Running 99% legal

446 miles driven
7.5 hrs logged (9)
$151.64
I'll be pushing up against 70 hrs for a few days, so I will have to be real careful and not work too hard. But so far this week is looking real good! Already over 3100 actual miles and I still have 1 more day in this week!
On a sidenote, I stopped at our Kansas City terminal for fuel again ( you may recall the diesel spill all over the yard?). Well, I parked after topping off (in a REAL parking spot!) and went in to use the bathroom. Knight must be trying to save more money b/c of the 3 different men's toilets in the building, ONLY 1 HAD ANY TOILET PAPER! If you can imagine how long it took to run out of TP in the building, then you can imagine also when was the last time they were cleaned! I shouldnt have to explain how disgustingly filthy those bathrooms were! If I owned that facility, I would be embarassed by those conditions. And you can bet someone would probably lose their job! If I didnt have to go so bad, I would have went somewhere else!
But our Columbus office just spent a bunch of money to get this fancy new automated phone system that just seems to make it harder to talk to a real live person than it ever was before!
Meanwhile, back in the truck, I still dont have an APU and I am still getting grief for spending too much money on fuel!
I know that since I drive a truck for a living and I didn't go to college that my company believes there is no way I am smart, it seems obvious to me that the company has forgotten who it is that is responsible for the success (or failure) of the entire company! I'm not saying I want my ### kissed or even tickled with a feather, but #### it people, quit treating me like a piece of garbage that's not worth an once of respect or consideration!

 

Holy Cow! Awesome week!
3560 actual miles driven
66.5 hrs logged (87 hrs actually on duty)
$1210.40 earned b4 taxes and road money
or $15.17 per hr ($10.95 per hr)
Does everyone understand my usage of ( )?
I ran extremly well this week. My dispatcher kept me rolling all week and I only had a couple of difficult customers. Although I did not log very much time on line 4 all week (6.25 hr total), I could have gotten 1 more short load in this week if it weren't for the 14 hr rule and my tattle tale qualcomm! But I'm not going to ##### too much, it was a good week!
On a sidenote, I have noticed a vibration in the steering wheel that is gradually getting worse. Today I had another driver pass me and he noticed a pronouced wobble on the driver side steer tire. I stopped about 1 hr later at the T/A in Ogallala and they noticed (as I did earlier) some uneven wear on the inside edge of the tire. What was odd was it was only on 1/3 of the circumference of the tire, not all the way around! It was wore down WAAAY past the wear marks and it will be in the cords soon. The T/A advised my company (arent they great?) to replace the tire and fix whatever was causing the wear. The company refused! Told the mechanic to tell the driver to move on down the road! Rather than spend a little money out here, they decide to put what might be an unsafe truck back on the road. Nothing I said would change their mind, I wonder what the boys in the scalehouse would say about that tire??? I wonder what would cost more, fixing the issue on the road or me blowing that steer tire at 64 MPH and the ensuing accident that would happen ??? But what do I know about economics, I'm just a dumb trucker!
I would like to post a pic of the tire for all to see, I took several. But since I am using my cell phone to access this site, I dont think it is possible for me to upload an image from my phone to the site??? If you can help, please let me know.

 

FWIW, here's what I have been doing to make it work:
Never show more than 30 mins at a customer on line 4, no matter how long it actually toke. (I have had an unusual amount of drop/hook customers and the docks that I did bump took care of me quickly, again, unusual!)
Never exceeded the 14 hr clock (except once)
Always took the minimum 10 hr break and was rolling the minute that break was over.
Refused to stop uneccassarily, no sightseeing, or even eating a meal until my day was over.
I think my logbook with match the qualcomm, except for that 1 day, very well! I guess I'll find out next month if I get that dreaded call from Safety.

 

You are being sarcastic, right???
Cuz I feel these logbook rules, not only make us less safe, but also makes for some very unpleasent working conditions! I cant take that mid-afternoon nap anymore. (I really miss nap time!) I am very reluctant to stop the truck during the available driving hours for ANY REASON! So, for me, that means I either dehydrate myself of risk a prolapsed bladder or UTIs and kidney stones cuz I dont want to pee in a milk jug! And it usually means I eat only 1 meal a day as I dont carry a cooler so I have no way to keep any GOOD OR HEALTHY food with me. Those are just a few problems I have noticed with this set of rules. I'll bet a doughnut the egg heads never even saw those problems when they designed this nightmare! Hell, they probably dont even care!

 

Wait a minute, I think we agree here!
The only good thing about the new HOS is the 10 hr break. It makes it easier for me to get the sleep I need AND shower every day, do laundry, get a decent meal at nite or spend time cleaning the truck,etc. Things that before I might not do if I had to chose between that or sleep.
Additionally, I wish they would have made the 34 reset only count if you were at home! I dont like this practice of companies leaving a driver out in BFE for a day and a half and then making him run his butt off! I dont think a 34 reset on the road really gives a driver the off-duty time, time to relax and recuperate from the long week we worked. That was the original intent of the regulation. Personally, a reset on the road just pisses me off! I am away from home to work and make money, if I cant do that, send me home! Unless the company wants to pay me to sit in the truck, I would rather sit at home!