As Joe Rose at the Oregonian has found out through research, there are a lot of drivers working overtime and are fatigued. Let me show you some hard numbers to prove this fact. These following charts explain themselves..
Portland Transit Lane
The Untold stories of Portland Transit
In response to Joe Rose’s so called research on run length… he listed 3767 as a run that was 12 hours long….. He really needs to get his facts straight.. I personally drove 3767 for the summer sign up in 2012. it signed in at 6:30a and was back to the garage on paper at 5:15p the run length that is posted next to all the runs that Joe listed is what triment calls “STRAIGHT TIME EQUIVALENT” that number is actually what we get paid in straight time hours. Plus what Joe is neglecting to inform the public with this report of his, is the break time on these runs. 3767 is a two part run that pays straight through. I would finish up at tualatin park and ride at 2:40 pm and then dead head to portland north terminal bus layover, arrive their at approx 3p depending on I-5 traffic and then sit till 4:03. that is an hour of non service that is calculated into that number….. If I was fatigued i would catch a power nap on that layover or go for a walk to rev up my energy. there are several runs of this nature and Joe refuses to look into this type of stuff..but hey anything to support triment management!! Right Joe????? Alot of the so called long days they are splatting all over the news have several hours of non service calculated in the totals. for instance a report operator could be sitting on report at 430a (on the clock) but in the garage in a comfy chair reading a great book or shooting some pool (stuff you might do at home before showing up to your 8hour day) before a run comes open for him/her to sign. When I was a report operator, I remember one time I came in on a saturday, 7am report. I was on the clock waiting for work to open, and did not catch a run til 10am! that is 3 hours of non service paid hours. the run I caught was an 8hour matinee.. so on paper its 11 hours…..but I actually on drove for 8….
True Anna, as an operator for another company for years people don’t understand that there is drive time and on duty time. We can drive for 10 hours and be at work for 12. I would have been crazy to not except overtime unless I hadn’t gotten enough sleep and then that is up to me to know I needed more sleep and not take the overtime. It has worked fine here for years. I have been reading a lot of the yes Anna (Huey comments) by people that don’t understand the process but they are welcome to their opinion. I prefer to keep my mouth shut unless I’ve done the job. Joe you wasted your time on your pretty charts that are nothing but baloney but you can keep shaking up the pot. Joe think Firemen they are there 2 to 3 days at a time and yet it isn’t all work time.