Driving Off-Duty

If you drove for me, you wouldn't be driving for me after I found that out. I've fired drivers for this before and tell the new hires it isn't allowed, everything by the log, no excuses on not saying NO or not calling to say you are going to be late.

Your boss is an idiot, should not be in this business and if you get into an accident, the ambulance chasing scum lawyer would own everything you and your boss owns by the time they are done with you two.

As far as the state is concern or the FMCSA, it could put the company on their radar and flagged for inspections every time they see a truck with the company name on it not to mention to have a real audit where they pick apart everything and fine them up the butt.

 

Also, all the new ELD's track truck mileage. Not sure if you drive the same truck all the time but, either way, your boss may have to answer for those extra miles if he gets audited.

 

Logging out of the ELD and driving anyway will show unassigned miles on the ELD. If the ELD is inspected by an offical, it will show that, plus the driver would be logged out. if the driver logs back in if they are stopped, the ELD will read like Scotty has been beaming the driver across the country. If the driver is logged out running a fly by night load, and gets into a crash that has serious injuries or a fatality, good luck. The criminal system will probably put the driver in prison. Then when the civil side gets completed, the judgement will mostly be in the seven figures. If the company gets audited, the fines the feds impose start at $7,500 per violation.

 

Getting caught isn't a matter of "if" but "when".

Driving off-duty is only reserved for activities not related to working (going shopping at Walmart). If you are working, and driving more than 100 air miles from your home terminal, you are required to log that work. Putting it off-duty/driving and/or logging out entirely is falsifying your log. If you are doing this to benefit your employer, you are putting a lot on the line for something that isn't really benefiting you.

 

I used to have to run team by myself with eld. Never got caught, but its funny the ways you can still cheat it. My boss actually made up an employee to ride with me. There are rules you have to abode to make it work. For one, make sure the fake driver only gets logged within 600 miles of terminal. 2, only log team at end of day, oos is better than jail. 3. Avoid scales. 4. Funny story i actually got random roadsided on my 18th hour once. The dot didnt understand my eld and told me to drive safely lol.