How do you use the "Off Duty" line?

Except when it qualifies as personal use. In which case, enter a remark noting the start and end mileage as well as the notation "Personal Use" - all logged as off-duty.

 

Pertaining to this situation that wouldn't work. In order to do that you have to be heading to work or home and I think it would have to be approved by the company. I don't know about cruising around. I never worried about that. I didn't want to confuse him more than he already is.

 

You are right about the required approval. However, aside from heading to/from work/home, it could apply if at a shipper/receiver and it is known that the loading/unloading is going to take quite some time. Assuming approval is given from both the carrier and the shipper/receiver, one could deck the trailer and go to a truckstop/movie/shopping/etc.

You're right about probably best not to confuse the issue though.

 

The book is vague for a reason, if you do hit a school bus during one of these situations, how do you think they are going to view it? I am feeling certian that some where there is a rule that police use, when in doubt, arrest the truck driver. Even if you don't get arrested, I don't think you will get any smpathy from a jury if a case involving death or injuries gets into court. Just my opinion.

 

There is no "REQUIRED" time to log if you go to the sleeper either. The regs kind of word this to be misleading. You can go to the sleeper for 30 minutes, however understand they do not consider this to be enough time for a rest period. Who said you was resting, you was laying down reading a book!
Logging off duty at a customer is 90% of the time falsifying your logs because you are not "free" to do what you want. You usually have to wait while they load/unload you. It's the customer saying they don't want you on the dock so they force you to go relax and visit us on the website while you are in the sleeper, which means your body is in the sleeper so you are not falsifying your logs.

I am stating the DOT regs that's all ok!

 

LOL, I guess you would have a problem with how I log. I don't run out of hours. I can't afford to use that lazy excuse. I'm glad that the last 15 years DOT has not had that problem. I have been audited several times and everything was OK. Thanks for the effort, maybe I shouldn't be posting here.

 

Wrong answer you must log driving time from the customer! Again I specifaclly asked the DOT them selves. You might get by with it with some officers however you might not either.

Yes you do need approval from the company to log anything as off duty while under dispatch.

 

Umm post, you have a right to do as you choose . If something goes wrong I feel it is only fare to come share the story
Lets hope nothing does and you are one of the million that get lucky and not unlucky

 

Driving time to where? In my case (I'm an O/O), if I am out-of-town and get "released" by my carrier (I have a blanket letter giving me authorization), then I am off-duty as soon as I drop that trailer. Now, if I am in my home city and travelling from my home to a customer to pick up a load then that must be logged as driving. However, if I am travelling from home to the company terminal (which happens to be next door to the customer) to begin my work day, then that is logged as off-duty.

In simple terms, what I am saying is that, in the absense of a company terminal, then the point from which I am on, or off, duty is wherever I choose (within reason).

All of this is based on my own reading as well as discussions with my company's logs department. I haven't had the pleasure of discussing it with a DOT officer ... yet (in which case, I could be getting a beat down).

 

That's a deal. Please don't hold your breathe. I've been doing it a long, long time. I wouldn't want to be responsible for suffocation!