driving rules

[LINETRASH]

I often work a shift trade with guys in other shifts.

Mgnt tell me that I could still be required to work over the 16 hours on account of the trade, their logic is if you are working a trade, you aint really here, and can be forced by seniority to hold over.

I fill out my 16 hrs on a time tkt with my social, 16 hrs straight time.

How can I not really be here and be forced to work past 16?

What are the rules for cdl drivers as far as power co's ?

any help would be apreciated.

[lineman641]

I often work a shift trade with guys in other shifts.

Mgnt tell me that I could still be required to work over the 16 hours on account of the trade, their logic is if you are working a trade, you aint really here, and can be forced by seniority to hold over.

I fill out my 16 hrs on a time tkt with my social, 16 hrs straight time.

How can I not really be here and be forced to work past 16?

What are the rules for cdl drivers as far as power co's ?

any help would be apreciated.

you are there and they can.check with your cheif steward . in fla the power company is exempt from cdl hours of service. there is an M.O.U on this.

[boogerman]

I don't know what state you work in but you can start by checking your states utility exemption clause. I'm not sure how that even applies, that is if you have to be employed directly by a electric utility or not. That much said ,CDL drivers laws apply on a Federal level. We never could work past 16 hrs with 8 hr rest time, and now for truckers it is 14 hrs with a 10 hr consecutive rest period. Personally I think it's a crock, Fed's mandate rules for safety reasons, utilities get exemptions. I guess that makes me not get tired and fall asleep at the wheel.

[Hurricane Harry]

From what I understand, Bush has now made utilities exempt from the national cdl rules regarding hours of work.

[MrStub]

In 2006, utilities are excempt from the cdl work hrs. as long as you don't cross state lines and go more than 100 miles from your base. If you go across state lines or more than 100 miles then you must start your clock and work under the 14 hrs. on and 10 hrs. off rules.

[boogerman]

I do beleive that if you respond to help restore power in other states and it is deemed an emergency you can work beyond maximum hrs in a set amount of days. ie. 80 hrs in a 7 day period. We use to get a 24 hr break to reset our clock after such a trip, but that was only if the other company was paying for it. I always decribe logging rules which pertain to CDL drivers in utilities as tring to play baseball with football rules. Companies find it too hard to comply, so find a way to loby and become exempt.

[hotwiretamer]

I saw a post a long time ago that included an attachment for
exempt status for certain CDL drivers. It also included exempt status for
filling out log books. Does anybody have a copy of that?

[wudwlkr]

In 2006, utilities are excempt from the cdl work hrs. as long as you don't cross state lines and go more than 100 miles from your base. If you go across state lines or more than 100 miles then you must start your clock and work under the 14 hrs. on and 10 hrs. off rules.

Nope. Under the transportation funding bill passed well over a year ago there was a line item that exempted drivers of "utility service vehicles" from all requirements of the hours of service rules (HOS). This exemption applies to the HOS rules in the federal motor carrier safety rules and all state motor carrier safety rules. So if you work for a utility and drive you no longer have any driving hour restrictions and are not required to keep any kind of log book. Same applies to contractors who are working directly for a utility or on emergency restoration. The confusing part is that the feds have not yet changed the actual wording of the rules to reflect this change but this change did become law when President Bush signed the bill. The head of the FMCSA has issued a memo to all federal DOT inspectors that they are no longer to enforce HOS rules on utility drivers.

Also please note that the only thing we were exempted from are the HOS rules. All other motor carrier safety rules such as CDL rules, vehicle inspections and drug and alcohol rules still apply.

[doug]

I Think Exempting Utility From The Hrs Rules Is A Bunch Of B.s.because If You Work You 8hr Shift Then Trbl Comes In And You Keep Working Another 6/8 Hrs.you Not Only Could You Have Been Driving A Lot Of Miles But, Also You Could Have Been Really Been Putting In Some Hard Work.this Also Doesn't Take In The Weather Condition You Have Been In.how Much You Had To Eat,the Amount Of Sleep You Had The Night Before.those Rules Where Put In To Place To Protect Us And The Public Out There.yes I Have Worked 48hrs Straight Before With No Rest Till The Co. Iwas Working For Got A 16 Hr Rule.it Took About 5 Yrs To Get It Down But When Was All Final It Was A Good One.the Oper.mgr. Put To Us Like This.no One Will Go Past 16 Hrs Period.i Think It Should Be A Law From Osha That Set Working Hrs.for Us.i Think Working 14-16 Hrs In A 24 Is Long Enough For Anyone.because You'll Know If There Is Accident All This Stuff Is Going To Be Brought Up And If It Goes To A Court Look Out.yes I Know Everyone Body Is Different And Everyone Know There Owm Limits But This Would Cut All This Bs Out And Force All Co. To Go By The Same Rules.just My Thoughts.

[robjo]

I don't know if this would help but here goes.
This is 395.1 sections e and n.

e) Short-haul operations.

(e)(1) 100 air-mile radius driver. A driver is exempt from the requirements of §395.8 if:

(e)(1)(i) The driver operates within a 100 air-mile radius of the normal work reporting location;

(e)(1)(ii) The driver, except a driver-salesperson, returns to the work reporting location and is released from work within 12 consecutive hours;

(e)(1)(iii)(A) A property-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver has at least 10 consecutive hours off duty separating each 12 hours on duty;

(e)(1)(iii)(B) A passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver has at least 8 consecutive hours off duty separating each 12 hours on duty;

(e)(1)(iv)(A) A property-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver does not exceed 11 hours maximum driving time following 10 consecutive hours off duty; or

(e)(1)(iv)(B) A passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver does not exceed 10 hours maximum driving time following 8 consecutive hours off duty; and

(e)(1)(v) The motor carrier that employs the driver maintains and retains for a period of 6 months accurate and true time records showing:

(e)(1)(v)(A) The time the driver reports for duty each day;

(e)(1)(v)(B) The total number of hours the driver is on duty each day;

(e)(1)(v)(C) The time the driver is released from duty each day; and

(e)(1)(v)(D) The total time for the preceding 7 days in accordance with §395.8(j)(2) for drivers used for the first time or intermittently.

(e)(2) Operators of property-carrying commercial motor vehicles not requiring a commercial driver’s license. Except as provided in this paragraph, a driver is exempt from the requirements of §395.3 and §395.8 and ineligible to use the provisions of §395.1(e)(1), (g) and (o) if:

(e)(2)(i) The driver operates a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle for which a commercial driver’s license is not required under part 383 of this subchapter;

(e)(2)(ii) The driver operates within a 150 air-mile radius of the location where the driver reports to and is released from work, i.e., the normal work reporting location;

(e)(2)(iii) The driver returns to the normal work reporting location at the end of each duty tour;

(e)(2)(iv) The driver has at least 10 consecutive hours off duty separating each on-duty period;

(e)(2)(v) The driver does not drive more than 11 hours following at least 10 consecutive hours off duty;

(e)(2)(vi) The driver does not drive:

(e)(2)(vi)(A) After the 14th hour after coming on duty on 5 days of any period of 7 consecutive days; and

(e)(2)(vi)(B) After the 16th hour after coming on duty on 2 days of any period of 7 consecutive days;

(e)(2)(vii) The driver does not drive:

(e)(2)(vii)(A) After having been on duty for 60 hours in 7 consecutive days if the employing motor carrier does not operate commercial motor vehicles every day of the week;

(e)(2)(vii)(B) After having been on duty for 70 hours in 8 consecutive days if the employing motor carrier operates commercial motor vehicles every day of the week;

(e)(2)(viii) Any period of 7 or 8 consecutive days may end with the beginning of any off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours.

(e)(2)(ix) The motor carrier that employs the driver maintains and retains for a period of 6 months accurate and true time records showing:

(e)(2)(ix)(A) The time the driver reports for duty each day;

(e)(2)(ix)(B) The total number of hours the driver is on duty each day;

(e)(2)(ix)(C) The time the driver is released from duty each day;

(e)(2)(ix)(D) The total time for the preceding 7 days in accordance with §395.8(j)(2) for drivers used for the first time or intermittently

(n) Utility service vehicles. In the instance of a driver of a utility service vehicle, any period of 7 or 8 consecutive days may end with the beginning of any off-duty period of 24 or more successive hours

[robjo]

This might help also. This is 395.2

Utility service vehicle means any commercial motor vehicle:

(1) Used in the furtherance of repairing, maintaining, or operating any structures or any other physical facilities necessary for the delivery of public utility services, including the furnishing of electric, gas, water, sanitary sewer, telephone, and television cable or community antenna service;

(2) While engaged in any activity necessarily related to the ultimate delivery of such public utility services to consumers, including travel or movement to, from, upon, or between activity sites (including occasional travel or movement outside the service area necessitated by any utility emergency as determined by the utility provider); and

(3) Except for any occasional emergency use, operated primarily within the service area of a utility’s subscribers or consumers, without regard to whether the vehicle is owned, leased, or rented by the utility.

[tramp67]

Wow! And they wonder why people don't follow all the rules?? Too bad the Federal Motor Carriers handbook can't be broken down to something that is easily understood. I tried reading the whole thing once, and got so confused I couldn't even remember why I was reading the dumb thing. But my understanding too is that utility workers, be it contractors or company hands, are exempt from the hours of work requirements.