Is a post trip inspection officially required by D.O.T.?

Why can't you drive the part of pretrip out of lot since you have to test that?

 

Post-trips are a trap! What are you going to do if you have a flat, something broken that you can't fix? Go though a big waste of time to get somebody out to fix it, wait for them to arrive, then wait till they are finished to OK the job. 5 hours of your break could go by when you could be sleeping for the next day...

What does it pay? Is it worth that much? There are a few variables, but most of them end up with you getting the shaft.

 

Only required if something is found to need service. No issues, no DVIR to turn in.

 

If it is a flat at least you know how your day is going to start out, some of those service guys are really great and painless.

 

Who says YOU get the shaft?

A failed PTDVIR goes to the shop along with the bobtail or trailer. They take care of it.

Morning assumes you show up ready to go work, tractor needs to be ready to go then too.

if Not?

Back home you go. One time with DM Bowman I had a flatbed load to the norfolk navy yard from Frederick, flatbed. I had been sick three days and got hold of my regular tractor. There was a red light present above the voltmeter which tells me at 12.7 instead of 13.7 that's its experiencing a discharge of the battery system. Since it was 30 below outide and she was a airstart cummins with engine block disconnected she ran fine to Norfolk. Down 17 which took about 4 hours via the 301 bridge.

When it was time to physically leave the base and all those carriers behind, she burned up and died.

Towed to a shop in VA Beach. I was put up in a hilton on a CDL Discount. Nice little place. Actually a FINE place for 34 dollars a month instead of 46 in those days. They replaced the entire alternator system, replaced all 3 batteries and a number of other things that burned up on that poor cabover.

1600 dollar later comcheck I picked up the truck. Made it to doswell empty. Dinner time was just as long it needed to kill the compressor for good. I came back to a truck that wont move or feed air for love or god or money.

4 am a tow truck shows up with I recognized as a shop queen. Strictly a yard truck. This is going on day 4.A thursday.

Front end went out at 32 and I immediately took the power off it, let her drift to a halt on the shoulder 3 miles above the doswell Petro on 95 Sit there in the sleeper. BANG BANG BANG a few DM Bowmans stopped to offer me a hand. Heard my story of woe.

One of the more senior drivers told me to relax get some sleep, someone will be by later that evening with a GOOD tractor. Don't stress about it.

9 clock that night a second tow truck delivered me a day cab big Freight liner long nose day cab. Took that shop queen away.

The trip with that day cab freight liner big dog was a memorable one. 13 speed split 550 horses. and ungoverned no trip master anywhere. *First generation computerized system designed to detect over speed and over idle)

This is now Friday morning when I pulled in to frederick having left previously monday at 3 am. Counting the losses in payroll. Usually three to four flatbed load a day poof gone. The whole week was a fisaco.

I asked for permission to speak freely to the safety boss in charge of that ternimal and I gave him both barrels. I am a professional and how dare they they schlep a POS Shop queen that everyone knows it's not for pavement work to Virginia to me. How dare they.

And If it is all the same with the boss, Im a keeping that frieightliner day cab. It's my new favorite. No trip master, no governing and a 13 speed to boot.. None of that crappy generic 10 speed for babies.And finally what about pay?

They gave me a virgin 350 CL mack Daycab not even 5 miles on the ODO. They paid me 10+ from sunday to friday night. day and night. Literally twice what I am used to take home cash. (I was this close to quitting, apartment rents be darned, I had two companies looked up for.)

And gave me a mountain route that noone will touch in winter. Plus a raise in mileage for the Altoona Area in the coming of winter. All I had to do was be at that particular store 8 sharp no matter what the winter weather was. They installed cross ribbed drive tires on that mack.

When winter was over, I transferred to williamsport for the van division. That way my commute 10 minutes to 8 appointment was two steps from sleeper to cab window when the factory staffer had coffee in one hand and the dock number in the other for me to back into.

It was there I learned you can get lazy in the van division so I needed either tanker, reefer or flatbed again. But not day cab flatbed.

I also learned that dispatchers there had to wear three peice vested suits and tie in the highest of summer weather. Not acceptable to me. esepcially after one of them lectured on my tee shirt and denim shorts coming out of 105 degree alabama. I was dressed for the weather, the dispatchers were not. So I had to quit. It's a form for abuse and waste on good people forced to over dress for the weather conditions. I felt sorry for them. And you wonder why I don't do suits.

 

Most real drivers do give a rats #### about the reg yoou quoted, Im not telling them not to inspect it completely, Im telling them what they have to log.

Example, I showed up at Whole Foods at 21:00 as per dispatch, was told load would not be ready till 22:00, this shows as off duty, I go out and fuel the tractor, check it completely from end to end write up some minor things that need mech. attention when it comes back, I showed all this as off duty because I was not officially dispatched until the load was ready.

When I was handed my dispatch @ 22:00 I started up the elog logged in on duty @22:00, hooked the trailer pulled up from the dock checked the trailer and connections, 22:15 go to driving head to Az. Was this legal, yup, and better than sitting on my butt waiting in the drivers lounge and safer too.

05:30 arrived at phx store, 05:45 log lunch break till 06:15, head for tucson, same thing arrived 08:30 at 08:45 to 09:15 off duty in both cases the store unloads

Arrive at Loves Pnx @ 12:00 on duty till 12:15 fuel and posttrip
12:15 to 23:15 logged sleeper / off duty.

ans yes this day would fly with any DOT cop. totally legal

 

You dont have to post every minute mess in with the truck and trailers as on duty, thats just burn in hours for no reason.

 

Ok, there are some differences between Local and OTR Drving.

 

I'm fairly certain just about every DOT cop would disagree with your assessment that an inspection logged off duty is legal.