J.B. Hunt released a report to help shippers and receivers understand HOS rules and how wasting a truck driver’s time costs everyone money.
Helping Shippers Understand Their Responsibility
The report, entitled “660 Minutes: How Improving Driver Efficiency Increases Capacity”, focuses on how HOS rules limit available driving time. Since July 2013 HOS changes, studies show that drivers spend only 390 of their 660 available driving minutes behind the wheel — down 48 minutes from before the July changes.
Maximizing a Truck Driver’s 660 Minutes
Shippers are asked to think of a truck driver’s 660 minutes like “an hourglass, a perishable commodity which is continually diminishing.” The report says that drivers lose about 2 hours of viable driving time every day because of inefficiency at shipping and delivery and lack of available truck parking.
The report estimates that every driver loses 100 miles per day during those two wasted hours. For a driver who is on the road 250 days per year, this means 25,000 miles are lost. For a fleet of 100 drivers, losing two hours a day means that they must forfeit 3,600 loads per year.
The report goes on to say that if shippers and receivers each cut a driver’s wait time by just 30 minutes each, a driver could stay on the road an extra 12,500 miles per year.
Improving Efficiency
How does J.B. Hunt recommend that shippers and receivers improve efficiency? By using drop trailers, increasing flexibility for pickup and delivery times, and providing onsite parking and amenities.
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Sources:
Arkansas Online
J.B. Hunt