30 Minute Break.

It's not so much that we don't want them. In the real trucking world for some, some days they're just much more trouble then they're worth. That 30 minutes might cost an additional 15 minutes as rush hour traffic builds

 

Lol

 

Dude every post you remind everyone you're done with trucking. We get that you are over it! But seriously are you?? I mean it is one thing to be hanging out here reading trucking information and chatting it up with your old friends but it is another to keep bringing up the fact that you are GLAD you're done with it. I bet you miss it and you aren't so glad you're done.

 

I don’t want it for a few reasons. Running multi stop loads sometimes there is only one door and I don’t want to block it and hold someone else up. It’s hard to judge where I will need to take it based on the amount of skids and which vendor may unload fast or slow, since 99% of the time I take it at my stops. I also go home daily, so sometimes it keeps me from getting back early if it’s just a drop and hook that runs 8 hours or so total and that few extra minutes over dictates needing a break.

 

Those who wanted or "needed" a short break in the middle of the 14 always took it (a least 30 minutes) regardless, even if it was not mandated. Again, it's more social engineering at the hands of an out of control government. Make everybody a common and identical "worker bee". This concept of individuality has got to cease as we are gradually transitioned into the two-class socialist system by an overpowering government that can't be stopped, now.

 

In that job - what happened if you started or ended that that break 3 minutes early or three minutes later? Could you finish the task you were on or did you have to down tools right then and there?

The problem with the mandated 30 is flexibility. This week I was running a load from Gary In to Mansfield, then up to Perrysburg, then onto the twin cities. Due to weather, the trip across US 30 to ft Wayne took 4 hours. I needed pa comfort stop. Now I have a choice - take a full 30 or a quick stop. If I do a quick stop I might make Sandusky before running out of time, but will the snow squalls that wasn't a good bet, so I took the 30. By the time I was reloaded in Perrysburg I had 1:30 hrs on the 14, 2:00 on the 11, but only 1 on the 8, which meant I needed to shut down.

Without the 8 hr rule I could have taken a short break after Mansfield and another after Perrysburg and still knocked out another 60 miles that day. 60 miles more doesn't seem like a lot, but it is. Had I another hour on day 2, I make delivery and am staged at my shipper for day 3. That puts me into Gary end of day 3, home on day 4. Instead of petting the dog, playing with the girl last night and sleeping in this morning I spent last night in a truck stop and this morning dealing with icy roads and stupid drivers.

That's why we hate the 8 the rule.

 

And what about those who like to stop on the shoulder for 8 minutes every 70-100 miles? They deserve special consideration. The 30/8 is a real problem for those individuals.

 

That’s a fair point. But, no....I do not miss it. Do I miss particular parts of it? Sure I do. That’s part of the reason I still participate. But my reasons for being happy to be done have been (as you accurately point out) explained ad nauseum.

My apologies.

 

Before I got into trucking I hated being forced to take an unpaid lunch break. It's just another half hour away from the house, away from the family, for which I'm not being paid. It's nice if you need it, but being forced to take it sucked.