Trip Planning!

Its not hard to log your meal breaks/showers out of your 10 hour break. Just log it "Off-duty." You already have to show 2 hours off duty and 8 hours in the sleeper during a 10 hour break.

As far as fuel stops, if your company makes you stop at certain points along your route then you'll have to log it on duty, not driving. Thats a no brainer. BUT, if you get to choose a little more, you can fuel at the same place you plan to take your 10 hours. You'll still have to show 15 minutes for fueling, but it will be at the beginning or the end of the day instead of the middle.

I also use 50 mph to figure how long its going to take me on my trip planning. Probably because its how I was taught, and it is easy. I can pretty much figure it in my head without thinking about it since every 100 miles is 2 hours. I usually log right around 60 mph (but I do log it legal-just most of the time I average 60 where I run). Because of this I am usually earlier than I think I am going to be. Works out pretty good for me because I do lots of drop and hook. Its still safest to figure your plan on 50 though. You might run into a breakdown or traffic that you can't know about.

 

To answer your questions. I get 60+ all the time in a 65 truck. How? I drive it at 65 all the time. Yes, including in IL,OH,CA, and OR. I turn on the C.B. for the bear reports and run. in 50 mph locations or less I run 5 over. This keeps my average at 60 or better. I also run for 2.5-4 hrs non stop and then break for 5-10 mins then hit it again. Most breakers are 3-5 minuets. Time is money.

As for logging the 10hr break. I log as I run. At the end of the day I log off duty till midnight Or 2-3 hrs, Which ever works for that day. Then in the sleeper. At the end of my 10hrs off the last .5 - 1.5 is back off duty. even if I was sleeping. Looks better that way.

 

Wrong, when you are on you 10 hr break you can log it any way you want. 10 off duty, 10 in the sleeper, 5 and 5, 3-7, go back and forth ever hr. Dose not matter as long as you have 10 off.

 

Good luck to you when you get a full inspection at a scale house, and they decide to check location against log in the computer, (theirs not yours) and by the way, if DOT audits your companies records, spot your average speed of 5 over (say IL, or OH) get ready to get a speed ticket for the infraction years later, and your company gets a whopping fine for allowing falsified logs.

There is a great misconception about how to log your sleeper time..10 straight, 8-2, 5-5 or whatever. But if you get into a situation where you need to split sleeper time, you are required to have 8 uninterupted in the sleeper...you might want to check with psanderson, or dieselbear on this forum, also Mike_MD is log savy.

 

There is no requirement for 8 uninterupted hours in the sleeper.

Think about what you wrote here.

I decide to stay in a motel that night. I log the entire 10 hours off duty. I did not have the sleeper time.

There is also no law that says how many hours you must sleep.

 

If you stay in a motel for the night--of course you are off duty. This was over discussed on another thread just a couple weeks ago, I did notice that psanderson and Mike_MD did put up several of the regs, and the regs (as usuall) contradicted themselves, I was thinking at the time that someone was using the old rules WITH the new rules, but from what I have been able to gleen out of this (and many companies are sticking to this) that 8 hours uninterupted in the sleeper. I will try and find the thread I am thinking of and send you a message which it is. I am not a whiz on this so give some time please.

 

I have read the law and the contradicting statements.

However, in practical form, it cannot be enforced.

Arrive at the truckstop.

Go inside to relax and possibly eat. The TV room has a movie you like on.

End result, you were in the truck stop about 4 hours. Now is time for bed.

OOPS. I have to spend a full 8 hours in the sleeper. I guess my break is now 12 hours.

Don't forget a possible hour for breakfast and shower in the morning.

 

I agree completely, but you know as well as I do..common sense and practicality actually carry little weight in our industry.

Just like you posted on the "extending 14" thread, if safety or log dept do not know how to audit a split log, maybe they shouldn't be in the job they are doing. I agree on that too...but we are treading into the common sense theory again aren't we?!

 

He averages 60 mph in a 65 mph truck. The speeds in IL and OH are 55 true, but every state around them he can do 65. If he runs from Des Moines to Cleveland OH, whats his average speed?

Do 55 if youre scared, but its not neccesary. And I'd wager and say that he has no logbook violations and even has a merit badge from the SafetyMan.

 

I run CA, OR, and WA every week. CA and OR are 55 as you probably know, yes I set the cruise at 60, and don't get bothered by CHP, OR can at times get trucks for 57, rare but once in a while. With the mountains to cross up to Eugene, I will average 50.

My point is, I know the risk, and I know I can get a speed ticket for crossing the state at to little time, (if I am stopped at the border and examined) They will have my time starting across the state (from the scale crossing--even with pre-pass) to the time I exit the state. The officers who work the highways (not in the office or the legilature types who set lower speed limits not to a safety issue but a revenue issue) those officers understand the concept of traffic flow, and safe and unsafe driving.

Just the same on the turnpikes, start time and time crossing the end point to soon, you and I know they can just send you the speed ticket in the mail. And why do you always think that anyone who obeys the law, (speed limit) is always "scared"? Is your machismo being threatened if your not doing at least 5 over? Are you going to get harrassed by others if you aren't "man enough" to break the law? Sounds like "redneck mentality" and you wonder why truckers have such a bad name!