Clocks, Stops and the DOT

Young man slow down and take one step at a time. There are rules about logging. So if you spend all day at a shipper lets say 8 hours. You can do a split break. Then take the other 2 hour break down the road. Most companies have all kinds of gimmicks to getting paid for detention, and if you want to play all their games and then find out the company your picked up at or delivered too doesn't pay detention. If you haul refrigerated products like meat/chicken/Beef. Be prepared to be at those plants a day or two. Your company decides how many miles you get, and so you don't pull your hair out. Count on an average between 2300-2700 miles a week.

Also you will like others say begin to notice which customers take all day and which don't. If you are going to a grocery warehouse. Be prepared to give them 4 to 6 hours. A small mom and pop place with not many trucks delivering can have you out within the hour. Some places are first come first serve, and they never pay detention so. Get there as soon as you can and Wait. While waiting get some rest even though you may have to wake up every 30 minutes or so to move your truck up. Don't worry about the DOT and all do proper pre trips and logs and keep your speed down and you will not have to worry about them.

Most police aren't dummies so if you run out of hours and need to get to a safe heaven they may give you a pass or they may not. Just don't do anything to get their attention and you shouldn't have problems. Sign everything don't be a rambo. You have a lot to learn take it one step at a time and you will see all the worrying you did is for nothing. Have a good day and remember Super truckers get the right of way. Yeeeee hawwww

 

I don't understand. If a truck driver expects to wait for long stretches of time, (perhaps 10 hours or more), it would make sense to log off and take the 10 hours off to catch up on sleep.

When the shipper / receiver has loaded your truck both unloaded and loaded your truck back up, the 10 hours plus are up and the truck driver is fully rested to drive to their next destination.

Why would an officer give you a ticket for this in the first place? If you refused to sign the ticket, why would they take your license from you?

 

It depends on what a 'long wait' is. For some drivers an hour-and-a-half is long...

If you can log at least 2 hours in the sleeper (or off duty) while at the dock (or if a very long wait, log 8 hours in the sleeper) you can split your sleeper time thereby elongating your 14-hour workday.

 

I have taken a couple naps at shippers, eventually you learn who is slow. For example if they send me to Oakland to the Quaker where I usually get Gatorade then I know im there at least 4 hours every time. Just one example, couple others are just as bad. I was told Coke takes 8+ hours half the time but I have been lucky not to mess with coke.