Since driver fatigue is a leading cause of truck accidents and injuries, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration developed specific rules for hours of service for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Knowing these limits and ensuring that you and your company adhere to them will keep you safe on the road. Staying alert and safe will allow you to continue earning a living as a commercial truck driver.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration established the Hours-of-Service regulations to put limits on when and how long commercial motor vehicle drivers may be on the road. These regulations must be adhered to by all drivers to help insure commercial truck drivers get the rest they need to operate their motor vehicles safely. The rules apply to ANY commercial motor vehicle with a gross weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 or more that is involved in interstate or intrastate commerce. The regulations also apply to any commercial motor vehicle transporting a quantity of hazardous materials that would require a placard.

For property-carrying commercial truck drivers, a summary of the rules is listed below. The Hours-of-Service rules state that a driver of a commercial motor vehicle:

•    May drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
•    May NOT drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Off duty time does not extend the 14 hours period.
•    May not drive after 60 hours on duty in any 7 consecutive day time frame, if the motor carrier company(ies) contracted with operates less than seven days a week.
•    May not drive after 70 hours on duty during any 8 consecutive day time frame, if the motor carrier company(ies) contracted with operates sevens days per week.
•    May restart a seven or eight consecutive day period after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty.
•    When using a sleeper berth provision, must take at least 8 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, plus a separate two consecutive hours either in the sleeper berth, off duty, or any combination of the two.

For more information about these regulations, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations. And, for up to date information about commercial trucking insurance, contact a Reliance Partners agent.

Before contracting to drive a tractor trailer for a motor carrier company, you should know the types of compensation offered and the specifics of that carrier’s compensation rules.

Long haul or over-the-road (OTR) truck drivers are most typically compensated for their work according to four criteria. Three of these methods use varying definitions of mileage traveled as the basis for the compensation. The fourth method is based on the percentage of load carried. There are advantages to being paid by mileage. The most obvious advantage is that your compensation is based on a specific measure of accomplishment. However, there are also disadvantages. One disadvantage is that some hauls require more effort than mileage would adequately compensation for. Another drawback is the relatively low pay that mileage compensation offers when compared to the number of hours actually worked.

Compensation by Household Goods (HHG) Miles - The basis for Household Goods Miles came from the “Household Goods Mileage Guide.” This guide standardized motor carrier freight rates for moving goods. The Guide contains mileage distances between cities, zip codes or highway junctions for more than 140,000 cities. Drivers in the industry believe that HHG miles are shorter than actual miles driven because truck miles are usually driven point-to-point, not from city to zip code or highway junction. In fact, some drivers estimate the difference between HHG miles and actual miles can be up to 12% shorter. Motor carrier companies, on the other hand, claim that the miles driven vary both shorter and longer using HHG miles. So, over time, the actual mileage will even out. The companies also point out that drivers are paid more per mile to account for these variances.

Compensation by Practical Miles – The criteria for this method of compensation has no standard definition across the industry. In general, Practical Miles is used as a more realistic distance estimation than HHG miles. Check with the motor carrier company to determine the specific criteria used if they compensate drivers using this method.

Compensation by Hub Miles – This method links compensation to odometer miles. A mechanical odometer or hubometer is usually mounted to an axle. Motor carrier companies using this method of compensation pay drivers for every mile tracked by the hubometer. Companies sometimes place limits on total mileage not to exceed 5-10% of the estimated mileage for the haul.

Compensation by Percentage of Load – This method is the only one that does not use mileage as a factor for compensation. Instead, a motor carrier company using this method will pay the driver wither a set or variable percentage of what the motor carrier company determined to be the quoted value or rate of the load.

Now that you have more information about compensation, you can more thoughtfully choose the motor carrier company that will help you best attain your income goals. Remember also to contact a reputable trucking insurance company that can offer the insurance you need within your compensation limits.