HOS

From Personal Conveyance: Frequently Asked Questions | FMCSA

Can a loaded vehicle be used as personal conveyance?

Yes. Determining personal conveyance is based on the nature of the movement, not whether the vehicle is laden.

 

FMCSA guidance explicitly allows PC, even with a laden vehicle, even advancing the load, if you are going towards the closest safe parking.

Company policy notwithstanding. As a matter of fact, you are subject to HOS violations if you go 50 miles the wrong way rather than 10 miles the right way. Not the other way around.

 

For completeness, the guidance for PC has recently changed, and until the change, a vehicle had to be unladen, and the load could not be advanced. So if you were taught a few years back or more, it was correct at the time.

It is not correct, today.

 

I look at a 2000 mile load as 3 driving shifts, so at the end of the third driving shift my goal is to be parked at the receivers for a 10 hour break before delivering, or if delivering happens early I stay off duty till the 10 hours is up. Thats the target I shoot for. I cover between 600 and 650 miles in a 11 hour drive, I try to stop for my 10 hour breaks between noon and 1600, (again target not absolute). This is what works for me, may not be good for you. I like driving from 2300 on.

 

I would go to the closest T/S or someplace to park.

 

The standard is "traveling to a nearby, reasonable, safe location" That's directly from the guidance. So yes, 10 miles in the delivery direction is much more reasonable than 50 in the opposite.
On the same token, it's probably not reasonable to pass up a TA at 5 miles because you have a free shower at the Loves 10 miles down. Everything is 100% up to the LEO (or court of law if something that bad happened) as he's the one you will have to convince it's reasonable.

 

I say we change to talking about Hos instead of HOS. lol