Knowledge, Knowledge, Knowledge

[DubbleD]

@Sapper

I have yet to see a viable justification for forcing me to split my day and steal a half hour from me that I'd rather be parked at my end-of-shift destination winding down instead of still on the road. It forces (if a driver runs out his hours) a near 12-hour day behind the wheel. It doesn't take me a half hour to get out of my truck, use the bathroom and stretch my legs.

"We don't gitta take'a brake" was intended to request flexibility on the 14. It was misinterpreted to mean "That mean ol' comp"ny won't let us stop for a minute." Mainly because illiterate, less-than-articulate imbeciles were chosen to represent our interests.

If you know of a justification for further narrowing our control over our own schedules (as adults) from your own driving experience, I'd sure like to see it..

Hey!

@Sapper isn't a voting member of FMCSA. he just enforces what they demand of him.

I was attempting to trap him with... " If you and your posse disagree with some ridiculous rule why would you agree to enforce it?!"

But he caught on quicker than I anticipated....

... I'll figure out a different way.....

 

[DubbleD]

I don't mind the 30 minute break.

Seriously, it's the most minor regulation change I can think of since the nationwide banning of radar detectors. Which was HUGE...for you rookies.

Anyway, while they've got you distracted on the pedantic subject of debating the freakin 30 minute break...which you probably took at some point in the driving day anyway ...

Sure you don't mind. You stated the reason.... We OTR drivers usually have enough brain power to take a break when the body says "rest a spell" and have the luxury of doing it when we decide to.

The 30 minute issue, IMO, was a plea from the P&D guys, LTL junkies... Who have dispatchers screaming at them all day long..."pick up at X", get over to Z asap, c-company called and want to know why your late!!!........"

Makes sense that government would protect those guys but OTR? I do get annoyed at dispatch on the rare occasion a good song on XM is interrupted by the "beep, beep, beep.... You have an unread message" ....

Requiring drivers like me to extend...........EXTEND my driving day by 30 more minutes just pisses me off to no end!

LTL, P&D and their ilk are not OTR. There are very obvious differences in daily operation and the mistake FMCSA made was putting us all in the same can.

 

[Sapper]

once you spend 2-3 hours at a shipper or reciever

Wouldn't that count as your 1/2 hour?

 

[Duck]

Wouldn't that count as your 1/2 hour?

There's some debate about whether you can log off duty or sleeper while loading/unloading, though everybody except for total squares does it.

 

[Sapper]

I was attempting to trap him with... " If you and your posse disagree with some ridiculous rule why would you agree to enforce it?!"

Define "enforce it"? For me, if I see it, I just remind the driver they were supposed to take it. I don't even put it on the ASPEN. It's not even an OOS violation.

 

[Sapper]

There's some debate about whether you can log off duty or sleeper while loading/unloading, though everybody except for total squares does it.

Not sure what the debate is? If you are in the SB, you're supposed to log SB. If you're not doing anything for the company, you're OD. If you're behind the wheel, with the engine running, you're OD driving. And if you're doing anything for the company, whether you're getting paid or not, you're OD.

So, if I'm hangin' out in the break room, drinkin' a cup of coffee(not that foo-foo juice birch drinks, doh, sorry birch, I know, below the belt, right?) I'd be loggin' Off Duty, as I'm not supervising the loading.

 

[Osito]

Wouldn't that count as your 1/2 hour?

well according to the rules, all time spent at a shipper or reciever in attendance of a load? must be logged as on duty, (i don't have the exact wording but it is to that affect.)......here is how i log things...unless i been doing it wrong you tell me?

I am on line 3 driving...and arrive at shipper...now i goto line 4.....check in with guard....then check in with shipper.....shipper gives me a dock...i bump dock, and am now waiting for a green light...

Once i get a green light lets say its 3 hours later....i get paperwork....check out with guard....and then goto line 3....

Now if I am doing a drop and hook for example...walmart...

I drive on line 3....arrive at cons....now on line 4....stay on line 4 until i drop my trailer....goto bobtail section....now I can goto either line 1 or 2.....three hours later....put myself back onto line 4 go check out and goto line 3.

way i was told to log it as i do it....and according to the rules, that is the way its suppose to be logged...

There's some debate about whether you can log off duty or sleeper while loading/unloading, though everybody except for total squares does it.

thanks duck so now I am a square....i guess better then being the circle jerk i guess...right duck? lmao...

 

[Duck]

Not sure what the debate is? If you are in the SB, you're supposed to log SB. If you're not doing anything for the company, you're OD. If you're behind the wheel, with the engine running, you're OD driving. And if you're doing anything for the company, whether you're getting paid or not, you're OD.

So, if I'm hangin' out in the break room, drinkin' a cup of coffee(not that foo-foo juice birch drinks, doh, sorry birch, I know, below the belt, right?) I'd be loggin OD, as I'm not supervising the loading.

How often do you abbreviate "on duty" and "off duty" with the same two letters?

thanks duck so now I am a square....i guess better then being the circle jerk i guess...right duck? lmao...

Yeah you're a square.

 

[Sapper]

LOL, too much CROWN, lol!

 

[Sapper]

Not sure what the "green light" is, as I only ever pulled heavy equipment. All I can say is, I look at the definitions.
And I'm paraphrasing

Off Duty= No responsibilities to the load or the company.
Sleeper Berth= In the SB.
On Duty Driving= Sitting at the controls, engine running.
On Duty= Doing anything for the company, whether you are getting paid or not.

 

[Duck]

On Duty Driving= Sitting at the controls, engine running.

Unless the wheels are turning, on a public road, I'm not logging "driving".

That's ridiculous, whoever interprets it that way.

I sit in the driver's seat all the time when waiting on shippers & receivers, or on my 10 hr break. Whether the engine is running makes no difference to my log book.

Oh,.. And if for some reason there's a need to drive the truck on private property, I'm not logging that as driving either.

 

[Sapper]

Unless the wheels are turning, on a public road, I'm not logging "driving".

That's ridiculous, whoever interprets it that way.

Not my interpretation. And to be quite truthful, I don't blame ya, I would too. But the "engine running" is why I wouldn't, as I'd turn the truck off, hehehe!


Driving time means all time spent at the driving controls of a commercial motor vehicle in operation.

Question 25: When a driver experiences a delay on an impassable highway, should the time he/she is delayed be entered on the record of duty status as driving time or on-duty (not driving)?

Guidance: Delays on impassable highways must be recorded as driving time because §395.2 defines “driving time” as all time spent at the driving controls of a Commercial Motor Vehicle CMV in operation.

Question 26: Is time spent operating controls in a CMV to perform an auxiliary, non-driving function (e.g., lifting a loaded container, compacting waste, etc.) considered driving time? Does the location of the controls have a bearing on the answer?

Guidance: The location of the controls does have a bearing on the answer. Section 395.2 defines “driving time” as all time spent at the driving controls of a Commercial Motor Vehicle CMV in operation. If a driver, seated at the driving controls of the vehicle, is able to simultaneously perform the driving and auxiliary function (for example, one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on a control mechanism), the time spent performing the auxiliary function must be recorded as “driving time.” If a driver, seated at the driving controls of the vehicle, is unable to simultaneously perform the driving and auxiliary function, the time spent performing the auxiliary function may be recorded as “on-duty not driving time.”

 

[Sapper]

Oh,.. And if for some reason there's a need to drive the truck on private property, I'm not logging that as driving either.

Question 9: A driver drives on streets and highways during the week and jockeys Commercial Motor Vehicles in the yard (private property) on weekends. How is the yard time to be recorded?

Guidance: On-duty (driving).

 

[Duck]

Not my interpretation. And to be quite truthful, I don't blame ya, I would too. But the "engine running" is why I wouldn't, as I'd turn the truck off, hehehe!

Usually do, except for when it's too cold to shut the truck off or I'm warming it up. I'm not logging that as "driving". Call me an outlaw, whatever. What the DOT bears don't know won't hurt me.

Question 9: A driver drives on streets and highways during the week and jockeys Commercial Motor Vehicles in the yard (private property) on weekends. How is the yard time to be recorded?

Guidance: On-duty (driving).

I wouldn't even keep a log book at all if my only job was running a yard jockey on private property.

Split between yard jockey & the road in a street legal highway truck, I'd log the yard jockey time as "on duty not driving".

A yard jockey that never leaves the yard, doesn't need a license plate. No driver's license is required, no US DOT numbers required, etc.

Driving a yard jockey would be considered working in support of a trucking operation so I'd log it on line 4 if I was also driving trucks on public streets.

 

[Injun]

Any time spent resting in a parked vehicle is Off Duty.

In other words, if you're sitting in the driver seat with the engine running for climate control and your feet on the dash as you goof off on Trucker's Forum dot Net while you're being loaded or unloaded, it's OFF duty.

 

[Keendriver]

though everybody except for total squares does it.

Yeah you're a square.

Hey Potsie, are you and the Fonz gonna head over to the malt shop?

 

[Sapper]

@Injun @Duck That's why I'm not the typical DOT. Your points are valid and full of common sense.

 

[Injun]

@Injun @Duck That's why I'm not the typical DOT. Your points are valid and full of common sense.

That's not just my common sense. That's almost a direct quote from FMCSR.

 

[Sapper]

That's almost a direct quote from FMCSR.

What is?

 

[Hammer166]

What is?

They changed the guidance so that sitting in the drivers seat can still be off-duty. After too many of your brethren were taking pleasure writing tickets to guys for sitting in the seat during breaks.