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Clocked truckers drive 6.09 hours rather than the 11 hours max allowed
US TRUCK drivers are permitted to drive 11 hours a day, but 20,000 electronic logging devices show they drive 6.09 hours on average, according to trucking technology provider PeopleNet.
"We're constantly measuring how many hours a day fleets are actually getting per driver," said PeopleNet trucking manager Mark Kessler, reported Newark's Journal of Commerce.
Speaking at the SMC3 Connections conference in San Diego, he said: "We don't really have a driver shortage problem, we have a capacity utilisation problem."
Time, in trucking, really is money, and also capacity. Drivers that aren't able to fully use the hours available to them can't complete as many turns per week, effectively taking capacity out of the market, he said.
And most drivers, PeopleNet concluded, can't run out the clock.
That data could include daily duty hours for various types of drivers, including shorthaul or regional or less-than-truckload drivers with shorter routes and more non-driving duty time, as well as long-haul truckload drivers, but the average number still points to a problem.
Mr Kessler blamed shipper delivery windows. "Drivers were getting to destinations early (to meet delivery windows) and were kept waiting," he said.
"Some fleets are going back now and saying let's shorten that delivery window - so drivers that arrive on time can load or unload and get back on the road," he said.
Congestion is a major problem, especially in heavily populated urban areas, where much freight is delivered. Truck maintenance, fueling, weigh stations and inspections can cut into driving time, as can weather. Detention at shipper or consignee docks, however, is an issue that can be addressed.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is expected to issue a final rule this fall mandating the use of electronic logging devices by commercial drivers. Although those devices can help fleets improve productivity, many truckers expect an initial hit to productivity as they install the devices and learn to use them.
The FMCSA also plans to require speed limiters on trucks, which will also cut into the miles some trucks drive in a day or week, effectively reducing capacity.
"We're constantly measuring how many hours a day fleets are actually getting per driver," said PeopleNet trucking manager Mark Kessler, reported Newark's Journal of Commerce.
Speaking at the SMC3 Connections conference in San Diego, he said: "We don't really have a driver shortage problem, we have a capacity utilisation problem."
Time, in trucking, really is money, and also capacity. Drivers that aren't able to fully use the hours available to them can't complete as many turns per week, effectively taking capacity out of the market, he said.
And most drivers, PeopleNet concluded, can't run out the clock.
That data could include daily duty hours for various types of drivers, including shorthaul or regional or less-than-truckload drivers with shorter routes and more non-driving duty time, as well as long-haul truckload drivers, but the average number still points to a problem.
Mr Kessler blamed shipper delivery windows. "Drivers were getting to destinations early (to meet delivery windows) and were kept waiting," he said.
"Some fleets are going back now and saying let's shorten that delivery window - so drivers that arrive on time can load or unload and get back on the road," he said.
Congestion is a major problem, especially in heavily populated urban areas, where much freight is delivered. Truck maintenance, fueling, weigh stations and inspections can cut into driving time, as can weather. Detention at shipper or consignee docks, however, is an issue that can be addressed.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is expected to issue a final rule this fall mandating the use of electronic logging devices by commercial drivers. Although those devices can help fleets improve productivity, many truckers expect an initial hit to productivity as they install the devices and learn to use them.
The FMCSA also plans to require speed limiters on trucks, which will also cut into the miles some trucks drive in a day or week, effectively reducing capacity.
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