Originally Posted by
NuGuy
117 let's you decide for yourself if you are rested.
If the company calls during a rest period and says we have a trip available, you get to make the call if you've had the 10 hours of rest. That rest was prospective because you knew it was a rest period and had no obligation to the company to do anything.
On the other hand, if the company calls, and you answer, and they FORCE a trip on you, you need the 10 hours rest before report. The preceding time was not rest because the company's position is that you have an obligation to accept a trip, which, by definition, is not rest. Simply answering the phone doesn't make it magically voluntary.
117 is an improvement. Unextended duty periods are almost always better than typical contractual limits. Extensions are always voluntary. Sure, the PIC makes the call, but a decent contract will have at least some duty limits that are more restrictive than the FARs with an extension, mitigating the "PIC makes the call" to some extent.
Nu
I completely agree with you, Nu. Overall, this is much much better than the previous system. With time, we'll adjust to it, and we'll look back at the old FAR rules we used to work to (particularly if we were at a regional) and wonder how many more didn't die.