The Cargo Industry and Their Exemptions from Regulations

The Cargo Industry and Their Exemptions from Regulations

After the Colgan accident, new studies were conducted on how fatigue affects the pilot’s ability to efficiently do their job. The FAA came out with new regulations to limit work shifts for pilots to combat fatigue. A list is given on the FAA website, describing what new rules have been implemented in order to combat fatigue. Some of these new rules are," flight time limits of eight or nine hours, 10-hour minimum rest period, new cumulative flight duty and flight time limits, and fitness for duty" (FAA, 2011) These changes were created to make air travel safer. Many pilots before these would go to work on barely any sleep. General fatigue makes a pilot’s workload less manageable than if he or she were well rested. The FAA finally saw that there was an issue with fatigue that needed to be fixed. The FAA gives a table on their website, showing the differences between the old and new flight and duty regulations. For example the old regulations stance on rest periods states that a rest period "can be 9 hours reducible to 8 hours of rest. Does not factor in sleep opportunity." (Duquette, 2011) With the change in place, the rule says that, "A rest period requires 10 hour rest period of which 8 hours is an uninterrupted sleep opportunity." (Duquette, 2011) These new requirements, along with all the other changes, made a dramatic impact on aviation safety.

Although these changes were set in place for the airlines, the cargo industry was not affected.  The rules were set in place to be mandatory for the airlines, and voluntary for cargo carriers. The reason I believe this is the case is because cargo carriers are much less likely to suffer from fatigue than the airlines. The Cargo Airline Associtation states, "Cargo pilots are allowed to fly up to 8 hours (as opposed to 9 hours for passenger carriers under their rules) then legally must have a rest period.  In a situation where there are three crew members or more, cargo pilots may fly up to 12 hours." (CAA, 2016)  The cargo carriers already operate on lower daily flight times. There really isn't a need for them to change this if their method is already effective in limiting fatigue. Cargo carriers have seen much less accidents than the airlines. For example, "NTSB statistics disclose that, over the last 20 years, there have been only two cargo accidents where fatigue was listed as the cause or a contributing factor.  Neither of these accidents would have been prevented by the new Part 117 passenger rules." (CAA, 2016) This statement alone shows that the cargo airlines are able to prevent fatigue from becoming an issue in their industry. 

I also believe that money plays a part as well. The cargo industry works 24 hours a day, every day. Creating new rules to limit pilot’s duty time would be detrimental to the industry. Rather than bringing in millions of dollars annually, the industry would be in debt. "The estimated cost of this rule to the aviation industry is $297 million but the benefits are estimated between $247- $470 million.  Covering cargo operators under the new rule would be too costly compared to the benefits generated in this portion of the industry." (FAA, 2011) Even though money plays an important part in driving the industry, safety is also thought about. The industry is able to generate money, and keep risks lower than the airlines.

Overall, I do not think it is necessary for the cargo carriers to adhere to these new rules and regulations. This industry is able to effectively keep pilots well rested, keep risk factors low, and make a profit. There is no sense in changing something if there is no issue to be addressed.

My career might be impacted if cargo carries adhere to these rules. If I choose fly for the cargo industry, I could see them taking a hit from these new rules. Shipments across the world could be delayed because pilots wouldn’t be there to fly them overseas. Personally this could mean I have a longer work day as cargo pilot.

References

News. (2016, April). Retrieved from http://www.cargoair.org/2016/04/setting-the-record-straight-on-all-cargo-duty-and-rest-amendment/

By The Numbers Air Traffic Plans and Publications Environmental Reviews Flight Information. (2011, December 21). Press Release – FAA Issues Final Rule on Pilot Fatigue. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=13272

Duquette, A. (2011, December 21). Fact Sheet – Pilot Fatigue Rule Comparison. Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=13273