fudge logbook.........

There are numerous theads on this forum that speak of the dangers and the financial loss people who "cheat" on their log books face. There is NO reason to run illegal, and if you choose to do so you stand to loose all you have now or will ever have in the future.

In the forum search box type in running illegal, illegal log books etc and see what pops up.

 

Teaming is the way to go to stay legal. Very rarely will either of you run 'out of hours'. Running illegal is not like being pregnant (you either are or your not) it's more shades of gray. Trim a little here, a little there (and knowing where to do it) will give you a few more hours to run, but if you have to start doing that, then you probably need a break anyway; so take one. There are some shortcuts you can learn, but should be used very sparingly; just remember that it is a federal document and you are signing it everyday. When the DOT asks to see your logbook and you open it with pride, it feels good to know you are legal; but when he)she asks and you've cheated: boy do you sweat bullets.!! Run legal and you'll sleep alot better.

 

Grrrrr! OK so bare with me hear as I am going through a DOT audit (company) and I just want the drivers they pull to be squeaky clean on logs so the company has good standing and the drivers get good freight from customers.

What do you think you should do? I THINK RUN LEGAL MAKE MY LIFE AND YOURS MOST IMPORTANTLY MUCH EASIER AND STRESS FREE!

Seriously I have plenty of material in the Regulations forum, please read. There is one on Taylor University the driver is in prison due to false logs & accident that caused 5 deaths. I leave it up to the driver themselves, but you being team you should be fine. I do have teams cheating like when the wife gets sick etc. Be carefull that accident could happen on that day.

You don't wake up and say you want to have an accident, accidents happen and sometimes not your fault, but you could be held responsible if logs are not legal. Stinks I know, but VERRRRRRRYYYYYY TRUEEEEEEEE.

BE LEGAL! OK I am beat dead tired

 

Here is what is required, I am sure you can figure out the rest. You must show at least 15 minutes for a pre-trip, fueling, loading, and unloading. Not too much sense in staying on duty if you're hanging in the sleeper watching a movie for two hours. Times must be accurate to within 30 minutes of happening, those fuel receipts may not have a time on them, but they can be checked.

 

To be honest I would not stress only log 15 minutes. It works for the most part, don't get me wrong. Technically you should be logging line 4 for however long it takes you to do something. If you are sitting at the fuel island waiting for 1 hour it's line 4, (before you get worked up though) Now the thing is can I or DOT prove you sat there for 1 hour? Well he could be watching you and pull you over and bust you live or if he finds a document to prove you was (doubtfull) then he could get you.

I never ever in my life (well ok once opon a time I did) tell a driver to log 15 minutes for this or that. Now ANYTIME you can legitly go to the sleeper then go or meal break etc. It's really a long discussion and I am doing a short version of it.

With team you should not have any problems logging it as you do it and logging it legal at all times. It does get rough for teams sometimes, but you @ least have a partner to help out in tough situations.

Ok I am tired , but someone must kick me off the computer so I will go to bed

Oh yeah (my editing) if you use a fuel card, com-data and there is a few others. The time is on the reports and the times are matched up by DOT. The company's must provide the time, DOT requirement, so if the company says no you better watch it, DOT will call the fuel card company and get a report. Also ez-pass was brought up today and how they send a report to the company with date, time location etc. So if you have any of those electronics make sure they match. Many companys won't worry about that, but they are beginning to ask! I will have more things to add about the DOT after we are done with the audit as to what they are looking for etc so you all know what thy look for as well. Which same thing I stress daily

 

Yeah, sometimes the wives cheat and sometime the husbands, but it is not wise to cheat on those log books. In some companies you are running under qual com and you are told to shut down when your day is up. No cheating allowed. That means the Husbands and Wives have to sleep together sometimes. Okay, just being cute, but the answer is yes; Some cheat. Some get caught, but you never want to get caught in California with log book errors or falsification. The fines are quite large.

I always tried to keep my logs as close as possible while fudging a little now and then, but I never went to double book keeping. It is enough trouble just keeping up with one.

 

It's what my company requires.

 

Ok I am tired , but someone must kick me off the computer so I will go to bed

Oh yeah (my editing) if you use a fuel card, com-data and there is a few others. The time is on the reports and the times are matched up by DOT. The company's must provide the time, DOT requirement, so if the company says no you better watch it, DOT will call the fuel card company and get a report. Also ez-pass was brought up today and how they send a report to the company with date, time location etc. So if you have any of those electronics make sure they match. Many companys won't worry about that, but they are beginning to ask! I will have more things to add about the DOT after we are done with the audit as to what they are looking for etc so you all know what thy look for as well. Which same thing I stress daily [/quote]

The Fueling cover up is an easy one to beat if you understand the game. That is the least of your worries. EZ Pass and toll's have you dead to rights.

 

When I started driving OTR (1 yr ago) I told myself I would log everything legally--just as it happens. My resolve lasted approx. 1 week-about the time it took me to realize I had to turn down loads (i.e. money $) because I'd hit my 70 hrs. As others have posted, running as a team shouldn't be a concern at all. As a solo, I've found I do massage my logs a bit. Where I tend to do this is on line 4--I log 15 min per drop/hook and that's all. I try to time my fuel stops so I can fuel at the beginning of my day (whenever that may be) so I can combine the fuel stop and pre-trip with one 15 minute block (obviously, it takes me longer than 15 min. to do both, so yes, I am guilty then of "cheating.") Adjusting logs is a personal decision, and I don't feel badly about it because I never run tired (one close call is all it took to cure me of that habit!). I "protect" my work hours, but I never drive with an open log or one that doesn't match where I am supposed to be--the risk of being fined is too great. However, like another driver said, you can't be a "little bit pregnant"--you adjust (cheat) on your log or you don't. Do what feels right to you.