Is there a "BUFFER" to get to the next truck stop when the driving as no more hours ?

At roadside inspection, law enforcement cannot request logs more than 7 days prior to the current day (full 8 day record), even if your ELD system has the capability to show information prior to that. However, a DOT auditor can look at logs going back 6 months, so technically if law enforcement has reason to believe there are issues prior to the current legal visibility, theoretically he could flag your DOT number as suspect for further follow up for an audit. Practically speaking, this is not likely to happen.

 

Do you have a link to that rule?

 

I worked for a company that got audited by DOT, local/regional work and drivers were on the company clock for local work and putting off duty on log book so when they did regional miles they had more hours.

The DOT punished the company not the drivers. The company proceeded to make drivers use a timeclock on the wall, ELD and 2 paper time logs. 4 ways of logging, everyday.

That ridiculous amount of time logging is why I left, I don't handle redundancy well.

But yea, company was forced to come up with a system that drivers couldn't cheat, but the dot didn't go after every driver, they all did it.

 

It is not theoretically, it happens.

 

The only buffer you have on your logs is that 3 hour window from 11 driving hours to 14 on duty hours. Gotta get three job done in that timeframe

 

If you are hooked to an empty trailer your truck is laden: you cannot use personal conveyance. I’ve had this argument with a few DOT officers; it doesn’t matter what your company policy is: it’s a question of who enforces the rules - it may vary from State to State.

 

adjective: laden
heavily loaded or weighed down.
"a tree laden with apples"
synonyms: loaded, burdened, weighed down, encumbered, overloaded, piled high, fully charged;
full, filled, packed, stuffed, crammed;

Doesn't sound like an empty applies.
But you are currect under current guidance it's not really clear.
Good thing is, new guidance is around the corner that changes it to even laden ok, just can't be advancing the load.

 

That would actually make more sense. My company struggles to get me home every 2 weeks because I live right on the edge of their hiring area (literally I am 3 miles from the line where they don't hire any further south) and I've driven a laden trailer 180 miles to my house. I've driven 180 miles empty to my house. In neither case was I necessarily advancing the trailer.

Have you guys ever had to go in the direction OPPOSITE your next pickup or delivery to find a place to sleep? I had to do that once and noticed it was chewing up my drive time even though I was going the opposite way I needed to go. It wasn't much but I figured it wasn't real fair to eat my drive time because all the truck stops near my delivery were full. I had to take off OUT of the city and go find a place.

 

So your an O/O with a brand new 60,000 dollar reefer and you cant leave the receiver with adequate time to find a park space.
And your answer is to "leave it" Are you being serious????
And the very moment you leave. The receiver calls a tow truck and has your trailer impounded.
Show me any O/O who would just leave an investment like that at a shipper or a receiver, and I'll be glad to show you a fool.

 

So if your driving an expediter straight truck with an empty box are you laden?