logging

Not true the regs was posted up above and I "thought" i gave a link to the rule in exception.

If you are bobtailing to pick up a load you must log it! It's only with the special ruling and it's a fine line so I prefer my drivers to NOT USE IT!

Always remember if you hit a school bus, what's will happen with the jury's decission? Kind of a bad way to look at it, but kind of facts???

All understand I hate this question! It's one I feel is very "IFFY" to use! But you can use it?? I know I make no sense here. So I am done!
Even the DOT guy said the DOT is very vague about what's reasonable. Reasonable to you may be 1,000 miles, reasonable to me may be 2 miles??? What's reasonable?

 

This was a question of mine also.

I drop my trailer in my town, and bobtail to my house about a mile or 2 up the road.

When I log it, it burns up time—15mns when it only took 5.

Also when I get back, drop, P.T.I. and my 11 or 14 is up, am I just gonna sit there?

 

Since you are in a small town, driving a short distance, I think you would be able to just treat it as a personal conveyance.

 

Thanks, but actually I live in a small city, population around 50,000 or so. Is that a factor?

 

I would think not.
I used to drop my trailer in a town of 110,000 at the truck wash. I would then bobtail home 20 miles. I never logged the trip either way. There was no tattle tail quail comm either. I know logsrus would not probably agree, but I looked at it realistically.

 

Once you drop your trailer.....and are relieved from your load....you can bobtail to Washington DC and back.....stopping at every little nick-nack shop along the way.....and you don't have to log any of it. YOU ARE OFF DUTY..... Using your LARGE CAR....and that is exactly what it is at this point... to get your Christmas shopping done. Now....when you wake up in Miami....and have a load assigned to you.....and you gotta bob-tail 1257mi to get your trailer.....YOU BETTER log it. Your shopping spree is over....time to go back to work....That simple.

 

This is somewhat gray.

I pull campers with a 1 ton pickup truck. DOT is now watching us come back empty. We do alot of sight seeing, shopping etc. Some of these guys have been stopped. DOT'd and driver qualification looked at. In Iowa they have even requested logbooks for when they are quote "bobtailing," and no signs on the trucks (magnetic and removed).

 

Where in the FMCSR can I look up CMV's for personal use? Also where is it that states that you do not have to log something under 15 miles?

 

This makes the most sense to me. If you are off duty you are off duty. You are not responsible for any load. You are in a giant Cadillac.

BUT...

You do not own this particular Cadillac if you are a company driver. Are you then still responsible therefore on-duty?

If you are an O/O I would say if you're unloaded no delivery scheduled or current, then you can drive your Cadillac anywhere you want. My friend who own's his own trucking company, he uses his trucks for personal reasons all the time. At one time he was leasing a truck and used it as his personal transport when he wasn't running a load cause it was cheaper. Never had to log it. Just my experiences / opinion.

 

is considered on duty time. You log your driving time as usual from customer to house. At the house you are still waiting for dispatch so you are on duty not driving. Also, once you start your shift, the 14 hr clock does NOT stop regardless of what line you log. You can log off duty but if your consecutive off duty time is under 10 hrs than you're still running your 14 hr clock. If your 14 hours come up before you get dispatched.... you can't go anywhere..period!! Until you've had 10 hrs off duty.