WASHINGTON — A long-standing quest for better data on how delays experienced by truck drivers waiting to load and unload affects safety and lost pay will get a fresh start by federal regulators.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released on Wednesday the parameters of a new data collection it hopes will close an information gap preventing regulators from fully understanding the effects of truck driver detention time.
“This research study will collect data on commercial motor vehicle driver detention time representative of the major segments of the motor carrier industry, analyze that data to determine the frequency and severity of detention time, and assess the utility of existing intelligent transportation systems solutions to measure detention time,” according to an Information Collection Request (ICR) FMCSA plans to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval.
The ICR points out that while a 2014 FMCSA study provided “valuable insights” on the effect of detention time on carrier and driver safety, it was limited, among other things, by a small sample size and the inability to separate legitimate time drivers spent loading and unloading from excess wait times.
“Therefore, FMCSA needs additional data from a broader sample of carriers to understand the safety and operational impact of detention time, to better understand why detention time occurs, and to identify potential mitigation strategies the industry may use to reduce detention time while improving operational efficiencies and safety,” the ICR notes.
To close the information gap, FMCSA’s study will use data collected from electronic logging devices, transportation management systems, vehicle telematic systems, safety records and from questions using carrier dispatching systems.
“The TMS, ELD, telematics, and safety data are already collected by carriers,” the ICR states. “The only additional data that will be collected will be the answers to questions submitted through the carriers’ dispatching systems. This information will allow FMCSA to identify the severity and frequency of detention time, the factors that contribute to detention time, and the administrative, operational, and safety outcomes of detention time.”
The agency wants to recruit approximately 80 carriers and 2,500 drivers to participate in the 12-month study. Most of the data is to be collected from clients of SpeedGauge, a San Francisco-based telematics company that generates data used by insurance companies to help make underwriting decisions for commercial carriers. FMCSA said it will also consider data from individual carriers that want to participate.
FMCSA outlined three primary objectives for the data collection:
- Assess the frequency and severity of driver detention time using data that represents the major segments of the motor carrier industry.
- Assess the utility of existing intelligent transportation systems solutions to measure detention time.
- Prepare a final report that summarizes the findings, answers the research questions and offers strategies to reduce detention time.
“Completing these research objectives will provide insight into any relationship between driver detention time and CMV safety,” FMCSA stated.
“Additionally, the findings from this study can contribute to a more complete understanding of these issues and facilitate private sector decisions that lead to reductions in detention time and improvements in safety and supply chain efficiency.”
FMCSA is giving the public 60 days to comment on the ICR before submitting it to OMB.
Getting a better understanding of the effects of driver detention time on safety and driver pay has been a priority of regulators and lawmakers over the last five years.
Predicted Crash Rates for Changes in Average Dwell Time
Source: DOT OIG 2018 report
A 2018 analysis by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General estimated that a 15-minute increase in average dwell time (the total time spent by a truck at a facility) increases the average expected crash rate by 6.2% – the theory being, drivers paid by the mile or by the load have an incentive to make up lost time by speeding (see chart).
The report also estimated that detention reduces annual earnings by $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion for drivers in the truckload sector.
In 2020, Democratic lawmakers attempted to include in a highway reauthorization bill not only a detention time study but a follow-on rulemaking to establish limits on the amount of time a driver could be detained by a shipper or receiver before being required to be compensated for lost time. The provision did not make it into the final reauthorization passed in 2021.
Jace
Why don’t these law makers go do ride a longs? You want first hand experience of the harsh realities that every driver faces on a day to day basis? Go get in a truck, go twittle your thumbs while your waiting for a spot to dock, cook a hot pocket while you wait for the next forklift to enter your trailer, go over your trip plan again while waiting on the hard shutter of the forklift, watch the clock some more, try to nap, more clock watching… still not loaded and out of hours now, but you can’t spend the night on the property….. now your not going to make it home for your anniversary……. all while “the wheels aint turning, you ain’t earning ” plays in your head…… get in a truck
Peter Patel
Have you guise ever thought how much the Owner is loosing money on it. Trucking industry everyone is talking about only drivers, why no one is pointing the finger to shipper or receivers.
Why you guise not making brokers, shippers and receivers to make them pay for detention.
Never seen rules made in the favor of Owner. Shippers and receivers they don’t even care about drivers. For Example Kroger in Tolleson, AZ never let anyone out before 7 hours. And it’s been 6-7 years I am seeing it. They don’t even want to change their system. And no one cares about it.
Government should make the shippers and receivers pay for this kind of shippers and receivers.
Evgueni Mertodjan
1. Lots of Receivers are charging way out of line lumpers fee. And still it takes 3 to 5 hrs to unload. They charge this fee to unload their product…..so then hurry up and move it.
2. Most companies charge detention fee after 2 hrs of unloading, but many times the drivers don’t see these money.
3. It takes 30 min to max 1hr to unload the trailer, then another 1hr to check the product, which it’s not easy to do for one receiver, so it’s probably shortage of receivers.
4. When driver is aloud to drive only 11hrs in USA, and 13 hrs in CANADA, this detention time is eating his/her time away, because to keep moving driver needs to have consecutive hrs to reset. And if the driver has multiple deliveries now drivers rushes to make them on time, here it goes the safety.
5. Detention time must be regulated. If the receiver hold driver hostage more then 1hrs receiver must pay to compensate the driver for being late to next delivery, what’s the point to have strict appointment time with no grace period if can’t receive on time.
6. Another problem with detention, receivers hold you for more then 3 hrs, if you need to reset, you can’t, because after unloading they kick you out from their premises. Walmart famous for that. So if you know you will detain me, let me come on my time, let me park at your staging area, unload me, let me finish my reset, at least I can manage my shift in proper manner.
7. Pay me for my time or at least help me to park on your property.
Thank you!
Forrest Franks
Yeah, that’s hilarious….
They are going to do a study….
And either do nothing, or find another way to screw the driver. Or punish the driver…..
Michael Douglas Garrett
Hi. 29 years as a driver and owner operator. My father and his father (RIP) drove trucks as well. Many problems!!! #1 Government over regulating every thing. # 2 Brookers who don’t know what there doing and charging way too much. #3 Giving people a CDL who should never of had one to begin with. #4 Shippers who are lazy and unorganized. The driver has to all ways to shuffle all these mistakes and stuff into a 14 hour day. Nerds in washington looking get recognition pass nonsense laws and regulations because they think we’re too stupid to do things on our own. The whole trucking industry is a joke. If your wondering why people are getting out of trucking now you know why. My dad and grandfather are flipping over in thier graves.
Richard Davis
Haven’t they already studied this problem and found that the longer a driver sits at the dock, safety does get worse? Why should an o/o or a driver work for free for 2 hours? What other job requires or forces their workers to work for free 2 hours. Are the people loading and unloading the trucks working for free? Put truck drivers under the FLSA like other American workers. This detection thing is a safety issue and a chain supply issue.
Kenny lainhart
They need to change the law on these companies,not paying overtime for truck drivers!! I , truly feel and other drivers feel if you’re a hourly driver ,they should be paid time in half after 40 hrs!! The company’s (R&L) take full advantage of the situation!!! I work for them and on my check it showed dock time on my check,I never worked the Dock while a employee at this company!! I resigned my position after this !!!
Chris
Waiting has always been a part of shipping and receiving, BUT.. I’ve noticed that in the last 10 years it’s got out of hand. Hauling livestock, no problem, I always got in and out of course, (dahh) but when I started hauling freight and even some refer loads, OMG it’s so ridiculous now, it’s like you got to have numbers that only want to show up part of the time and the ones that do show up charge you guys so much money, I’ve been so lucky so far I haven’t had to do that of course I’m pulling a dry van that I’ve watched the guys that I work with who will refer go through all that . So drivers having to wait to get loaded or unloaded that’s totally crazy there again I’m pretty lucky mine’s dropping hook every once in awhile I have to do a live unload or a live load and I hate it. But I think that all that has got to be different because I’ve never had to use electronic log till now, livestock no log at all. I got spoiled, but anyway I really think that’s crazy that they’re making everybody use their hours to get loaded and unloaded that’s just my opinion don’t quite understand all this logbook stuff I know one thing it talks to me a lot and I don’t like it yeah it tells me you’re running out of time and I just keep going, oops