In an attempt to gather data regarding driver detention times during loading and unloading, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is requesting information to be submitted on the federal register. The FMCSA will accept comments through Sept. 9.
According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Inspector General, the feds need better data in order to fully understand delay times at shipping and receiving facilities. A 2014 study using a sample of drivers found they experienced detention time at approximately 10 percent of their stops which cost them an added 1.4 hours above the commonly accepted two-hour loading and unloading period.
The inspector general found that detention time tended to deteriorate overall highway safety with increased crash risks and costs but that the level of current data prevented further analysis. The conclusion of the report was that more information was needed from the industry to devise a course of action for collecting and analyzing “reliable, accurate and representative data on the frequency and severity of driver detention.”
With that in mind, FMCSA has posed the following questions on the federal register document titled, “Request for Information Concerning Motor Vehicle Driver Detention Times During Loading and Unloading”:
Are data currently available that can accurately record loading, unloading, and delay times?
Is there technology available that could record and delineate prompt loading and unloading times versus the extended delays sometimes experienced by drivers?
How can delay times be captured and recorded in a systematic, comparable manner?
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?
What should FMCSA use as an estimate of reasonable loading/unloading time? Please provide a basis for your response.
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?
What actions by FMCSA, within its current statutory authority, would help to reduce loading, unloading, and delay times?
To submit comments, you can enter Docket Number FMCSA-2019-0054 at the regulations.gov website or mail Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation; Room W12-140; 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE; Washington, D.C. 20590-0001.
