Bobtailing (personal conveyance) = Offduty

My company uses elogs and has line called off duty driving to use when bobtailing without a trailer. I use it all the time when at a shipper and they are loading the trailer but it is not ready yet. Will bobtail off duty driving to truck stop or to get food. It will keep you off duty so does not count against your 70. I always use when drop trailer at terminal and bobtail home.

 

Depends on logging device and what your company allows. The qualcome ones will stay off duty if you click off duty with in one min of driving...but my current company disabled it, so it outs you on the drive line anyway.

 

Here's the problem, as I see it.

As you can see, you are now opening yourself up to a "Grey Area", which means you are setting yourself up to "interpretation" by your "friendly neighborhood DOT officer"!!! Right and wrong don't matter, you are seeing that you are now up to "interpretation". Which means, they can do whatever the &%() they want at the moment.

If you are the type that's "mouthy" and gonna let loose on the officer and give him your 2 cents ++++. Then rest assured, it will be up to YOU to PROVE, BY LAW, you were right, BY LAW!!!

I KNOW what your asking and I'm on your side, However, once your pulled over, ONLY LAW MATTERS!!! NOT what "Bob" in a forum or in HR or in the mechanics bay says. Soooo, unless you are 100% SURE what the LAW is. Do what you see as right for you. If you get pulled over are you prepared to go to court to PROVE you were right? To miss a day (or more) off the road? No wheels turning= No $$$.

Even if your NOT the "mouthy" type, you stand a 50-50 chance of still being in a fix, depending on the DOT. Because remember, once they have you pulled over, they WON'T just be looking at your logs. My personal experience is. I got pulled over at a DOT road block. I have a brand new rig with a 1000 miles on it. I tell the officer. "With the truck being brand new, you won't have much to do, Huh?" with a small laugh. He says to me, "If I want to find something, I WILL!". So, point taken. Is it worth it to you? My advice is, which is worth what it costs, until you are SURE, if you have enough hours. Take the rig. If you are close on hours, take the car home.

Good luck and use your head!!

 

The elogs that were in my truck had an off duty driving on them. I used it a time or two but the company said the only time I could use it was if I wasn't under a company trailer and wasn't under dispatch.

 

You can be off duty for the home trip but when returning to the yard is on duty recorded as driving.

 

"Off duty driving" (aka "Line 5") is optional, and very few companies allow company drivers in company trucks to use it. It tends to keep the joyriding down to a minimum...

 

This is a thread that once again reminds me of why truck driving and prison or so much alike. The question is a legal question. The answer should be clear but it isn't. That is the result of the fact that the DOT out of control. When this country was founded, it was with the understanding that if Congress passed laws that we did not like, we could simply vote them out of office. Now the vast majority of laws are pass by agencies and then approved in mass by Congress without them ever even knowing what the regulations are. We can vote out the DOT because they are Government employees protected by civil service. It is time to repeal the Civil Service Act and go back to the spoil system where every government worker (except my wife) loses their job when a new party is elected.

My wife is really not political and only works for the welfare office because it was the only job she could get and we need the insurance. When I talk about reform it is always about someone else not me.

 

I have no home terminal. Parking the truck at home every night is another factor in Off Duty driving option.

As far as getting my logs inpsected should I be pulled over, I printed the regulation and have it in my truck.

Mikeeee

 

Smelling your fingers again?