Logging 10 hours of Off Duty

Silly? The law states that if you're in the front seat you're on duty/not driving, no exceptions (unless of course you're actually driving). If you're in the fron seat eating a sandwich and watching the t/s action you're supposed to be on duty/not driving. Yeah, we all do it (log it as sleeper birth) but technically we're not supposed to. It doesn't matter what a company says they want you to do, you're supposed to log it according to the FMCSA rules and regulations, first and foremost. Only exception that I know of is if a company has some rules regarding minimum length of time on a PTI/PT, that's when you follow your company rules.

 

Go back and read the law.

This changed effective 2/27/12


Here, I even made it easier for you. Here is a link to support my claim.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos/index.htm

 

I truly learn different stuff everyday. Being in the front is on duty or driving even if I'm eating now that's just ridiculous. I guess I better start logging hours of on duty when shippers and receivers take forever to load me

 

if you have them laying around in your truck, and then there's an accident...or if you have them in your wallet and are unconscious , then there might be a prob when officer joe sees them when he's trying to figure out who you are.

whether its my fault or not, im going to assume that some attorney and/or prosecutor is going to try to make it my fault.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but from what I understand, it doesn't take much to make you at fault. I've even heard of a guy who won a fishing tournament while off duty, received money as a prize, got in an accident -- he wasn't at fault -- until they found out he was 'paid' while logging off duty. Not sure if this is true or not, one of those 'friend of a friend' things. It sounds believable tho, with the way things are.

 

Y'all better start posting regs because only 25 and RM kno what their talking about. All this squabbling about how many hours you slept, somebody show me the regulation that you even have to sleep during your off duty time. As far as where I slept I've been asked that once and I told the prick that I had girlfriends in every town and city. Then I asked if he had a picture of his wife just so I could make sure that she wasn't one of them. He didn't find that real funny but his supervisor did looked him in the eye while still laughing and told him that it wasn't any of his business where a driver spent his off duty time then still laughing he told me to get the hell gone.

 

Most drivers get log violations by talking too much.

When Mr. DOT Man asked where I was and what I was doing at a certain "off duty" section of my logs; I simply said, "I was away from my truck and was relieved of any duties." Then I just shut up. He waits a minute to see if I will keep talking and says "OK."

It's that simple.

 

Just like you said. Even your example is talking too much.

I just answer, I was off duty, what difference does it make?

 

I try to avoid the snips toward the lawman. It is tempting to say something like, "I was shagging yo wife, biach!" But, we all know where that road will take us.

 

I find you have to sometimes put them in their place. It is not done immediately, it is when they get stuck on it.

 

amiller said: "Seems anal to me...." WE HAVE A WINNER! Overly restrictive regulations and micromanagement of drivers' lives is one of, if not the largest of problems we have as drivers. I for one don't need to be told when to sleep (or try) or forced to just kill what could otherwise be productive time. Attempting compliance and making a living at the same time sometimes seem to be mutually exclusive. I think we'd all be better served by a simple rule that said: "We're going to treat you as adults. Sleep when you're sleepy and drive when you're awake." "Abuse this rule at your peril, because if you are involved in an at fault accident resulting in bodily injury to anyone, and it can be attributed to fatigued driving by you, your driving days are over --- forever." I sometimes think real safety in our industry is achieved in spite of the regs, not because of them.