Is It Acceptable As A Company Driver To Use Your Truck For Personal Use On Off Time?

Not for very long.

You have to have passenger authorization forms in a commercial vehicle.

Joy riding is frowned upon.

 

While some companies will allow you to take the truck home.

I can say without a doubt, if you are caught joy riding in it. You'll be fired before you can turn the truck off.

Having a passenger without written permission, will get you in trouble with the DOT as well.

Before you think you just might get away with it. The majority of companies use QualComm, with GPS tracking. They know the moment the truck is moved. It also tracks engine run time. They can tell if you fired it up during your time off, which we all do if we have a boatload of electronics that need to stay connected to the batteries.

 

Keep you bobtailing around town to a bare minimum. Bobtail trucks are more likely to skid when you try to stop on wet payment. They also take longer to stop than you might think on dry payment.

Bottom line, do not risk getting into an accident and ending your career because you want to joy ride. Call a cab, call a friend or rent a car if necessary.

 

Bad idea,most companies have gps in the trucks and they will know if you are post to be driving or not.

 

It's one thing to bobtail over to the grocery store when you're out on the road but to take your honeybunchsugarpie to the tastee freeze for a burger and fries is just not okay.

 

I did it with no problems with Arrow and my current company has no electronic tattle tales in the truck so I could do it if I had reason too. Pretty sure you don't have to log it, you are off duty. I'd say God help you if you scratch it though, so be careful if you decide to do anything. Definitely stay off the highway.

I should add that if I drove for Swift, Schneider, or any of the really big companies that could care less about their drivers, I wouldn't try it.

 

Joyriding in a company truck just because...

What a bonehead idea.

Girlfriend falls out of the truck and breaks her hip. Is she covered?


Youre riding some of your buddies around and one of them asks, "What does this do?" And he pulls the yellow knob. You lose control and plow through a yardsale Saturday at 11am.

You drive up to Merv's billiards. Theres a fight and one guy winds up dead. The news camera shows up and they film the parkinglot. The reporter gives her story and right behind her in the background...is your truck.



Story time:

(Back in my reefer days). Friday evening, I'm back in town done for the week. I collected my check and am sitting in another guy's truck chatting. His engine is off all everything powered down. Theres 4 other drivers in another truck across the yard with the engine going and marker lights on.

A cop rolls by slowly.

My buddy breaks out a mirror and start cutting lines. Not my scene, time for me to go. Before I get out of the truck, I notice something...

Cop rolls by slowly.

I tell my buddy that something's amiss and to clear out. I get into my car and make trails.

My buddy finishes his lines. Suddenly cops come rolling in 5 deep! They surround the truck with the marker lights on it and bust all the drivers for possession. Company owner is called and he comes on scene. Heads roll.

My buddy lets the air out of his seat and sits on the floor and waits until late at night to get out of there.

Moral of the story: Do your best to remain unseen when youre not hauling freight.

 

You'll get sick of the truck eventually... Driving it for 1000's of miles a week & you want to cruise around in it to when your home.... I don't even look out the window when I'm home with fear that I'd see the truck...

It's one thing to drive the truck while your working or stuck out on the road... But when your home... stick to the car!