That's it for today. You guys gotta walk

[BoomerD]

CORSICANA, Texas - A driver who apparently took her work rules very seriously abandoned a bus full of former prisoners along a highway because her hours for the day were over, police said.

The 40 passengers had been paroled or released from the state prison in Huntsville. Some wore ankle bracelet monitors.

They were aboard a charter bus that was headed Thursday to a terminal in Dallas but wound up 60 miles short.

"In 31 years in law enforcement I've never seen anything like this," Corsicana Police Sgt. Lamoin Lawhon said.

Police said the bus was chartered from Greyhound Bus Lines Inc. The driver pulled over in front of a convenience store around 4 p.m. and told the passengers her allotted driving time was up and another driver was on the way.

A clerk in the convenience store called police. Officers arrived to find the former prisoners milling around the bus. Dispatchers exchanged several phone calls with Greyhound and prison officials while Lawhon and two other officers stayed with the bus and the passengers.

Just before 7 p.m., a second bus arrived with three drivers ? including the one who had abandoned her passengers in the first place, Lawhon said.

Greyhound spokesman Dustin Clark said company officials were investigating the incident. "It is a very serious matter," he said.

Clark said drivers have to follow strict guidelines on consecutive working hours and rest periods.

Police said there were no incidents involving the passengers while they were stranded.

"Their behavior was exemplary," Officer Travis Wallace said.



Since they had all been legally released, I doubt any of them were in a big hurry to do something stupid and get sent back, but this was a very stupid move on the part of the driver and her company.

This has ZERO to do with union rules and EVERYTHING to do with Federal limits on how many hours per day/week the driver can LEGALLY work, but IIRC, there are provisions that would have allowed her to either wait for a replacement driver, or continue the run Dallas..

 

[KK]

rules are rules, now if that bus crashed and it was found out that the driver exceeded the hour limit, who's ass would be on the line.

 

[Rubycon]

Get Off the Foxy bus!

:laugh:

Haha we're having a '70's party and that's what's pumping through the system while I type this!

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: KK
rules are rules, now if that bus crashed and it was found out that the driver exceeded the hour limit, who's ass would be on the line.

No kidding. Rules are rules...except when the company wants you to break them for their convenience....

I've had my Class A license for well over 30 years and have seen several changes in these rules...and they never benefit the driver...

§395.5 Maximum driving time for passenger-carrying vehicles.

Subject to the exceptions and exemptions in §395.1:

(a) No motor carrier shall permit or require any driver used by it to drive a passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicle, nor shall any such driver drive a passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicle:

(a)(1) More than 10 hours following 8 consecutive hours off duty; or

(a)(2) For any period after having been on duty 15 hours following 8 consecutive hours off duty.

(b) No motor carrier shall permit or require a driver of a passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicle to drive, nor shall any driver drive a passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicle, regardless of the number of motor carriers using the driver's services, for any period after-

(b)(1) Having been on duty 60 hours in any 7 consecutive days if the employing motor carrier does not operate commercial motor vehicles every day of the week; or

(b)(2) Having been on duty 70 hours in any period of 8 consecutive days if the employing motor carrier operates commercial motor vehicles every day of the week.

[68 FR 22516, Apr. 28, 2003; 70 FR 50073, Aug. 25, 2005]


§395.1 Scope of rules in this part.


(a) General. (1) The rules in this part apply to all motor carriers and drivers, except as provided in paragraphs (b) through (o) of this section.

(a)(2) The exceptions from Federal requirements contained in paragraphs (l) through (n) do not preempt State laws and regulations governing the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles.

(b) Adverse driving conditions. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (h)(2) of this section, a driver who encounters adverse driving conditions, as defined in § 395.2, and cannot, because of those conditions, safely complete the run within the maximum driving time permitted by §§ 395.3(a) or 395.5(a) may drive and be permitted or required to drive a commercial motor vehicle for not more than 2 additional hours in order to complete that run or to reach a place offering safety for the occupants of the commercial motor vehicle and security for the commercial motor vehicle and its cargo. However, that driver may not drive or be permitted to drive-

( would there have been legal justification? Personally, I think the driver should have called in and gotten clarification on this)


b)(2) Emergency conditions. In case of any emergency, a driver may complete his/her run without being in violation of the provisions of the regulations in this part, if such run reasonably could have been completed absent the emergency.

(would having a bus full of just-paroled convicts qualify as an emergency?)

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
CORSICANA, Texas - A driver who apparently took her work rules very seriously abandoned a bus full of former prisoners along a highway because her hours for the day were over, police said.

The 40 passengers had been paroled or released from the state prison in Huntsville. Some wore ankle bracelet monitors.

They were aboard a charter bus that was headed Thursday to a terminal in Dallas but wound up 60 miles short.

"In 31 years in law enforcement I've never seen anything like this," Corsicana Police Sgt. Lamoin Lawhon said.

Police said the bus was chartered from Greyhound Bus Lines Inc. The driver pulled over in front of a convenience store around 4 p.m. and told the passengers her allotted driving time was up and another driver was on the way.

A clerk in the convenience store called police. Officers arrived to find the former prisoners milling around the bus. Dispatchers exchanged several phone calls with Greyhound and prison officials while Lawhon and two other officers stayed with the bus and the passengers.

Just before 7 p.m., a second bus arrived with three drivers ? including the one who had abandoned her passengers in the first place, Lawhon said.

Greyhound spokesman Dustin Clark said company officials were investigating the incident. "It is a very serious matter," he said.

Clark said drivers have to follow strict guidelines on consecutive working hours and rest periods.

Police said there were no incidents involving the passengers while they were stranded.

"Their behavior was exemplary," Officer Travis Wallace said.



Since they had all been legally released, I doubt any of them were in a big hurry to do something stupid and get sent back, but this was a very stupid move on the part of the driver and her company.

This has ZERO to do with union rules and EVERYTHING to do with Federal limits on how many hours per day/week the driver can LEGALLY work, but IIRC, there are provisions that would have allowed her to either wait for a replacement driver, or continue the run Dallas..

One for the gas, one for the brake, and one for the steering wheel? How fortunate that it was an automatic transmission. :Q

 

[compman25]

Try telling the officer that carrying ex-prisoners is an adverse driving condition! That would be funny. We both know that isn't going fly.

And since they are paroled now they are just passengers on a bus, that isn't an emergency (it will be an emergency if they don't get home and get some soon, but at this time it's no emergency)