In the last post, we talked about the Hours of Service regulations, how they impact your drivers’ hours and some of the exceptions that have been put into place.  Unfortunately, these regulations present some challenges to drivers and fleet managers.  Some of these challenges have already been addressed with exceptions to the rules — for instance, limits on driving hours don’t apply during bad weather, or during the Christmas season for retail company employees.  Other challenges, however, still remain an issue for fleet managers.

Falsifying Logs

All drivers that travel outside of a 100-mile radius from the fleet’s base of operations must keep precise logs recording the hours they spend driving, both on duty and off duty.  Unfortunately, falsifying logs is one of the biggest problems that trucking companies face.  Often with the goal of maximizing their pay as much as possible, drivers won’t record all of their driving time.  A company that permits or even subtly encourages this to happen, however, can get into a lot of trouble for violating the law.

One way to get around this problem is to utilize electronic on-board recorders (EOBR) on all of your trucks.  These basically monitor each truck’s movements via GPS, allowing the system to accurately track each driver’s time spent on the road, as well as other things such as how long they spend letting the truck idle at truck stops.  In fact, GPS would so completely eliminate the problem that requiring these devices in all fleet vehicles has been discussed, and will likely happen eventually.

Underused Vehicles

A parking lot half full of trucks sitting idle can also be a concern for many fleet managers.  In the industry, it is standard to assign a different vehicle to every driver.  Unfortunately, when drivers are taking their required 10-hour break, their trucks are sitting in the parking lot.  This results in vehicles being underused, or, more precisely, in fleet managers having to buy and maintain more vehicles than they actually need (if you count up actual driving hours).

Fleets that run around the clock might consider allowing drivers to share trucks on alternating shifts.  This allows a fleet to have the same number of drivers and routes, but also a fewer number of trucks.  Instead of assigning a gas rebate card to every driver, you can instead assign one to every truck, to ensure that you are still able to track each vehicle’s gas mileage and maintenance using the card.

Unfair Compensation Rates

The limits on driving hours is frustrating for many truckers because it prevents them from being able to make as much money.  Many over-the-road truck drivers are paid for the mileage, rather than the hours they spend driving, which is why falsifying logs and putting in more hours (and thus racking up more mileage) is so tempting.

Unfortunately, most trucking companies don’t pay their drivers based on actual miles.  Instead, they use software or mileage guides to figure out the mileage.  Unfortunately, these tend to be fairly conservative in their estimates, which means many drivers are underpaid for their trips.  This makes it even more tempting for drivers to falsify their logs and put in more driving hours.

In addition to using GPS, another great way to get around the challenges created by these rules of the road would be to pay drivers by the hour.  If drivers were paid according to the number of hours they worked, the Hours of Service regulations would thereby put a cap on their earning potential, while at the same time ensuring that they would get paid fair wages for all hours worked (and not just time spent driving).  In effect, it would completely eliminate the desire to falsify logs and drive for longer than regulations allow.

These are just a few of the challenges that come up as a result of the rules of the road.  What are some other challenges you have encountered?

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