Greg, I understand, and to a very large degree, agree with you about dispatch and that they should watch out for the safety of the public. Dispatch has to be at least somewhat mindful of what kind of burden they may be placing on a driver. But of course, the ultimate responsibility must be placed with the driver. I'm not one to defend the company, as I am merely leased onto them. They do some things that are worth defending, and some that are worth getting called on the carpet over.
I don't know about quotas and such. I would think there are some in place, or at least some kind of goal to keep as many trucks running as possible or practical, since the more a truck sits the less money everyone makes. I would also like to think that these goals or quotas wouldn't be filled at the expense of safety. I know it used to be that dispatch and safety were always at odds with each other, but that hasn't been the case very much in recent times. And with Panther, I haven't yet run across a dispatcher who tried to pressure me into a load, for any reason, actually, but especially if I'm in a situation where I just came off a load and need some sleep.
I still have that incident fresh in my mind where I was mandated to take a 5 hour break, or else I'd have the load taken away from me. It bothered me a great deal (still does) that that particular break wasn't for me, but rather it was to cover Panther's butt in the event that I got involved in an accident. They could show where I had a solid 5 hour break and would, ostensibly, be off the hook. I understand it, but I still don't like it. The problem I had with it is, that break actually put me in a position of having to drive a much longer single stretch after the break, a stretch that put me and others in more danger, than if I had been allowed to take my breaks the way I know that my body can best handle them.
Some people can take a 15-30 power nap and are good to go. Not me. I usually need a 90 minute minimum, and depending on my level of recent sleep, it might be 2 or 3 hours. But after that I'm good for 6-8 more hours. But after 6-8 hours I need another break. On the other hand, and it seems contrary to common sense, a 5 hour break makes me more tired than a 2 or 3 hour break. When I sleep much longer than 4 hours, my body demands the rest of it's 8 hours. So that 5 hour break did me no good whatsoever, and in fact, did me more harm.
So while some people can do a mandated 5 hour break, utilize the rest period to its fullest, and make the carrier happy at the same time, I am much better off, and safer, when I can take a 3 hour break and then a 2 hour break a little later on. If I have 9 more hours to go, I can stay at a relatively constant level of alertness if I can take 2 or even three short breaks. But if I take a 5 hour break and then try to do 9 straight hours, by the 8th or 9th hour I'm a danger to pretty much everybody. Again, depending on my level and state of prior rest.
And if it's a really long load, 1500 miles or more, unless I just woke up after 8 hours of sleep when I get the load, I'm gonna need a couple of full 8 hour sleep breaks in there. I can do only so far on 2 and 3 hour breaks.
It all depends on what kind of rest I've gotten in the last few days and where my body is. Because of the nature of expediting, one day you'll drive all day, the next it's all night, proper sleep management for me forces me to a position where every load must be looked at carefully. Sometimes I can take long loads back-to-back, depending on my level of rest, where the load goes, and how much sleep I can get along the way, and provided that I can get it at the proper times along the way. It also depends on how late I've stayed up playing on the computer. hehe
All of this, and much more, is taken into consideration every time I accept or reject a load. Dispatch, and especially Safety, simply cannot to do that on such a personal level. When I know how much time I have to sleep along the way, I'll pull over and take some or all of it, and dispatch sometimes freaks out, because they think I'm gonna be late. But if I were going to be late I'd have never pulled over, because I'd have never taken the load and put myself in the position of having to either take a break to sleep or keep driving while sleepy. It would be nice if dispatch could see my history and know that I've never been late before they freak. And Safety, with their mandated breaks, more often than not, when I'm told to take a break at this or that time, it's obvious that they aren't looking at my safety on a personal level. They can't, and I understand that. But they need to understand that I won't ever again allow a mandated break, for any reason, to jeopardize my own safety or the safety of others on the road. When I stated on the QC that I could take the load and delivery it safely and on time, I meant it. That's a contract that I'm literally bound to do, and I will, otherwise I wouldn't have said I would. Now leave me alone and let me do it. x(
I'll always take my breaks when I need them in order to maintain safe driving. Always. It's what I do for a living. That may or may not coincide with whoever it is in some cushy seat in a building far, far away who is trying to drive my van for me, tho, and that's fine. The problem is, there are a lot of drivers out here, too many of them, who need that butt in the cushy seat driving the van for them, telling them when to take a break, when to sleep, to baby sit them, to hold their hand. I've seen these drivers, met these drivers, talked to these drivers, and they scare me.
Too many van drivers drive with the mentality of a 4-wheeler. A van must be driven with the same mentality as that of a driver of a tractor trailer or a straight truck driver. A van driver hauling freight is supposed to be a professional driver. Act like it.
Do you think that if you turn down the load and go to sleep that you'll never be offered another load? I'd much rather have five, 500 mile runs in a week, than a single 2500 mile run. Instead of blindly accepting long loads or cherry picking based on dollar signs, cherry pick based on the rest and availability. You'll run more miles and be better rested when all is said and done. I know this because I average 2500 miles a week, and I'm uber lazy. I spend much more time thinking I should be doing this or that, than I do doing this or that.
