I am a CPL, multi rated and do not fly jets but occasionally do get SJS.
For a long time now I have failed to understand why truck drivers have better FTL (or maybe it's DTL) than pilots. Pilot's have more responsibility than a truck driver and I mean no disrespect to the truck drivers, but when a pilot has 4 or 500 passengers and crew, plus freight plus a couple of hundred million dollars of aircraft that really is a tad more than a truck driver is responsible for. With all that to look after I cannot see the logic behind the beancounters risking it by continually pushing the envelope to extract yet more hours from the guy(s) who have to land the whole package safely in possibly marginal conditions at the end of the flight.
I have read about pilots falling asleep between the OM and the MM on approach. Surely if this was happening many years ago then what is really happening on the flight deck now with the increase of Duty and Flight Times? Do management really think it is cost effective to push the hours and then have to pay out when mistakes are made on landing or landing phase?
If the beancounter gets tired on the way home then he can pull his car over and stop at the side of the road to recover. Can't really do that when your aircraft's wheel are no longer on the ground. Also, why do the Regulators allow these excessive FTL to exist? Guess being fatigued isn't a safety factor for them to be concerned about.