Does this sound right?

650 miles a day, 4 days a week is pretty doable on that lane. It's an easy run. You won't even need the Ag Exemption if you're comfortable running 65+ on two lane roads. La Veta pass is the only steep part of that trip.

You might want to pull your hair out on CO-160 when the tourists start driving 57mph in a 65 though.

 

You could do that running a normal log book if traffic or loading/unloading times aren't an issue.

 

Ah yeah, that could definitely make a difference. I'm sure the guys there have figured out some system to make it work best using ag Exempt and splits. Unload times and windows could make it to where it gets a little tricky, but sounds like a good gig either way.

I wouldn't overthink it too much. The 150 mile radius is air miles, so it'll probably get you all the way to/from Denver whenever you're headed to pickup. I've never ran anything exempt. I just know the air part of the miles was important when I was dump trucking lol.

 

150 air-miles are 150 NAUTICAL miles which equals 173 normal miles. That is a radius of 173 normal or statute straight line miles from point to point, not 173 driven miles on your odometer. So don't get tripped up on that. Yes the FMCSA uses NAUTICAL miles for land-naves trucks. It's a long story.

This link below discusses the old 100 air-mile rule, but makes the point the FMCSA uses nautical miles.
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulatio...ny-statute-miles-are-equivalent-100-air-miles

 

I’m not sure exactly where you’re loading but here’s your ag radius from the town of Center. You won’t be starting your log until you’re almost to Limon. Then it’s roughly 7 hours of driving to Topeka.



Load, run up toward Limon, start your log book and drive to Topeka, take your break, drive back. Then when you hit the radius coming back by the time you drive to Center and load you’ll be able to catch a nap for a couple hours and time it so that you’re back up toward Limon right when you hit the 10 hour mark to reset your clock. Then you just go on duty and drive to Topeka again. Take a 10 on the east end after you’re empty and then drive home.

 

Still 50 or 60 miles on the log on the way home for him after Denver, but yes, it could work pretty easy.

 

He’d have to log all the way home from Topeka. When he leaves home he will have to log a little bit and then his off duty time will pause his 14 so he can still get all the way to Topeka.