Very real hypothetical.....

Really? SURE, in a SNOWSTORM!

Please, with 27 years, dont ost this incorrect stuff, newbies are reading.

 

I tried that last fall. Went from Chicago to Philly. Road was clear, no problems. Made a return trip after reloading at the dock, road was full of road construction from central Pa to Hubbard, Ohio.

I went over my 11 hr limit on PeopleNet 15 mins and tried to use that exemption. Our safety people wrote the Feds and received an opinion- the Feds said I could only use that exemption for foul weather, not traffic jams for things like concerts, accidents or road construction.

Those Feds have no sense of humor, Eh?

 

No, the rules are very specific and deal only with real reasons why you can't stop where you are and take your break.

 

There is a flaw in your reasoning. You are proposing they must be mutually exclusive. They are not. No where in any reg does it tell you not to take a break if needed. Nope not one time. In fact it requires you to only operate when you are alert and healthy ( I forget the exact language).

A driver is required to be both safe and legal. The HOS are guidelines we are required to operate in, but no where does it state or imply you must use all of the available hours.

 

So what about guys like me that only sleep 4-6 hours a night what is one supposed to do with the other hours? I don't want to sit in a truckstop or on the side of the road doing nothing when I could be driving and working and making more money for my time spent out on the road.

Or why are the rules so different between Canada and the U.S. and even in Canada. Up here we can drive for 15hrs and be on duty for another 3 hours on top for a total of a 18 hour work day then only take a 8 hour break and good to go again. What makes the drivers up here so different from the ones down there? Kinda makes me think that maybe just maybe the rules are not really there for so much of a safety aspect.

Up until 07 we had no requirement for a log book if a driver stayed in the territory. I would have 12 hour days sometimes or 20 hour days other times and everything inbetween. I drove to what my body told me it could drive. When my eyes started getting tired I would stop and take a walk around the truck and check the load. If I was still feeling tired and it was the middle of the day I would take a 1 hour nap, if it was later on in the night I would just jump in the bunk and have a good sleep.


So Tazz I am not wanting to get cheap heat with you but tell me how the many differences in driving hours between countries makes sense to call it a safety thing? Because in my eyes the rules aren't there strictly for safety. IMO I like our driving rules up here. I work a 16 hour day out on the road and then take my 8 off and that is perfect for me. Is it for you? Maybe not but I would at least like the option to drive for more than 11 hours.

 

Forget it, Injun. It's not worth the band width to be the recipient of the inevitable insults.

 

Because we as a society in America dictate that is what is required. Sure people sleep different, work different, behave different. However we must have some one size fits all rules regarding HOS. Yes in a perfect world we could rely on people to know their limitations. Unfortunately this does not work down here.

We have the rules now and still have people killing themselves and others in pursuit of money, fear of retribution, or flat out ignorance of their capabilities. To limit this inherent risk we limit people to operating inside the laws. When the split sleeper was allowed to be used in any manner we had people consistently hiding on duty hours as sleeper to cover for time on docks, making repairs, or other uses. We mandate at least 8 hours off. That gives you enough time to shower, eat, unwind a bit sleep 6 or 6.t, SSS in the AM(or start of shift). Kind of like what you describe you do.

While driving around in the middle of the arctic circle is quite different from the congested highways faced in the US.I guess there are a couple areas in Canada( I have no idea because I do not go there) but like trailer jacking at the copper mine we could drive forever because the public risk was naught. If those are the laws your area wishes to follow fine. They however are not the laws and thoughts down here.


Why would I wish to work more? That is what always puzzles me is people are arguing to work more claiming that is the key to the big bucks. Charge more for your time.


Yes I know people should be able to work as hard as they want. But not at the expense of someone else.

 

Thank God my boss said no E-Logs until we are forced to do so.
There has been many times i was within an hour from home at the 14 hour mark.

I know when my body is tired and that is the only time i sleep.I have never spent more than about 6 hours in the sleeper.