Driving the truck while For personal use

I would have to disagree with this statement not all company drivers fall under this.


[QUOTEOn the otherhand, if you were at a truck stop and wanted to go to Walmart to get some supplies or something, you are screwed unless you have one within walking distance. Your best bet is to try to make a quick stop on your route. Company drivers don't have the personal conveyance option, so anytime you drive that truck (far enough to go on the drive line) you are on the clock and just interrupted your break.[/QUOTE]

 

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You are on a Swift thread...Swift company drivers may not log off duty driving, Swift does not allow it. There is not even an option on the Q/C for company drivers to go to line 5. It may be there in a truck recently repurposed from lease ops to company.

 

My bad did not realize that. Dang I been home to long.....


You are on a Swift thread...Swift company drivers may not log off duty driving, Swift does not allow it. There is not even an option on the Q/C for company drivers to go to line 5. It may be there in a truck recently repurposed from lease ops to company.[/QUOTE]

 

[/QUOTE]

You are intitled to disagree with it if you wish, but given the context it is completely accurate. This is a thread posted by a Swift driver in the Swift section of the forum asking a question about Swift policy. And Swift policy says that company drivers do not have the personal conveyance (line 5) option. And line 5 is the key. Like I said, he can drive over to the Walmart, but it will put him on the drive line, thereby interrupting any break he may have started. The best option is to allow for extra time to make a quick stop during his trip. Or plan to stop at a truck stop within walking distance of a Walmart.

The point is, as a Swift company driver, once that truck starts to move, you've started your clock and you're burning hours.

(Sorry, inkeeper was quicker than I was. Lol)

 

When I was at swift if I was in jurupa valley I'd bobtail to Montebello yard and go home. That's like a 44 mile trip never heard a peep from anyone. You can do it as long you don't hit anything and don't mind burning up an hr of drive time.

 

44 miles is usually within the window of distance. When I was at Fontana it was 90 miles.
I lived 93 miles from there in San Diego and I could not bt home because it was 3 miles too far.

 

So when i leave a terminal and go hometime,....about 90-100 miles away,...i have be logged on driving? So what if i'm home, and next day run the tractor up town and wash or whatever? Once home,..i thought anything was "off duty".

 

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/395.8

Question 26: If a driver is permitted to use a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) for personal reasons, how must the driving time be recorded?

Guidance:

a driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work, time spent traveling from a driver’s home to his/her terminal (normal work reporting location), or from a driver’s terminal to his/her home, may be considered off-duty time. Similarly, time spent traveling short distances from a driver’s en route lodgings (such as en route terminals or motels) to restaurants in the vicinity of such lodgings may be considered off-duty time. The type of conveyance used from the terminal to the driver’s home, from the driver’s home to the terminal, or to restaurants in the vicinity of en route lodgings would not alter the situation unless the vehicle is laden. A driver may not operate a laden CMV as a personal conveyance. The driver who uses a motor carrier’s Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) for transportation home, and is subsequently called by the employing carrier and is then dispatched from home, would be on-duty from the time the driver leaves home.

A driver placed out of service for exceeding the requirements of the hours of service regulations may not drive a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) to any location to obtain rest.

 

If you are a company driver you do not have the option of driving off duty. When you are driving the truck you will be in an on duty driving status. Period.
And make sure you log a pre-trip and post-trip each day you drive. If something happens you need that to cover your butt.


So if you are on home time and need to drive the truck for personal business, do it the first day you are home. That way you can still get a 34 before you come back so you have your full 70 hours available.

But I use the truck all the time like that. Swift has never said anything about it.

 

Some Mega Companies do have a Line 5 for Personal Conveyance. The FMCSA regulations do not differ between a Company driver, L/P, or O/O for Personal Conveyance. The Company can determine if they have a line 5 on their ELD's.

When I drove it was Off duty, logged as Personal Conveyance since I was bob-tailing and not under load. If you pulled an Laden trailer to a WalMart, you would not be able to log Personal Conveyance, it would be line 3 - Driving. If you Bob-Tailed then you could.

The type of conveyance used from the terminal to the driver’s home, from the driver’s home to the terminal, or to restaurants in the vicinity of en route lodgings would not alter the situation unless the vehicle is laden. A driver may not operate a laden CMV as a personal conveyance.

When driving you would be on the Driving line, not the On-Duty line, if Personal Conveyance, then line 1 - Off duty or Line 5 if so enabled.

Pre trip - Flag, Post - Log