One thing i admit I don’t understand; I’m not saying that rhetorically—I really don’t understand it, because I don’t know the industry.
Why would it be in trucking company’s advantage to push drivers to work overly long hours? You get a few more contracts because you can deliver stuff faster, but if just one of your drivers falls asleep at the wheel, the millions in lost goods, driver insurance hikes, workers’ compensation rate hikes, and potential lawsuits would hardly seem to make it worth it.
The govt. regulations are far more onerous than the average person realizes. Most people are unaware of the hours of service rules beyond the maximum allowable 70 hrs/8 days (not 70 hrs/week).
The rules are set up to force drivers off the road for the same 10 hr window every day. Since many businesses work on a 24/7 schedule, and since almost all shippers and receivers require drivers to show up by appt., this wreaks absolute havoc with showing up ontime for pickups and deliveries.
The hours of service violations that you hear being referenced are most often of the "moving the truck in the middle of a 10 hr break" variety, as opposed to the "exceeding the 70 hrs in 8 days variety."
Most of the larger companies do not encourage violating the hours of service rules. However, they pay the drivers by the mile, so drivers have a huge incentive to do anything they can to deliver as many loads as possible.
When I was driving, I did anything I could get away with. I was eventually fired for my lackadaisical attitude. That was one of the best days of my life.
I’m going to become a long haul freight driver...just as soon as mule teams come back into vogue. I am already trained.