Q&A: Hours of Service: Putting the Drive Back in Drivers

Sadly as a driver - one truck owner, I view this from a much different perspective working in the real world behind the wheel or while loading at the docks 24/7. . These rule makers (who don't have to live by their own rules) either refuse or most likely due to their ignorance of our real life experiences do not take into account that no one shoe fits the entire driver work force. Truckers have different ways of dealing with stress, hours, and ones own proper sleep requirements. My body doesn't take kindly to exact prescribed times of day that the newer government regs require us to take those strictly prescribed rest breaks but instead the older more flexible system of being able to chose how to split our required on duty/off duty/sleeper berth- hours to fit into our own more natural tuned body clock was a better system. Now sadly today we have to be micro managed right down to the minute by meddling so - called trucking experts who haven't a clue about this on/off lifestyle we actually lead yet they are able to make personal decisions on our behalf in the name of public safety. They've now created a much more dangerous situation where drivers choice has been totally replaced by an unnecessary extended mandatory break. The problem is once awake many of us have to waste additional time sitting idle before officially returning on duty which actually increases hours going without sleep before able to catch our next scheduled "government nap-time" decided to be the proper time by those who don't even participate in this industry other than in their cozy back seat rule making activities!