Told by DOT that I'm supposed to be on-duty at dock EVEN IN SLEEPER

Technically the officer ain't wrong.....however, many officers allow for a lot of wiggle room. Sometimes DOT has pulled me over and told me just log off duty to save drive time on the 70. I wouldn't sweat it. The officers that understand trucking life, or have been an officer for a while won't even say anything. Newer, or anal officers will try to sat something about it so they feel important. If every driver followed logging rules to a tee, nothing would ever get delivered on time. To be at the shipper 6 hrs, and to show 6 hrs on duty not driving would not be smart.

 

He called me in,and when he asked if I logged on duty during loading,and unloading,I said yes.

 

Arrive at shipper, switch to on duty with comment "checking in *name of receiver*". Bump dock, go off duty with comment "waiting for load" (or unload). As a company driver we had a document we kept in our permit book that outlined when we were relieved of duty at shippers. Green light or chocked we are not in control of the situation and can only wait until the shipper/receiver releases us to move. Off duty or sleeper depending on the wait time for split berth rules. Two hours off duty and the 14 hour doesn't advance; no lost time. If I'm off duty 1:45 and get a green light I creep out of the way until I clock 2 hrs.

 

It’s says for loading or unloading and attending a CMV is On-Duty time. I would think waiting for load or unload is attending a CMV. Plus your not free to leave and do anything you want, or could you leave and to anything you wanted to for a given time period.

 

As a reformed chicken hauler I still consider the on duty line my enemy.
But now when I’m on it I’m getting paid.
If not, it’s off duty.

 

I just list everything as a drop to be loaded or unloaded, once dropped no doubt you are relieved of all responsibility, till you call to check on the load, ca;;imgin to check on a load does not require you to be on duty,

 

Pretty much for free load works out if I am lucky to get detention to 2.00 an hour

 

I'm not loading or unloading. I'm not attending the cmv. Once the trailer is immobilized I'm no longer engaged.
A letter from the carrier stated as much, which is what dot would want to see.
Also, "given time period" is not defined as a measured or predetermined amount of time. Given time period can be the time from red light to green light, however long that is. Some locations have driver restrooms and break rooms. I can walk around the yard perimeter for exercise. I'm not attending the vehicle. I'm not back at work until they bring the bills out and knock on the door, or call/text to let me know the lumper fee.

In ten years I've never had a level 1 but had a number of 2 or 3. Logs are always clean and consistent with a comment for each status change. I'm not going to change because of one anecdote about one scale house officer screwing with one driver.

 

Some of you need to read the wording.

No one follows it. And I don't know if it's been changed.

But it went something along the lines of all time spent on commercial property loading/unloaoding or whatever must be logged as onduty.

Dot wasn't wrong.

They way I've been seeing all the rules is this.

Dot wants us off the road as much as possible. By eating up our hours wherever possible.

 

This is a bit off the topic, but when I hauled oversize, my boss was pulled over and had his permit checked. The officer said it wasn’t valid because it didn’t have the off ramp from interstate to the highway listed. He ended up calling the permit office and talking to the top guy there, who told the officer they never put on or off ramps on the permit, but the officer said they had to start doing it. They ended up doing another permit with a note about the off ramp on it before the officer let him go. My point is, they have a lot of authority and if they decide to use it, the driver will just have a bad day. It ends up happening to about everyone sooner or later.