ELD 8 days per month

I'd imagine it's legal. (I'm kind of in the same situation) As you said, your allowed 8 days a month. My issue with all of this is what happens when you're along the highway being inspected, and the person with the badge and the gun tells you that you can't do that? Even though it's clearly stated that you can. I can see all of this being a problem. You know there's going to be some who try and abuse the 8 day in a month rule. And there will be some cops who simply don't know the rules.

I'll probably be torched at the stake for saying this, but I'm of the mindset that everyone should be made to log under the same rules, either all paper, or all electronic. Do away with the local driver loophole. Do away with the pre 2000 crap. Make it all uniform, so there's no question about what is or isn't legal. Keep it simple. Because I don't do complicated

 

The gov't has made the industry complicated. The more complicated it becomes the more money they can soak out of everyone. The pre 2000 thing thins the heard out dramatically, very few companies have that kind of equipment. It's really only a small percentage of the industry that run older equipment. I don't think paper logs can really leave the industry. Won't you be required to keep paper log if the electronic fails, for back-up purposes? I think I'm gonna just stick with paper for awhile, at least for the first year to see how hard they are really pressing it ya know

 

Clarification, it is 8 days in any 30 days, not 8 days a month. Meaning, your 8 days does not reset on the 1st of each month but rather it works like a recap. So just be careful how you space you out of local exemption runs and it could work.

 

If you are exempt from fmcsa 395.8 & 395.11 you will not count against the 8 days. Basically the days you use a time card are not counted, the days you use a log book are.

To be able to not have to use a log book you must meet 3 criteria.. This is from 395 eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations
1. The driver operates within a 100 air-mile radius of the normal work reporting location;
2. The driver returns to the work reporting location and is released from work within 12 consecutive hours;
3. A property-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver has at least 10 consecutive hours off duty separating each 12 hours on duty;

So I read it as Sun, Mon, you need to fully log in a log book. Wends - Sat if you work less then 12 hours and stay withing 100 air miles you can just do the timecard. As for Tuesday, do you leave from and return to the same location? If so, it would be time card, if not it would be log book.

 

Yes, if you work 12-14 hours a day, you must be doing the full log book. Every time you stop, it must be logged (multiple short stops in the same city can be logged once) Every time you start driving it should be drive time and you should be looking at the 70/8 clock and the 8 hour clock as well.

The 100 air mile radius is only one criteria, you must meet all the criteria. I listed it above....

Since it sounds like you don't meet the 12 hour most days, if that's correct you cannot count those days as "local" either.

Do you have a smart phone? If you do I suggest you go a program called BigRoad and start logging with it, every stop, every time driving, etc.. That way you can get a feel for how you should be logging.
The app is free (the part to connect to the truck is a monthly payment, but you don't need that yet.).
The website is Free Electronic Logbook + Affordable ELD Compliance » BigRoad

 

ZVar is absolutely correct, so make sure you fully understand the conditions required to meet the short haul exemption. It is fairly simple, however as stated above the most often overlooked condition is the requirement to start and end at the same work reporting location within 12 hours.

The exemption from using ELDs is based on the fact that if you are a short haul driver currently you do not have to complete a log book, so you would not need electronic documentation of your hours of service.

 

You will always have to keep a paper log on hand in case the system goes down for any reason.