A full 65 percent of the 4,000 truck drivers surveyed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said the new hours of service rules have caused them to receive less income, while 46 percent report feeling more fatigued since the new rules took effect.
OOIDA released the results of its membership survey Nov. 20. Its conclusion, OOIDA says, is the new rules “have a negative impact on truck drivers’ ability to drive while rested, operate their businesses efficiently and make a living,” according to a press release.
Of the respondents, 56 percent say they have lost mileage and per-week loads hauled because of the new rules. Drivers also said via survey comments that they don’t have as much home time and they have increased stressed.
The American Transportation Research Institute also released a study this week that said drivers have lost income, miles and at-home time to the rule, in addition to feeling more fatigued and more stressed.
More voices on hours | As Congress prepares to hear small-business trucking’s concerns on hours, in this special-edition podcast find further voices of Overdrive reader owner-operators on the July 1 hours changes’ economic and safety impacts.
The podcast is a follow-up to podcast published Monday, in which drivers said they need more professional discretion. Click here to listen to that one.
Todd Spencer, OOIDA’s executive vice president, says FMCSA “micromanages” drivers, and the new rules take away from highway safety rather than help it.
