Swift has driver arrested.

YuP!
That would be illegal.

Actually, the lawmaking desk drivers passed a law a few years ago that, in essence, made ALL alcohol carried in a Big truck illegal. This, according to the way the law was worded, included mouthwash, cologne, anti-freeze, and isopropyl alcohol that some folks pour into their fuel tanks to de-ice by removing moisture and thereby help prevent jelling of the fuel lines.
By the way, the consumption of isopropyl alcohol can cause blindness and/or death. I doubt too many folks drink it, but, none the less, it was illegal to have in a Big truck.

Medicines, including over the counter products containing ANY amount of alcohol was also, technically, illegal.
After this was brought to their attention, the laws were loosened to allow certain products.
Just another example of the infinite wisdom of our desk driving lawmakers and how earnestly they protect us from ourselves.
Question might be, who protects us from the desk driving law makers? :smt102

 

So this guy drank 8 beers, was going to sleep it off (presumably during his 10 hour break) and then drive after that 10 hour break was up (a couple hours of which, at least, was spent drinking)? I would guess his BAC would still be over the .04 when he started driving, even if he had spent the night in a hotel. Glad he was reported, the cops were called, and he was fired. He doesn't deserve to carry a CDL.

 

I agree. There are plenty of OTHER jobs for those who like to drink. Pushing 80,000 lbs is not one of them! Sorry, truth hurts!

 

That got me to thinkin' about..let's say I'm bobtailin' home for the weekend and I stop to pick up some beer to take home..I guess that's a no-no?

 

That is correct. The company policy prohibits it, most likely. However, as a bobtail, it is a very gray area as to whether a commercial vehicle for logging activity, but not any other issues.

 

With so much misinformation on all message boards, where opinions and biased opinions at that, are often stated as facts, one must rely on the rules, regulations and wordings of laws and their own interpretation of those wordings

unless

those regs are interpreted by the same authority who wrote them, such as:


Question 3: Does the prohibition against carrying alcoholic beverages in §392.5 apply to a driver who uses a company vehicle, for personal reasons, while off-duty?

 

OK, the link didn't show, but the 392.5 link seems to work. Click interpretation on the right side. Question 3.

 

Being an extremely well paid line haul driver, I no longer have to frequent truck stops. I am so thankful for that! Especially when you consider the large number of ####### that are hanging out there at any given time.
The times when I have stopped in one (the larger ones especially) I would always turn off my CB because I didn't like the painful reminder that I shared the road with a large collection of fools.
Many of those aforementioned "fools" are sitting behind the CB mic with a cold one in their hands without any thought to what the consequences could be. With all of that said, I guess you could ask yourself; How many of those guys are professional enough to care whether or not they are breaking a law?

 

See my previous post. It is a gray area, but the company policy will be the issue.

 

Years ago, I managed a fast food restaurant, and had a semi drive into the lot and around the building before stopping. Although it was extremely rare for a driver to bring a big truck into the lot i didn't care it was late in the day, and he wasn't blocking traffic.

What bothered me and caused me to call the police, is the driver could barely walk he was so drunk and reeked of alcohol. I became a slow food restaurant until the police arrived. When he walked back out the cops nailed him before he even got close to the truck. They only charged him with Public Intoxication, because he hadn't made it back into the truck before they stopped him.

The kick in the ### was the replacement driver the company sent over called me everything but a white man, because I screwed up his weekend off.