Any one here self taught?

I don't think it is "confusion over the HOS rules" as much as it is general confusion over on duty driving and on duty not driving. I would love to write a long post on just how taxing it is to PROPERLY operate a CMV and why these breaks are so important. However it would be a waste of my time considering the general attitude of people. I will say this though. The FMCSA should not be having to tell people how to operate safely when MOST of this finds it's cornerstone in basic common sense, oh I forgot asking about common sense is old fashioned now!

 

Couldn't agree with you more.

I'm an O/O with my own authority, so, when I say it's time to stop, it's time to stop...not some dispatcher.

I feel sorry for all the company and O/O out there who have people breathing down their necks looking at their clock saying "You still have more time you can run..."

Its supposed to be illegal for them to force you to go if you dont feel safe, but, if you dont play ball, they give you crap runs, so, you pay one way or the other.

 

OK I forgot about the 12 hour short haul, everything else is valid except when the driver is not driving, he has no limit to how many hours he can work, it can be 14 or 16 or 8, the short haul rules are applied only when the driver is driving as part of the work day. He still has to maintain the 10 hour reset before the next work day and is not subject to the hour limitations for the week. AND if he uses say the adverse conditions exemption or the 16 hour exemption, he has to log all of it.

 

It’s been a long time ago when I took a skills test at the dmv.But all they had me do is just drive around the block we never backed up.If your working for a company that is allowing you to practice with there truck ask them if you got your cdl permit if they would let you go out with a driver and practice.Your biggest problems will be if the place you’re practicing at doesn’t put you to driving no one else will hire you with no experience and no school

 

I like reading your post 6. I could not imagine having to start all over driving a truck. Right now this moment, this second, I don't want to drive anymore, just turn on the pc, go to social security web site, and file. 1 month later, I get paid, pretty good also. I hate this right now. im getting too old right now, and I feel it.

 

I did the same. got hired at a company, he says you know how to drive a truck (tractor trailer) I say, yes, he says go get your picture taken. that was 44 years ago.

 

Mine wasn't quite that simple, but close. I learned mostly offroad hauling logs. I rode with other drivers, and drove whenever they thought it was safe enough, for about six months. Then I went with one of the senior guys for a month but I did all the driving.
I studied the written test at home.
When the boss figured I was ready he gave me one of the highway rigs to take the test in. The examiner had never been in a truck with two sticks and he'd never been in a logging truck.
If I remember right, there was a very basic pretrip, some town driving, one short straight backup, and that was it. Took about twenty minutes.

 

today I was on I294 south bound, by 95th street, 1 truck in front of me. all of the sudden I see a SUV shoot to the right lane, hood flys up, and then 2 more SUVs shoot to the left, and then the Axx hole In a Mercedes hit in the middle lane, I hit the hooks hard, luckily no truck behind me. I drive by slowly looking at all the wrecks, and then head on down the road. My nerves are shot today. I feel exhausted. the Mercedes caused all this.

 

I'm not certain on the limitless work week under Short Haul rules...the rules are vague. So, from that perspective, whenever I have used Short Haul rules, I never even came close to needing 70 hours.

I never tried using the adverse conditions rule either.

The problem with it is, its based on interpretation. Could it have been avoided? Was the storm predicted? Did you know about it and decided to venture out into it anyway knowing it would make you go over on your hours?

Having a DOT cop make interpretations is never a place I want to be. It is much easier to point to a rule in a book when it is black and white and argue your side. They'll play the "common sense" card. I'm not saying you are wrong or can't use it, just, not a place you'll always win.