Recaps, 34 hr reset and the 70 hour limit?

when I was OTR, we ended up running on re-caps. much better than sitting in a truck stop for 34 hrs.

Too many variables to say one way or the other makes more money -

 

Every single week I would reset and burn my 70. Never could I make my recaps. You’ll make more if you can burn your 70

 

You ask an important question.

When freight is hot I often run weeks at a time without taking a 34 to reset my 70. I rely on the hours coming back from 8 days ago.

With ELD's it's easy to see how many hours you will "get back" at midnight.

Use your time wisely. If you are loading at a customer that takes their sweet time, log it as off duty or as sleeper berth,

 

I run flatbed, but rarely tarp.

That being said, you log your hours as you see fit. I've had several "Level 1" I spections and never had any issues.

 

@ZVar is spot on. You do what's best for your freight. Sometimes you will run through your 70 in one week and be forced to take a reset and then do the same thing next week. Other times you won't burn through your 70, but you also will be kept busy enough to not allow for a 34 reset ... in which case you work on recaps. A good dispatcher will keep an eye on your hours and will let you know if they need you to work your hours a specific way.

Me personally? I usually run my 70 out before I get a recap and am forced to take a 34. Let me tell you, if you run hard like you should a 34 reset is a welcome thing. Take your 10h break, next day do laundry, run to wal-mart, run into town for a little entertainment, get a haircut, take a long shower, get a couple nice sit down meals, then go to bed and when you wake up your 34 is done!

 

I tend to run recaps and am one of the highest mileage drivers in my company. I had a company leased truck for a little under 4 years. The powers that be pulled the mileage on that batch of trucks to start planning swap outs and freaked out when they saw my mileage. I was at 498k, next closest truck was at 475k, most were in the 460ks.

It all comes down to the freight lanes you run, and how well you manage your clock.

When I switch to an eld, I think I will need more resets than I do now as I won't be able to hide some of those yard moves.

 

You seldom get much choice of 34 reset or run recaps unless you do a lot of multi-day trips. You will typically only be told the pick up time & delivery time, and maybe route & fuel stops. Those requirements & your remaining HOS will usually dictate how you drive.