Originally Posted by the-waco-kid

We use the OBC at a lot of, but not all of the accounts at RIL. I have been using them on and off for the 6 years I've been here and I prefer when I am using them. They save on a lot of paperwork and I have never had a problem at a DOT check. They usually see that I am using the OBC and let me go. I only had to show 1 officer a few things on it and he was mostly just curious about how it worked.

Originally Posted by DigiTrucker

Setting aside the issue of parking at a Wal-Mart facility, the bigger issue is the DOT Hours of Service.

I'm 13 years in the trucking industry and the days when being behind on your log for even a few hours (much less a day or more) are gone. We, as an industry, need to realize that we are collectively headed for the day of the ON BOARD RECORDING DEVICE as mandated by the DOT. It's not just PATT and CRASH that are advocating these things and they are but a tiny part of the full equation. We have years of driver violations that are finally being enforced (and in some cases perhaps a bit too enthusiastically by some jurisdictions) while at the same time many municipalities are outright banning trucks much less overnight parking or idling within community limits.

One thing drivers attempting to comply with the myriad of malarkey regulations, stipulations, and postulations placed on our "ilk" need to remember is federal regulations will ultimately reign supreme if you have to take a stand. That is, federal regulations supercede municipal no parking ordinances. If faced with this type of situation a driver's best recourse is to have the "ducks in a row" so to speak. Make sure you're legally at or beyond your 11th or 14th hour. If not, you cannot prevail; you can only comply (referring back to the original post on this thread as the safety or dispatch team suggested rechecking his/her log and going from there). Having attained 11 or 14, then a driver needs the support of the carrier and especially the safety department. Many local police or sheriff's departments aren't familiar with federal regulations concerning trucking--they are local for a reason. Keep in mind that you can always request any officer brought on scene in such an instance to call out his watch commander or immediate superior. They do not like this request as it makes them look somewhat inept higher up their food chain. BUT!!! Make sure you're uber-polite. Losing your temper with an officer will result in more problems. State your position clearly and carry with you a copy of the FMCSR as updated as you can get. Call your carrier and get them involved immediately. Once the superior is on scene request a DOT certified state trooper. Each time they must call the next level out or face a very serious issue should you be illegally "coerced" (this is a legal term referring to forcing someone to perform an act they are legally prohibited from performing or vice-a-versa--it applies both ways) and later file a lawsuit in the situation. Also, it's a very good idea to turn on a recording device of some kind, audio tape, video tape, etc, to get your record of events--and make it KNOWN that you are recording everything you can get.

I had a similar situation arise at a receiver just after the 2004 version of the new HOS came out. Signs on the customer's receiving window indicated no parking on the facility. I mentioned their policy directly to the receiving clerk and explained that I would be out of drivable time in 3 hours and politely requested to be unloaded and released in sufficient time to move off--even explaining that I intended to do exactly as they requested. Their receiving personnel, however, saw one more instance of a "smart-assed" truck driver trying to hurry them up in unloading dry grocery product. We spent four hours--with me ON THE DOCK observing the unloading and logging line four as required. Once finished, they released me and I requested a space be made available to park, only to be told they do not allow parking by the same clerk to whom I had earlier explained my predicament regarding hours. I pulled away from the door and to the back of the lot. Eventually security came around and told me to leave or they would call the local police--which they had already done. The local officer arrived on the scene and immediately my digital voice recorder clicked on and went in my shirt pocket. I was told by the officer to move on or face arrest for "criminal trespass." I explained that I was recording and out of hours as per federal DOT hours of service--and I called my company (which at the time was having issues with the new HOS and wasn't sure about compliance so I was left flapping in the breeze by the safety department--small company and no one likes 3 A.M. wake up calls for this kind of thing). I requested the officer call out his watch commander and a DOT officer--he refused saying something along the line of we don't really need to go that far with this (sic). Then I suggested he should sign off on my log book indicating he ordered me off the property in violation of the DOT HOS. He flatly refused. But I did get him to give me his badge number, name, and post phone number. At this point I did the last and only thing I could: complied and left but logged every moment of the 45 minutes it took to get to another safe/legal parking area (read: truck stop) and turned in the log page to safety--only to be called in and told "we will not tolerate drivers falsifying their logs this way" and I needed to "fix it" or face getting a written warning. I played back the digial recording the conversation with the officer and reminded the safety manager (whom I had spoken with at the time) he did not back my compliance with the HOS and therefore I would neither falsify my log as ordered by him nor would I sign an acknowledgement of a warning for falsification when I did not falsify the record of duty status. The matter was subsequently dropped by the safety department of the company but they have been much easier to deal with in these instances since.

Another thing that correlates to this kind of situation: when you run 100% compliant, such issues as these WILL cause a late delivery but when carriers are forced into a situation where they must explain why to the customer their cargo is late and that it is due solely to the customer's behavior--and the driver has all the proof--things will change in the industry. Those who capitulate to the abuse of carriers and customers in such situations and "fix" their logs then go without the proper rest (as defined by DOT HOS) are two things: #1: part of the problem and not the solution to our industry's internal growing pains and #2 (and in no way least) a physical threat to the public's safety at large.

Time marches on, folks, and with each second ticking away at the clock we get one second closer to mandated on-board recording devices. The more WE comply to the HOS the better our position--and the less likely we are to face criminal charges in the untimely (not unlikely) event of a major crash. When carriers wake to the reality of better compliance and better utilization of available hours things will DEFINITELY change for the better in our universe.

Be safe!

Originally Posted by mjstef

But if the driver left and got in an accident he could turn around and sue you and your company and win.............................

Originally Posted by Brickman

Shippers/receivers might be asked that about DOT laws.
I'm not trying to bust your chops but that one was too easy.

Originally Posted by pro1driver

unless a shipper or reciever has anything to do with hazmat freight, most shippers/recievers couldn't give a flip about DOT regulations...........

not to bust your chops, but that was too easy as well.............

Originally Posted by Brickman

I know they don't give a rats furry behind unless it hinders the movement of their freight. But on the same note why would they expect drivers to give a flip about their rules?

This has got to be a two way street here.