Hours of Service of Drivers

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) comments in response to Petitions of Reconsideration.

Whilst I may have used Ooida's comments, , I would like to give personal experiences, with the HOS too. Because I can't pause the clock, or split my sleeper birth the way I see fit, I have had to stop 30 miles from my home, because my home and drop yard are usually in the same direction as my final drop, therefore rendering the Personal conveyance updated guidance moot, and not usable. I also think that the ablity to extend the day by 2 hours would come in handy, I have been stuck on a major interstate waiting for an accident to be cleared up, and have ran out of hours waiting. Their have been studies in recent years, stating that it was common to sleep 3 to 4 hours, then wake up and clean the house and or do some farm work or have a midnight prayer session, then go back to sleep for 3 to 4 more hours, this was such a common practice that people referred to 1st sleep and 2nd sleep. The 30 minute break basically robs me of sometimes as much as one hour of my time, sometimes taking almost 30 minutes or more just find a place to park, and safely do so, whilst I am not opposed to the idea of the 30 minute break, I wish it would at least be a cumulative, and could be taken at anytime during the 11 hours of drive time, we the drivers are not going to drive 8 to 11 hours straight, we have to stop to use the restroom and or stretch our legs, but we should get the choice. In closing, we were stuck with the the eld to make compliance with the HOS mandatory, but now this eld can also keep track of our breaks and sleeper birth split time, more accurately, so please give us back our flexibility, and the ability to maximize our earnings, and let's inject some common sense back into the trucking industry.