HOS DEBATE * USA - GAO Is Investigating Truck Detention Practices

The Government Accountability Office is looking into operational and safety problems associated with detention of trucks at loading docks

Washington,DC,USA -TruckingInfo, by Oliver B. Patton -31 March 2010: -- The investigation, which is being done at the request of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, targets a problem that has been plaguing the industry for years... According to a 2009 study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the trucking industry considers time spent waiting at the dock to be the biggest inefficiency in the business. The agency put the cost to the industry at more than $3 billion a year, and the cost to society in general at more than $6.5 billion a year... According to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, drivers spend from 30 to 40 hours per week waiting at docks for shippers or receivers to load or unload... One of the questions GAO is asking indicates concern about the safety implications of excessive waiting time: If detention time cuts into driving time, it creates an incentive to violate the hours of service rules, the agency said... (Photo by Michelin)