I was recently made aware of a ridiculous issue in trucking. Brokers are requiring drivers to download apps that track the GPS coordinates of their loads, which at face value seems innocent enough. But in practice these brokers are latching onto these app-based capabilities like an obsessive spouse, by calling drivers during their mandated 10-hour rest period for updates on the load.
Which they already have tracking information on...
Common sense would dictate situations like this wouldn't happen in an industry that preaches the gospel of safety like a blacksmith hammering iron. For the guilty parties here, common sense isn’t a common virtue. Being roused after a 14-hour day to get an update on something that the customer already has an answer to would be infuriating for me, especially if I had another 14-hour day to look forward to.
Doing that to someone who’s responsible for 80,000 pounds of freight going down the road at 67 miles an hour is wildly irresponsible.
The situation reminded me of my flying days. I was a Loadmaster on C-130Js, hauling cargo overseas for the U.S. Air Force across Europe, Africa and the Middle East for four years. For all the Catch-22-esque absurdities, inefficiencies, toxic leadership and promotion politics, as well as a calendar full of the ceremonial dog and pony shows that regularly kept me from doing my actual job, the Air Force at least got one thing right.
We had crew rest regulations as laid out in the Air Force Manual. The latest 11-202 Volume 3, states them this way:
“Commanders and supervisors will ensure aircrew are provided a 12-hour rest opportunity prior to beginning the flight duty period. ... Crew rest is free time and includes time for meals, transportation, and an opportunity for at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Crew rest cannot begin until after the completion of official duties. Crew rest is compulsory for aircrew members prior to performing any duties involving aircraft operations and is a minimum of 12 nonduty hours before the flight duty period (FDP) begins.”
