA or Federal Carrier Safety Administration that provide online information on security breaches. If a truck is stopped by a law enforcement agent or at an inspection station, information about the truck complies and OOS violations are recorded. Unapproved violations are defined by the federal code as a danger that will occur in 49 U.S.C. Ã, § 521 (b) (5) (B), "any condition that may result in serious injury or death". The national statistics on accidents published on the online website Analysis and Information FMCSA provides the main OOS driver category for 2009 nationwide: 17.6% are log entry violations, 12.6% are ongoing violations, 12.5% ​​of driver records are not is active now, and 6.5% requires the driver to drive more than 14 hours on duty. This has led some insurance companies to want to monitor driver behavior and require electronic logs and satellite monitoring.
In 2009 there were 3380 casualties involving large trucks, of which 2470 were associated with a combination unit truck (defined as the number of trailers behind the tractor). In a November 2005 FMCSA report to Congress, data for 33 months of major truck accidents were analyzed. 87 percent of crashes are driver errors. In cases where two vehicles, one car and one truck were involved, 46 percent of cases involved truck drivers and 56 percent involving car drivers. While trucks and cars in two vehicle accidents share basically half the burden of accidents (not the 70 percent as mentioned above), the top six driver factors are essentially the same and in a more or less equivalent percentage: Prescription drug use, over the counter drug usage , unfamiliarity by road, speeding, making illegal maneuvers, inadequate supervision. This indicates that the truck driver made the same mistake as the driver of the car and vice versa. This is not true of the vehicle that caused the accident (about 30 percent of accidents) where the top failure for the truck was caused by the brakes (29 percent of the time compared to 2% of the time for the car).
Truck drivers often spend their evenings parked at truck stops, rest areas, or on the highway shoulders. Sometimes these are in remote areas or hazardous environments, causing deaths because drivers are the target of thieves for their valuables, money, and property, or for the truck and the trailer itself. Truckers using flatbed trailers are responsible for securing and tying their cargo (which often involves climbing into the cargo itself), and if the load requires weakening, it is necessary to climb on the load to spread the tarpaulin. Tarpaulins can weigh up to 200 pounds each and cargo can require up to 3 tarps per load which causes some deaths and injuries to fall. The driver spends hours behind the wheel, which can cause pressure on the back muscles. Some drivers are responsible for unloading their cargo, which can cause many strains and sprains back due to fatigue techniques and improper lifting techniques. If the truck's cab is not appropriate for the size of the driver, the driver may lose visibility and easy access to control and higher risk for accidents.
Sleep disturbance and deprivation
Truck drivers are also sensitive to sleep disturbances due to the long hours required on wheels and, in most cases, lack of adequate rest. Driver fatigue is a contributing factor in 12% of all damage and 10% of all nearby accidents. High traffic fatalities and many of them are caused by driver fatigue. Drivers with obstructive sleep apnea have a sevenfold increased risk of being involved in motor vehicle accidents. It is estimated that 2.4-3.9 million licensed commercial drivers in the US have obstructive sleep apnea of ​​about 18 million total Americans. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says that as many as 28 percent of commercial driver licensees have sleep apnea.
- Total cost associated with apnea-related sleep disorders:
- 2000: $ 15.9 billion and 1,400 lives
- Care:
- Cost: $ 3.18 billion with 70% effectiveness of CPAP care
- Savings: $ 11.1 billion in collision fees and 980 lives each year (National Security Council)
Research sponsored by the Federal Carrier Safety Administration and the American Trucking Association found:
- Nearly a third (28%) of commercial truck drivers have multiple levels of sleep apnea
- 17.6% have mild sleep apnea
- 5.8% have moderate sleep apnea
- 4.7% have severe sleep apnea
Truckers on the road between 0400 and 0600, 0000 and 0200, and 1400-1600 hours are at the highest risk of sleep-related accidents.
Parking
A study published in 2002 by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) division of the US Department of Transport (US DOT) suggests that "parking areas for trucks and buses along major roads and highways are more than enough across the country when the two are public (the rest of the area) and commercial parking facilities are taken into account. "
The 2000 road special investigation report by the National Transportation Safety Agency (NTSB) contains the following statistics:
- Private truck parking stop - 185,000 (forecast)
- The number of trucks parked on private trucks stops at night - 167,453 (forecast)
- A full private truck stop on a certain night across the country-53 percent
- Lack of truck parking space - 28,400 (approximate)
- Public rest areas with full or overflow parking at night 80 percent
One of the challenges of finding truck parking is difficult, probably not because there is not enough "national" parking space, but where most of these spaces are not located, and most needed; near the most densely populated areas where demand for trucking goods is the largest.
As urban areas continue to lie, the land for private trucking stops nearby is very expensive and there seems to be an understandable reluctance from residents to live near facilities where large numbers of trucks may be idling their machines through the night. , every night, or experience an increase in traffic related to trucks on local roads.
Exacerbating the problem is parking restrictions or restrictions on commercial areas where lots of space exists and the fact that senders and recipients tend to choose to send and receive truckloads at the beginning and end of the work day.
The end result is an increase in truck traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hour when the most crowded traffic, the commuter shows the lowest patience, and safety is disrupted.
Adding challenges to find parking are:
- Drivers can only recognize the location of public and commercial parking lots and their capacity and traffic by visiting them.
- Parking shortage, real or perceived, closest to the densest urban areas encourages drivers to arrive early and many of the truck stops are full at 7 pm leaving drivers who carefully plan their trip in detail if there are multiple options.
The idling limit
Idling restrictions further complicate the driver's ability to get enough rest, because this example from California can illustrate:
Commercial diesel-fueled vehicles with GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds are subject to applicable idling restrictions 1 February 2005. You may not:
- idle main diesel engine vehicle for more than five minutes at each location.
- operate an additional diesel-fueled power system that drives heating, air conditioning or additional equipment for bed-equipped vehicles during sleep or rest for more than five minutes at any location within 100 feet of the restricted area.
The driver is subject to civil and criminal penalties for violation of this rule. "
DAC Reporting
"DAC Report" truck drivers refer to job history information submitted by former employers to HireRight & amp; USIS Commercial Services Inc. (formerly called DAC Services, or "Drive-A-Check"). Among other things, the truck driver DAC Report contains driver identification (Name, DOB, SSN), the name and address of the contributing trucking company, the driver's driving date with that company, the reason the driver left the company, whether the driver qualified for rehire, and commented on the record the work of the driver (eg, good, satisfying, too late delivery, etc.). It will also indicate whether the company is storing drug and alcohol test information with USIS. A separate section of the DAC report contains incident/accident information as well as the CSA 2010 Pre-Employment Pre-Employment Pre-Employment Program Report (PSP).
Incorrect report
The DAC report is just as important as the livelihood of professional truckers because the credit report is for the consumer. When a trucking company reports negative information about a truck driver, it can damage a driver's career by preventing him from finding a trucking job for a few years or more. It is widely known that trucking companies often misuse this power by knowingly and maliciously reporting false information on a driver's DAC report, either in retaliation for finding better trucking jobs elsewhere or for some other fraud, anti-competition reasons. As long as truck drivers can be threatened with false DAC reports to defend management or leave their companies for better jobs elsewhere, working conditions at truckers' jobs will not improve.
Truck driver issues (U.K.)
Lack of driver
In 2014, the Road Transport Association and the Freight Transport Association have called on the government to help address the shortage of qualified truck drivers in the UK. The UK logistics industry is currently only 45,000 short truck drivers but there are only 20,000 new drivers coming into the industry each year. With an average age of truck drivers in the UK being 53 and not enough young drivers joining the industry, it is predicted that if nothing is done by 2020, the industry will be 60,000 short truck drivers.
In September 2015 the Government instructed the Transport Committee to investigate the shortage of skilled drivers. The committee will look for the following:
- Is there any shortage and so far it affects industry
- The role of the government in recruiting and supporting a diverse workforce
- The Role of Driver Riders in increasing industrial employees; skill and professionalism
- Aspects of government policy that can hinder potential candidates
- Condition of roadside facilities for drivers stopping during the day and staying overnight
During February 2016, an independent survey of driver shortages was conducted by the UK stock exchanges. The purpose of this survey is to get a driver's opinion about the shortage of HGV drivers. The goal is to determine whether the survey driver's results can help industry and government understand the problems facing drivers today.
The findings from the survey show that, in the opinion of the drivers, the three main factors causing the driver's shortage are 1) bad wages, 2) bad driver's facilities and 3) the way the driver is treated. More than a third of all drivers participating in the survey feel that they are not being treated well by the company they drive.
Satellite tracking
Many companies today use some kind of satellite vehicle tracking or trailer tracking to assist in fleet management. In this context "tracking" refers to location tracking and "satellite" refers to a GPS satellite system or GLONASS that provides location information or communications satellites used for location data transmission. A special location tracking device also known as a tracker or AVL unit is installed in the truck and automatically determines its position in real-time and sends it to a remote computer database for visualization and analysis.
Communication devices "in cabin" AVL units often allow drivers to communicate with their dispatchers, who are usually responsible for determining and notifying drivers of their pickup and delivery locations. If the AVL unit is connected to a Cellular data terminal or computer, it also allows the driver to enter information from the bill of lading (BOL) to a simple dot matrix display screen (commonly called "Qualcomm" for omniTRACS everywhere.
The driver enters the information, using the keyboard, into an automated preformatted message system known as a macro. There are macros for every stage of the loading and unloading process, such as "loading and leaving the sender" and "arriving at the end destination". The system also allows the company to track the driver's fuel usage, speed, dental optimization, idle engine time, location, direction of travel, and the amount of time spent driving.
Werner Enterprises, a US company based in Omaha, Nebraska, has used this system to implement a "paperless logging" system. Instead of tracking working hours on traditional pen-based and paper-based notebooks, drivers tell the company about its status using a macro.
Health issues
Working conditions
Most truckers are hired as over-the-road drivers, which means they are hired to drive long distances from pickup to delivery. During a short time when they are in highly polluted urban areas, inside truck cabins contribute a lot to avoid inhaling toxic emissions, and on most trips, while they pass through vast areas where there is little air pollution, truck drivers on generally enjoy less exposure to toxic emissions in the air than the inhabitants of big cities, where there is an increased exposure to emissions from machinery, factories, etc., which can increase the risk of cancer and can aggravate lung diseases, such as asthma in the general public that inhabit the city - this city. However, some drivers who are hired to drive only in urban areas do not have this advantage by spending more time away from the toxic emissions enjoyed by drivers on the highway. Other conditions that affect the health of truck drivers such as vibration, noise, long sitting time, work stress and fatigue. For drivers in developing countries there are additional risks because roads are in poor condition and accidents happen more often. Truck drivers are even a high-risk group for HIV infection in these countries.
To address the dangers relative to driver fatigue, many countries have laws that limit the amount of time that can be used by truck drivers. Many underdeveloped countries have no such law or do not enforce it.
Motorists working in the mines have an extra health hazard due to their working conditions, because the roads they pass are very dangerous.
Australian health requirements
A new law is passed in Australia which requires that all drivers "on the road" carry their medical information with them while they are "at work". This will help drivers comply with the new law and can also help provide quick and accurate medical assistance if and when needed.
Obesity
According to a 2007 study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 86% of about 3.2 million truckers in the United States are overweight or obese. A survey conducted in 2010 showed that 69% of American truck drivers meet their criteria for obesity, twice the percentage of adults working for the US population. Some of the major risk factors for obesity in truck drivers are poor eating habits, lack of access to healthy food, lack of exercise, inactive lifestyles, long working hours, and lack of access to care.
Eighty percent of truckers have an unhealthy diet as a result of poor food choices and food availability at truck stops are partly to blame. Options at the truck stop are generally high-calorie and high-fat foods available through restaurants, fast food, restaurants and vending machines. Fresh products and whole grains are very few. Although 85% of mini-mart items are categorized as very unhealthy, 80% of these foods are considered to be the truckers' main meals of the day. Also, most of the food brought by drivers in their trucks, stored in refrigerators or not, is purchased from truck stops. Research shows that drivers judge quality and taste far more than nutrition when choosing food. Another problem is the wide and irregular snacking pattern while on the road and consuming one large meal at the end of the day. Eating daily is often high in calories and may be the highlight of the driver's day. Food intake varies during working hours compared to holidays and truck drivers eat at the wrong circadian phase during the day.
Lack of exercise is another factor that contributes to the obesity epidemic in the trucker population. Nearly 90% of truckers only exercise occasionally or never and only 8% exercise regularly. This is largely determined by long working hours and tight deadlines, adoption of an inactive lifestyle and lack of venues for exercise. Although some fitness sources are available for truck drivers, most are scarce. The available areas are truck stops, rest areas on the highways, truck terminals, warehouses, and truck cabins. However, there are many parking restrictions and security issues in trying to incorporate the exercises into the daily routine.
Studies have found an increased risk of obesity in high demand, low control jobs, and more in long work hours; truck driving industries fall into this category. Also, daytime sleepiness and night disturbances are associated with obesity, and therefore, often occur among truckers. Remote drivers have tight schedules, so they tend to drive longer and sleep less. The US Department of Transport (DOT) of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has a Service Hours (HOS) rule. Under the old rules, drivers can work up to 82 hours in 7 days. These rules were modified in 2011; but the new rules only allow drivers to work up to 70 hours in 7 days. Now there is a limit of 11 hours per day with 10 hours of inactivity after weekly shift. Fines for companies that allow work beyond 11 hours to $ 11,000 and for drivers up to $ 2,750. Although this fine exists, there is minimal law enforcement.
The prevalence of obesity is affected by access to care for truck drivers. Corporate drivers often have problems with insurance, such as the initial approval required if out of the network. Most operator-owner drivers do not have any medical insurance (ie, in the US where medical care is not free like most countries). In addition, truckers have trouble making appointments on the road and often do not know where to stop for help. Many self-diagnose or ignore their health problems altogether. Some can be seen in a doctor's office or private clinic while most depend on the emergency room and emergency care visit. The Department of Transportation has a Convenient Care Clinic across the US, but they are hard to find and very few and few. Health care costs are substantially higher for overweight and obese individuals, so obesity in the trucker population places greater demand on the industry.
Other health issues
Truck drivers in the US smoke twice as much as working adults; 51% of truck drivers reported that they smoked in the 2010 survey. 61% of truck drivers in the same survey reported having two or more risk factors, defined as high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, no physical activity, or less sleep (6 hours or less sleep per 24 hours). Truck drivers also suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular disease, and stress at higher levels.
Implementation of drug detection
AS.
In the 1980s the administration of President Ronald Reagan proposed to end the drug abuse in the truck industry by means of a recently developed urinalysis technique, with the signing of Executive Order 12564, which requires regular random testing of drugs for all truck drivers. national, and employees of other DOT-regulated industries specified in the order, although consideration should be made regarding the impact of execution of the action too soon.
Making a sudden big change in the big economic infrastructure and the industries that are important to them always risk, the bigger the change, the bigger the degree. Due to the strong dependence of the US economy on the movement of merchandise to and from large metropolitan population centers separated by great distances, the sudden shortage of truck drivers can have far-reaching and devastating effects on the economy.
After the stock market crash of 1929, for example, the chain reaction of sales reductions by prioritizing consumers and reducing the purchase of luxury goods, with companies responding by reducing production and increasing unemployment, exacerbating the cycle of reduction or elimination of production, sales, and employment, has the final result of plunging the nation's economy into the Great Depression.
Likewise, it should be considered that the sudden cessation or stunting of merchandise movements, as would be the case with a large and sudden vacancy of the cargo transport workforce, would have the same consequences. Even the reduction of national-speed limits in 1974 to 55 mph, which only slow down the movement of merchandise, followed by the recession of the late 1970s.
In the years and decades after Executive Order 12564, attempts to start random drug testing and pre-employment drug screening for truck drivers were not accelerated, allowing for gradual changes, fearing the danger of excessive changes in the economic infrastructure. Since then, a large number of tractor-trailer operators have left the industry to find another job, and a new generation of drivers has come. After that, it becomes very difficult for truck drivers to engage in drug abuse and remain undetected..
On 12/10/2015, the National Transportation Safety Council (NTSB) asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to draft a proposed plan to address the use of synthetic drugs among truckers. NTSB also issued a call to pro-truck agencies to educate its members about the dangers associated with the use of synthetic drugs by truck drivers, and to find ways to prevent its use while behind the wheel.
The truck driver slang
US.
Truckers once had very complicated and colorful vocabulary for use over their CB radios, but with the high turnover in the industry in the last few decades, these have all gone. Most generations of new drivers in the United States are currently talking to each other through their CB radio (or other similar communication device) in more or less standard English (as understood in different regions of the country), although some slang of words and phrases remain , and many of these words have been used in the everyday language of the general public.
"Smokey" and/or "bear" are still used to refer to police officers, especially state patrol officers, and sometimes "diesel bear" to a DOT officer, although many new school drivers simply say "police," "police" and "police". "Hammer" refers to the accelerator pedal, and "hammer lane" the left lane or the passing lane on the freeway, where traffic generally runs faster. "Handle", which means a nickname, was once a driver-truck slang, but is now publicly used, especially for pseudonyms used in Internet forums.
Most of the "ten codes" have fallen almost or completely become unused, except "10/4," meaning "message received," "affirmative," "okay," "understood," and sometimes "10/20, "refers to the driver's location, (eg," How old are you 20? ")
Often older truck drivers who talk through their CB radio are frustrated at the lack of understanding of new truck drivers about the truck slots of the 60s, 70s and 80s, and
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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