This one is for all the ex pats over here in the USA. On Sunday the new Hours of Service regulations come into force, if you need any information on the new rules and regs then check out Ol’ Blue, USA’s website. All the info is there in plain english.
Just click on the Link to Ol’ Blues website then go to the “CDL & CMV Saftey Center” Link down the left hand side
Bully
HOS in the news:
http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Jan/01032004/business/business.asp
http://wvgazette.com/section/Business/2004010216
And on hauling hazchem in the US: (read the bottom of the page)
Bully,
We had an offical circular posted two weeks ago concerning split sleeper rest.
If a driver takes two rest periods, the first being at least 2 hrs he may then extend the working day to 16 so long as he returns to the sleeper for the remaning 8 hrs. The paper states that DOT had agreed not to issue citation to any driver stopped after taking 2 hrs then extending the 14 hrs to 15 hrs provided he does go to him sleeper for the remainder. If the driver takes the remainder of his rest at home or other than his sleeper he will be given a citation when next stopped or his log inspected.
I have heard so many different versions of the new regs but this was actually and official document.
Seems to me Pat there is alot of confusion about the new regs. State Troopers in Ohio have been told to allow truck drivers 60 days grace to get used to the new hours etc.
Bully
Bully:
Seems to me Pat there is alot of confusion about the new regs. State Troopers in Ohio have been told to allow truck drivers 60 days grace to get used to the new hours etc.Bully
Hmmmm!
Ohio State Troopers allowing any sort of grace is most unusual, indeed.
As for the OTR Coach Industry, we’re staying on the old set-up, as far as hours are concerned.
Welcome Back Cliff!
Jim.
Cheers Jim!
I’m already out of hours for the day, which is really going to screw me up on my usual split shifts of day and night working, no longer going to be able to ‘stretch’ the day out anymore, if I go back in tonight after my 10 hours off, I will be out of hours again by lunchtime tomorrow. I have already ‘lost’ $300 today because of these new hours! 
Jim, you are right there about Ohio State Troopers (read part one of my last article about parking problems over here in the December T&D), but It is not only Ohio allowing a 60 day ‘grace’ period, they are doing it here in Georgia too, although I believe it is supposed to be Nationwide.
Pat, the extending your workday to 16 hours is only allowed once a week.
Cliff,
Personally, I think it is only a matter of time before electronic-logging/tachos are introduced, anyway.
Jim.
My company would go bust if we stopped using paper logs 
First day on new hours today and got back to yard 15 minutes over my time. The Boss said “So you got back in your time then ?”
“No !, I booked on when I left Fort Edward after collecting the trailer, 1 hour after actualy starting and got unloaded an hour before my booking because they needed the goods. Arrived at reload 10 minutes infront of 6 Schneider trucks, if I’d been behind them I’d be there still”
Boss looks worried. 