Could I start my own business as an independent contractor barber

Cash only.
No records of anything.

 

Strictly speaking, this is what the FMCSA rules say...

• ALL work for any motor carrier counts against 60/7 and 70/8 clocks.
• COMPENSATED work for non motor carries does as well.
• There is no limit to the non-driving hours that can be worked whether for motor carriers or not.
• In order to drive there must be sufficient hours remaining on 60/7 and 70/8 or recap hours or after a reset.

On-duty time means...

(8) Performing any other work in the capacity, employ, or service of, a motor carrier; and

(9) Performing any compensated work for a person who is not a motor carrier.
​

- §395.2 Definitions.​

 

Yes.

Law says any work you do for wages, or income that taxable or not must be in your logbook for the week against your 70 hours HOS as onduty or if with a another motor carrier, that record and address of same etc goes in.

If you are ever caught it's probably will ruin you. The IRS has the ability to take away your checking, your properties and so on. All the way up to garnishing any refunds, Social security etc.

 

Thousands of drivers have a side job off the books.
The driver sitting behind his computer in the truck at a truck stop, doing online stock trading isn't going to log it.

 

Call it a hobby and only accept cash payment and nobody will know, till you get caught. How many days a week are you going to be cutting hair, is this a Friday, Saturday, Sunday type of thing? You should be able to work a part time non driving job all day Friday and until noon Saturday and still have a 36 hour reset Monday morning, at least to my way of thinking.

 

Cash businesses are great!

Just make sure you do it in such a way that God forbid if you ever had a wreck that they can't come back and say that you were over your hours.

That is really the main concern.

 

Volunteer work does not apply.

How ludicrous that taking 30 min to mow the lawn of the elderly neighbor next door and she gives you $5.00 requiring you to log the time but you can volunteer to drive the Sunday school bus all day long and not have to record the time.

If i'm a driver for a mega carrier and I do 'side work' the weekends I'm home; how is the DOT gonna' know?????

 

the school bus is legal driving under FMCSA regs, you have to count that.

Otherwise who cares.

BUT what the OP doesn't seem to get is that there are state and local regs/laws about hair cutting and if he say nicks someone in the ear and it turns into a real problem (infection or can't glue the ear back on) then he has legal issues and the FMCSA/DOT is the least of your worries.