ltrifone

Why would you want to decrease the hours of service?

I work a career that is something like 60 days on 30 days off. More Sr. people can negotiate schedules like 30 on & 30 off. In rare cases people can negotiate for 2-weeks on 2 -weeks off.

In my case I am single and work international, so a month off in Bali is pretty sweet. Other colleagues have kids and work domestically and spend their 30 days walking their kids back and forth to school.

Maximizing both work hours and time off hours is the way to go.

You are being censored by some bot on the /r/britishcolumbia sub, so I am following you here.

If you wanted to do longer runs, say Vancouver to Halifax, is that an option? Most airline pilots fight for longer trans-ocean flights in order to obtain longer periods of time off.

Then it is an easy negotiation. Offer to cut fixed wages & benefits by half and it will be done.

I made a serious offer in /r/bc before it got censored though, I'll ride along in your train and basically be your bitch for a month for free.

I understand I won't be qualified to make every decision, but I'll sweep the floors, paint rail-cars, and fill out your paperwork for free just in exchange for an opportunity see the scenery. I doubt that I am the only one.

We can't negotiate like that.

Why not? Oil & gas has specific exemptions in the labour laws that exempts us from essentially all hours of work laws.

We like it like that. It comes with huge advantages. Once you get used to having 15 to 25 weeks off a year, it becomes really hard to change your lifestyle into something different. As I mentioned, long haul airline pilots live similar lives with similar sacrifices.

uncomfortable chair that reclines like an airline seat

Sounds like you have it pretty good already. Certainly better than 99% of people who operate heavy equipment. Want a pool floaty mattress to stick in the cubby-hole in front of the bulk cars?

You spend enough time trying to kick hobos out of there that you may as well use it yourself.