Maximum Daily Miles

700 miles is only averaging 63.6 mph over 11 hours. If you get on the road and set the cruise and just drive, you can do that in a 65-70 mph truck as long as you are in 65-70 mph states. If you are in a 70 mph state and in a truck that can run 70 mph, nobody will have any questions about 700 miles in a single shift.

750 miles, on the other hand, is 68.2 mph. While POSSIBLE to run that in a 70 mph truck and a 70 mph state, it is unlikely. However, if you are running across 75 mph states in a truck that will run 75, it is entirely doable.

I'm hove every weekend. Heck, I'm home just about every night. Why not get all I can during every day? If I work 14 hours a day for 5 days, I have a great excuse to get out of having to work the weekend if something pops up that I'd rather not do....I'm out of hours. It's usually in my best interest to work it out that way anyway, because once I'm out there working, I'm at wherever it is I'm running that day, so my average rate per mile increases the longer I stay out there working and the more loads I can take. If I work less hours per day with more days per week, it increases the miles I'm bouncing to the jobs in the morning, and back home from the jobs in the evening...so my average earnings per mile are lower.

Now the last OTR job I had, I was still home every weekend. I busted butt during the week, and usually had 65-70 hours in the log book by the time the truck was parked. I'd leave out early Monday morning and would be home sometime Friday night.

The job before that was also OTR, but since I stayed out 2-3 weeks at a time, I'd pace myself...only working 8-9 hours a day so that I always had hours available to keep moving. If I had a hot load, I'd drive farther...but I didn't really care to do that because then I'd end up sitting somewhere, and if I'm going to sit I'd prefer to be home.

My point is, there are different ways of running...and how you run will be at least partially dictated by how the company runs...how often they get you home, and how long they keep you out.

And working 14 hour days, you hit 70 in 5 days...not 5 1/2.

 

If it take's you 14 hour's to run 670 mile's something is wrong. FFE's company policy is that you can NOT log by the speed limit. Must log it like you do it. I use my 14 hour rule to log my fuel, PTI and break's but I use my 11 strickly for driving. 650 miles can be done legally in 11 hour's unless it's some lazy ### driver that stop's and take's way to many breaks. I try and keep my break's regular one in the morning, noon and evening but if I am stopping for fuel then I consider that a break and take 30 minutes instead of 15 out of my 14. I try and limit break's to no more than 4 a day but my rule of thumb is once I start my 11 my truck don't stop for the first 250 miles.

If they want to audit me, I will tell them to be my guest and they can even research the QC for my travel time and it will match to the "T". That's when I feel good about my logging knowing I'm doing it right but with another company I worked for I took all kind's of advantage of the log book.

Anyone driving over 11 is in violation, not 14.

 

RR I can see your point,but not every driver isn't home every night or so and weekends. Your also right about the 70.The DOT also "knows" a driver can't drive their maxiunm miles every day due to the reasons we encounter everyday. I have heard that anything between 550 to 650 miles a day depending on the region gets the DOT's attention and they tend to look closer at the logbook. Since many states' budgets are hurting it wouldn't surprise me the various states DOT's are looking closer at truckers for a reason to give us a ticket.

 

SkunkTruck here in Calif 650 miles in 11 hours will get you a speeding ticket. 605 miles is the legal limit and even then this could get CHP to look closely at you. What I'm trying to say what's legal and what DOT considers doable in a "normal" day are two different things. If a driver goes considerably over what DOT considers doable they will look closely at the driver and company.

 

Yea, that's understandble for a 55mph state but I don't run out there anymore. Not sure of the fact but word I got the other night is that IL., and OH. are 65mph state's now? No more 55?

60mph speed limit in a truck doing 62 of course isn't legal but 650 in 11 hour's in 65 + speed state's in a 62 mph truck is legal. But with any state if they want to look then I'd tell them to have fun (in a non sarcastic way of course) but won't be any reason to write me a ticket. If some pig headed rookie super trooper want's to cut me a ticket because he think's I'm in violation when I'm not, I will see him in court with a good lawyer and he better show up with a #### good excuse.

Last time I was in Cali running across 40 I would run 63-64 and have had trooper's pass me and never say a thing or even look at me wrong for it. i believe there are some decent cop's but some BS law's.

 

ST that was true. A driver could run 60-63 here and not be bothered as long they weren't doing something stupid. California's budget is in the red big time and it wouldn't surprise me that the state is cracking down in areas that was left to the LEO's discretion. Don't forget the Federal DOT eitheir. The feds are much harder to fight and win against. Whether its the State or Federal DOT if they want to look hard enough they will find something they can give you a ticket and/or shut you down.

 

Illinois and Ohio both did away with their split speeds, but ONLY on the interstate highways. The split speeds remain intact on state and US highways.

My truck is an '01. I won't be going to Calif***ya anytime soon. It ain't even on my cab card anymore.

 

my truck does 66 mph. If I drive every minute of my 11 at 66 mph that 726 miles in a day. If I log that I'm an idiot.

 

On paper, I used to log 800 - 900 a day on regular basis, Midwest - West Coast - Midwest, showing average 68 - 70 and hour... to preserve 70 hour limit. Not in a 11 hour stretch, but in 24 hours, nonetheless, That daily mileage dose was pretty much necessary to make things work... With calculator it is easy. I am staying in Midwest this year, and the mileage is not as demanding. Going over 600 a day is rare. No need to fudge.

 

As long you were not speeding...

My set of logs from our teaming show 1100 miles or more depending on how much against the governor we were in high speed states. If the two of us put in 22 hours of 24 driving it's going to total 1100 or more miles for the 24 hour day ending midnight.

We were accustomed to 65 hours coast to coast and 65 hours back. That's around 7000 miles in 6 days roughly. But it has to be like maxed out against the Governor to work in high speed limit states. It will usually wipe out the hours for both of us for the week anyhow and we generally got a day to cool the wheels to do chores etc.

Now in my time with ungoverned trucks, it became very easy for a hot logbook with very high average speeds to bust me. There was no computer ELD stuff either. Only 10 hour days before taking 8 in the sleeper. Sometimes I'll run 15 straight through and then take the 8 just to be somewhere I needed to be and paper over the problem and start the next working day at the proper hour back on track.

As far as limits? There isnt any in my time. The USA is not big enough to make me have to stop and get a nap. Not for a certain amount of days before the body simply quits.