While the US government has the best of intentions in mind with their most recent ELD (electronic-logging device) mandate, it’s cutting into the truckers ability to do not only their job but also their pay. Truckers, such as Steven Wright, have been working in the industry for over twenty years and have become accustomed to their internally set schedule. They take advantage of offloading wait times to rest and then utilize the rest of their day to catch up on driving while then getting a proper night’s rest elsewhere. This personal schedule setting allowed for parking areas to not become congested with an overwhelming amount of truckers all being forced to park at the same time.
With last year’s introduction of MAP-21, which included the ELD rule, truckers are only allowed to drive 11 hours a day, work 14 hours total, and must take “regular breaks.” This rule has hampered not only the trucker’s ability to set their schedule but has also cut into their income by a sizable amount. The ELD has cost an average veteran trucker around $270 a week which totals over $14k over a year.
Along with diminishing trucker’s pay, it has caused them to become more reckless when they are driving. This is due in part to them rushing to make their deadline and destination before their ELD for the day runs out. It’s artificially weighing down the truckers and causing them more stress when they search for parking at the end of a workday. Before, truckers were allowed to set their breaks and sleep schedule. Now with all truckers being on the same essential plan, the lack of parking is exacerbated since a larger pool of truckers are vying for the same meager number of quality parking. RigPark’s goal is to help ease the parking issue created by the passing of MAP-21 by creating plentiful, safe, and predictable parking options for truckers nationwide.
To view the original article click here.