DOT hours

Read the HOS rules. The FMCSA is not concerned with "on duty not driving" time....only that you are rested before getting back behind the wheel.

§ 395.3 Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles.

(1) Start of work shift. A driver may not drive without first taking 10 consecutive hours off duty;

(2) 14-hour period. A driver may drive only during a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. The driver may not drive after the end of the 14-consecutive-hour period without first taking 10 consecutive hours off duty.

(3) Driving time and rest breaks.
(i) Driving time. A driver may drive a total of 11 hours during the 14-hour period specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(ii) Rest breaks. After June 30, 2013, driving is not permitted if more than 8 hours have passed since the end of the driver's last off-duty or sleeper-berth period of at least 30 minutes.

(b) No motor carrier shall permit or require a driver of a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle to drive, nor shall any driver drive a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle, regardless of the number of motor carriers using the driver's services, for any period after—
(1) Having been on duty 60 hours in any period of 7 consecutive days if the employing motor carrier does not operate commercial motor vehicles every day of the week; or
(2) Having been on duty 70 hours in any period of 8 consecutive days if the employing motor carrier operates commercial motor vehicles every day of the week.

 

Yes, you can work as long as you want in a non-driving capacity after you stop driving. But, you cannot drive again until you have completed a 10 hour break, either as OFF DUTY or Sleeper Berth.

 

And if you drive 65 hours the past 6 days, then they work you another 10 hours the next day on a terminal yard doing this or that, you WON'T get overtime pay either just so you know. Drivers operating (employed) under FMCSA rules are exempted from overtime laws that may exist in your state. They could literally work (no driving) a driver 12 hours a day for 15 days straight if they wanted to. All the driver could do is quit if he didn't like it.

A good question is if a driver was put on light duty for 2 weeks due to OTJ injury, does that driver still fall under exempted overtime status if he's not a technically a "driver" for a few weeks. But I seriously doubt a carrier is going to work anyone in that situation more than maybe 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, anyway so I guess the point is moot.

 

Amazing Wow Baibeee a local driver may drive without a log book with a range under 100 mile from the Home Terminal call your local DOT (state trooper) to find out more

 

30 years in and you didn't know that? Only catch is that you have to start & stop your day at the same location (different location = log book page for that day) and you need to end your day 12 hours or less after starting (more than 12 hours = log book page for that day). You have to stay inside a 100 air-mile radius (air mile = nautical mile, NOT a statute mile....so it is really 115.something statute mile radius.....but venture out beyond that = log book page for that day). Your carrier also needs to maintain a record of the hours you work. That record could be your name, date, time you start, time you end, and the total hours worked that day written on a piece of scratch paper....or you could punch a time clock that records your start & end times, then tally up the total hours for the day on it.....or it could be on a log book page where you go from line 1 to line 4 at the start of your shift, then line 4 back up to line 1 at the end. Total up the time on line 4, write your name & date, and turn it in.

Keep in mind, it does not exempt you from the HOS...only the requirement to keep a RODS to account for your time.

The FMCSA is only concerned with DRIVING time, making sure you don't drive more than 11 hours/day, past the 14th hour, or beyond the 60/70 in 7/8 days. If you work 12 hour days, return to your starting location, and stay inside of a 100 air-mile radius, it is dern near impossible to exceed the 11 hours of drive time allowed under the regulations when you factor in the time you spend pretripping, fueling, loading, unloading, posttripping, completing paperwork, etc. And on the days you don't work? No records need to be kept for those days.

 

All of the answers are in the little green book. You can either read them for yourself, or rely upon others to interpret them for you. If you haven't read them, you don't really know how far they are being bent in that other person's favor, though, and they sure aren't going to tell you that they are putting the screws to you.

Gotta know the rules of the game you're playing before you can bend 'em to your own benefit.

 

Absolutely right. Nothing is hidden. I even have here on my desk the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria handbook. It's their playbook, there's no reason to NOT know what will get a person in trouble, or not.