C.R.A.S.H., P.A.T.T. And Other Citizens Groups

Last week a D.C. Court of appeal has leaned towards the lobby pressure groups that think we are working too much. These groups have not seen the light at the end of the tunnel yet. When in the USA, we could drive 10 hours without any time limit to do so under the old H.O.S. rule. Today the 11 hour rule has a time limit of 14 hours.

This group of three judges may have not looked at all sides of the issue and this shows how disconnected from our industry some high ranking individuals are.

I am a compassionate person and when fatalities happen in wreckage involving a heavy truck, I get affected and try to look at every factor before I blame either driver. A law suit can never replace the lost of a loved one but on the other hand, the same persons may be the ones whining about the missing goods on the shelves of the supermarket or the retail store. These same groups, judging on an industry that is safer by the mile, also forget that the great majority of accidents involving a professional driver, the responsibility is on the other driver.

Should we demand that manufactures to also work on a 70 hours on 8 days cycle too?
To not start a new week of work after a few days off?
A recent study in Ontario has shown that many automobile drivers did nod off frequently in the last year.

We can not generalise on a group as a whole but, recently a judge has been caught with an alcohol level over .20, so these groups can not generalise on the safest drivers on the road on a few incidents.

It may be time for us to start our own pressure groups.

T.A.T.R.U.: Truckers Against Tired Road Users
S.H.U.T. on Docks: Shippers Holding Up Drivers on Docks
S.H.I.T.: Safer Highways Involving Truckers

We finally had hours of service in both countries that were almost compatible. The ATA and the CTA has every thing to gain by joining in with OOIDA and OBAC to straighten up the issue in an industry that is pressured by the “Just in Time”.