One trucking CEO is calling the recent crackdown on CDL mills a way of “addressing the symptoms” of the problem that is the 91-year-old hours of service rules.
The US Department of Transportation recently shut down 110 trucking schools as a part of a plan to reduce fraud in the trucking industry. Now, Meiborg Companies owner and CEO Zach Meiborg says that the trucking schools are just a symptom of a greater problem related to antiquated hours of service rules.
“When they say they shut down 100 CDL mill schools, great, but you’re only addressing the problem after the problem’s already occurred,” he said to The Center Square. “The problem is that there’s a massive incentive to cheat.”
Meiborg says that companies that adhere to federal rules have their productivity hindered, while companies willing to cheat the system, such as federal hours of service rules, are able to keep their drivers operating longer and move freight at lower prices.
Meiborg says that federal hours of service regulations no longer reflect the realities of modern trucking or the needs of today’s drivers, and are encouraging illegal and fraudulent trucking practices.
“The core of the problem is we have a 91-year-old rule,” Meiborg said. “We’re in a decreasing-cost industry, so the more you run, the more your cost per mile comes down… These operators operate about a dollar per mile less than what a compliant company operates just because they simply run more miles.”
“The problem exists because we have outdated regulations being enforced by modern technology, which has caused a massive incentive to cheat.”
Instead, Meiborg suggests a simplified 14 hours on, 10 hours off hours of service system, which would allow federally compliant trucking companies to better compete with those willing to break the rules.
“I’m not saying by any means we should get rid of the federal mandated rest break… I’m just saying we need more simplicity around hours of service.”
“We need to have the common sense to recognize the problem exists not because of not enough regulation or not enough enforcement, but the problem exists because we have outdated regulations.”
Meiborg also posits that the change could dramatically reduce the current truck parking shortage.
“If trucks can only operate on the road legally for 8.75 hours per day, we have a lot more trucks demanding parking.” If trucks are forced off the road and into parking spots for hours less, then demand for those spots will decrease.
“This would cost nothing to do and would essentially reduce the demand for 400,000 parking spots.”
Meiborg says that the FMCSA is currently doing a good job of listening to those actually working in the industry when it comes to changes to regulations and enforcement actions, but that the agency needs to actually do something more than consider opinions and have discussions.
“What we’re lacking is just simply the gumption to actually do something,” he said.
