Driver detention times have long been an issue in the transportation industry affecting driver pay and increasing the risk of accidents.
According to results from research done on Driver Detention Times in Commercial Motor Vehicle Operations, “drivers experienced detention time during approximately 1 in every 10 stops for an average duration of 1.4 hours. This represents the length of time the driver was detained beyond 2 hours; thus, the driver was physically at that delivery location for 3.4 hours in total.”
Although the data set used in the analysis was large and provided data for more than 1 million stops, there were limitations and further research is necessary.
FMCSA Requests Data From Fleet and Industry Stakeholders
The FMCSA has published a request for information concerning commercial motor vehicle driver detention times during loading and unloading. The goal is to better understand the impact of driver detention time on roadway safety, hours of service (HOS), out-of-service (OOS) violations and crashes.
The notice was posted by the FMCSA on June 10, 2019 and is open to public comment until September 9, 2019. Comments can be made by fleet and industry stakeholders at www.regulations.gov under Docket Number FMCSA-2019-0054 or by following the instructions on the FMCSA notice.
FMCSA is interested in data sources, methodologies, and potential technologies that could provide insight into loading and unloading delays experienced by CMV drivers.
FMCSA requests information that addresses the following questions:
1. Are data currently available that can accurately record loading, unloading, and delay times?
2. Is there technology available that could record and delineate prompt loading and unloading times versus the extended delays sometimes experienced by drivers?
3. How can delay times be captured and recorded in a systematic, comparable manner?
4. Could systematic collection and publication of loading, unloading, and delay times be useful in driver or carrier business decisions and help to reduce loading, unloading, and delay times?
5. What should FMCSA use as an estimate of reasonable loading/unloading time? Please provide a basis for your response.
6. How do contract arrangements between carriers and shippers address acceptable wait times? Do these arrangements include penalties for delays attributable to a carrier or shipper?
7. What actions by FMCSA, within its current statutory authority, would help to reduce loading, unloading, and delay times?
