Do you shutdown when the 14 hour clock is up no matter what?

Your right it's our choice, to load a load of live animals maybe headed to slaughter maybe not reguardless it's our job to get them there as humanely as possible. Stopping to unload them for a 12 hour break with feed and water is seldom an option. This 12 hour break has nothing to do with FMSA HOS it's a whole different ball game. Thing is somebody has to do this job, doing it right is something I personally take a lot of pride in. I agree it's not always a perfect world, some times my cargo prods me into a decision that from the outside looking in may seem dumb. I assure you there is a good reason behind it. It's obvious you don't know anything about bovine relocation, just like I know nothing about dry van, reefer, or flatbed. Course I don't tell them guys how to do there job or talk to them like they are idiots either. It's simple a man can see early in the day usually he ain't gonna make it by the time his hours are up. At that point he has a decision to make make a phone call or keep rolling. Whatever he decides don't matter to me.

 

^^^^ Well said.

New Jersey boy. You keep eating the steak and we'll keep sending em. Don't worry about what it takes to get it on your table. It's more than most freight haulers can understand or do.

 

Come on, freight has its pluses. Thanks to running frieght and ending up doing mail, I learned that you can mail a box of bees to someone. I'm sure at some point in my life, that's going to be a very useful fact to know.

But I'm not telling you guys not to do what you have to do, especially dealing with live and heavy animals, just in a thread asking about what to do when that clock is running down, you kind of want to keep it out there that there's always the option to just refuse to do anything illegal. I learned fast that this isn't an industry that attracts too much common sense. Some things, if you don't say it, it'll never cross some people's minds. Nothing like being woken up to have to explain to someone what to do when the empty trailer we were picking up was up too high to hook to. Never thought of lowering it.

 

you seem to think the HOS are infallible and override common sense

it is this thinking that is allowing truck drivers to become mindless sheep

then, when the FMCSA scraps the old rules and replaces them with new ones, which ones were the correct ones? or is the fact is, FMCSA doesnt know what it is doing by making a one-size fit all, set of concrete rules that we are supposed to use in a very fluid industry?

 

Let me state up front I'm new to the industry. I'm NOT new to the world of regulations, laws and lawyers.

With the above preface, some of the posts in this thread scare me. In the current industry climate, get involved in an accident as a cdl holder, your fault or not, while you are in HOS violation, you are toast. Don't care if you are on elogs or you think you are Picasso with paper, they WILL prove your violation.

I won't argue the validity, lack of common sense or absence of industry knowledge by the knuckleheads who wrote the rules/laws. That's an entire different discussion.

There is NO load, customer, company nor monetary amount I'm going to risk my health nor facing jail time. NONE.

I will admit there are some comical hypotheticals. I love steak............but sorry ALL cows on that hypothetical load are dying and we'd have a road side bbq, before I'm risking jail time. I did scratch me head though, what is the health level of the cattle at loading and the cattle knowledge of the driver if death occurs in ten hours????

Easy to claim the OP suffered a "gap" in trip planning. He/she later opined it was a multiple stop haul. I commend, respect and agree with those who pointed out "what we have here, is a failure to communicate".

I'm having a ball in our industry. I've seen more of our once great Nation in my time driving than I did in my 53 years prior.

In my humble opinion, time management is utmost. Not a question of whether you will encounter a situation as presented by OP, simply a matter of WHEN. Good drivers will know extraction routes. Better drivers would have recognized the challenge hours prior and rectified same long before facing the OP's situation.

Interesting read, thanks to all who posted. Please don't take my comments personal if I referenced your post. My intention isn't derogatory.

 

Here is some more rules and regulations. From the time I get them on my wagon I have 22 hours to get them off for at least a 12 hour break with feed and water available to them. Also most states have a felony cruelty to animals law, average of 53 head per load so we are looking at 53 counts if I do something ignorant like stop in the heat of the day. They are stressed enough, imagine your self being loaded in similar fashion. Again it ain't for everybody, but some one has to do it. There can be just as much jail time for me either way it goes honestly. I been at this deal rockin on 20 years, you are not the first one to tell me what a lawyer will do to me in front of a jury of my peers. It's your choice to pull the pin right on the dot. If my choice scares you, then you live in complete fear of everything in life I can think of so much worse.

Again we are in a niche of the trucking industry, regulated by two different entities with entirely different regulations. That's why I tell young guys who ask about bovine transportation it's not for the weak or weary. The faint of heart will not make it under pressure. It goes back to most that don't do it can't understand it. Those that do it can't do anything else

 

Definitely not for the faint or weary. Up all day monday. Then left ca for sd. 1700 miles with a 5 hour nap in the middle. That was in my car. Got in Tuesday at noon and slept 9 hours and now I'm loaded for a 900 mile run. Will be a 1100 mile day. Pretty normal stuff. I'm 22 yrs old though

 

Really thatd so funny then there are alot of dead baby seals and angels wirh no wings

 

I find it quite comical that driving from sd to ca in my jeep. 1685 miles in 27 hours is totally legal. Do it in a truck and it's outlaw lol

 

All u have to do is go to the box and pull the one that looks like a phone cable