E-Logs: how close do you cut it?

Just wonderin' because I don't have an ELD yet, but try to imagine my operation as if I had one.
When i cut things as close as described in the posts above it adds a significant level of stress to the job which cannot be good or healthy from any standpoint. At the same time I see this discussion here, I see others in the truck accidents about tailgating, speeding etc. and the possible correlation between the two. Cutting it close with the log timing is analogous to a pilot planning his flight with "just enough fuel" or "weather front will be clear" or secondary landing site "close enough" . Granted we won't drop out of the air, but mistakes made while under this level of stress in our business can be just a disastrous.
"There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but no old bold pilots.

 

Sometimes the option of stopping earlier at a "Nasty Plan B" is more stressful then stretching the time to the max to arrive at a "preferred Plan A stopping place".

If the option is to drive 4 days @ 9 hours and one last day starting at midnight and running 6 more hours to barely make a 06:00 appointment .. or driving 4 10.5 hour days and arriving at the receiver early, then I'll run it hard and relax at the receiver and not worry about hoping everything goes perfectly the last 6 hours in the dark.

But I speak from the standpoint of doing mostly longer runs in excess if 2,000 miles. Being a regional driver it probably does not often make sense to push the drive limits to the minute. But I take your point. It could be stressful if you push the limits where lots of traffic issue possibilities exist along the way ... where you can't afford 20 minutes of slow and go traffic jam but run into it anyway. It happens, but the trick is learning when/where you can push the limits and when/where you should not chance it.

 

Valid points, this however is why I stressed trip planning iny first post. I know where I will be stopping and how many miles I expect to do that day. If circumstances change, I make adjustments, but with good and proper planing, the stress is greatly reduced as you are just following a plan as opposed to winging it.

I know there are drivers out there that start the day not knowing exactly how far they are going and worry about looking for parking when they have about an hour less. That would stress me out.

Quote honestly, I usually planyself short and then when I get close to my destination, I go a little furthe if I have more time than expected. This usually takes care of any slowdowns and hold ups I may encounter.

 

I always try to stop at pilot or fj before 1800, if the customer doesnt have overnight parking. If I have 2 hours left and I am still on time, so be it. Wifi and shower is everything for me, if I dont have them, I am hating life. So, I never cut time or get close. I used to get my clock to single digits, but I relized, it doesnt really matter. Speaking as a company driver of course

 

What are you supposed to do if you burned up your hours at a shipper or receiver and can't park there?

 

I have run my 70 down to 5 mins while my partner is at 30. But, the stress is a lot. Now we just run for 6 days and take a break.

 

There really is no provision for that. I always try to he at a shipper or receiver when I start rather than when I end my day. Not always possible, but that's what I shoot for, and if it looks like it is going to be a long one, I usually go Sleeper Berth and get some time back at 8 hrs.

I usually budget 2 hrs for shippers and 4 for Receivers... Doesn't always work, bit more often than not it works for me.

As to the specifics of your question, usually people will off duty drive to the closest place to legally park.

 

Sometimes you got to cut it close for obivious reasons. And that is to get the load delivered on time. But you got to know what your doing. You dont just keep on driving, blindly hopeing to make it. You have to have an "out" in case you aint gonna make it, like a rest area, etc.

 

10 hrs 40 min to 10 hr 59 minutes is an everyday thing for me .
No stress , no panic , no driving like a mad man .
You know your truck , you know the route , you know the time and you can do simple mathematics so it shouldnt be a problem for you either .