Exposing log book tricks

LOGS: That's not a 100 AMR; it's an allowance for intrastate (never leave an individual state) commerce, as opposed to Interstate. If the vehicle does not leave an individual state then the feds have no control over that vehicle, unless the vehicle is transporting Haz Mat. Intrastate is controlled by the individual states.

 

For every way a driver is able to deceive/falsify/tell untruths on an RDS (log) a federal officer can show you 2 ways of proving it! I would also assume that most state officers can do that.

And if I can do it after all the years I've been retired, then how many ways can someone find it that is currently doing that kind of job?

 

SO if you're delivery apt is at 4 am in Richmond and your next pickup is at 6:30 am in Richmond and you are to go home for Thanksgiving in Jacksonville Florida (580) miles away. Are you going to use creative loging, or are you gonna take your legal 10 hour break in Savannah. 2 and 1/2 hours from home. I went home.

 

Many would, and many do, exactly what you said you did.
However, had a mishap occurred on your way home, and it was proven that
you were drivin' illegally, it's your bottox that'll be on the line for
possible criminal prosecution, --- and as a result, you may not see
home for a LONG time.
It doesn't matter if you were driving safely, or if it was your fault.
You're in violation of the HOS.
Plain and simple.

Is it worth taking the chance?

 

When I did Drive away, We carried a Transporter plate that we used on multiple Trucks, I was delivering a Truck to Los Angelis, and went thru the scales somewhere out there, They logged my Plate into the computer. I then delivered the truck and flew Directly to Orlando FL, picked up a Repo., went thru the scales heading north there, they pulled me in because they wanted to know How I was driving out in Calif just hours before, I was runing legal because flight time is Off Duty. but boy did they ask questions there.

 

Let's see,.. 580 divided by 11 is 52 (mph avg) if you sit in the seat. (Averaging 63 mph the trip is 9.2 hours). 14 hours from 4:00am is 6:00pm so knowing the speed limit on I-95, I would calculate that and say I could make it. That's of course without traffic delays of any kind. Isn't that how most truckers log it? That 4 hours it took me to get from Bethpage, NY to exit 10 on the NJ turnpike the other day was something like 49 miles, yeah, it took 1.5 hours!! The 1.5 hours logged on line 3 during the time I paid the toll on the Veranzanno Bridge...

My dispatcher at the small company I work for would tell me you unloaded at the 1st facility and your load was waiting for you at the same facility, even though a different shipper. He likes to call that "smart logging", the realities in today's driving world of working for small companies that don't use computers. But I agree with Aftershock, the first time you're involved in any way in an accident, they're going to look at all of your paperwork. Hopefully the shipper or receiver didn't time stamp it...

My people dispatch us as if we have a fresh 11 hours to drive when you're unloaded, I have conversation about that constantly with them but if you're too aggressive on standing your ground, you get the small, short, low paying loads and the drivers willing to really use "smart logging" get the high dollar runs. That's a reality in today's trucking environment, my company isn't the only one running this way!

 

I learned something the other day about this "small company" I work for. We are supposed to get a week's paid vacation after being with the company for so long. But when you go ask for the week they total the hours you put on your log sheets and if you don't work 40 hours a week, they won't pay you for the vacation.

This despite the fact that you will stay out on the road for two or three weeks at a time, and they encourage 34 hour resets so you can run hard for the first three or four days.

I agree with you that things have to change, it's an old fashioned industry standard we are held to that allows shippers, receivers and the trucking company make all the $$$$ while they take every pound of flesh from the drivers they can...

 

chuck the book in the bunk throw down a handfull and kick on 'er!!! log books SUCK! I run till I'm tired than I sleep for me that's alot safer than driving tired just cuse I'm legal and and being forced to lie down for 10hrs

 

#### the man!!!!