free time

Like the other poster said, most companies don't let you bobtail due to insurance reasons and for the love of god don't get caught at a strip club while driving your mobile billboard for the company you work for. It will probably be the last time you do that in that particular truck!

You need to be professional out there or it WILL bite you in the butt one day. There are a lot of company spies and tattle tales that would be glad to report your extra curricular activities!

A big rig at a bar or booby establishment is a great target for the man! Definitely would be a career ender!

 

Dats why you hand a convant driver some bucks and play taxie for you too take you the strip bars and beer halls , as you buy him drinks en stuff too , too save your company truck and your job,

 

Dumb ----,

Honestly I think you should forget about getting around by using your employer's truck as your personal vehicle. Some companies may allow it on a limited basis if you dropped your trailer at a company terminal or secured drop yard.

However if you choose to drop your trailer at a truck stop and bobtail around there are so many things that can go wrong. Are you doing this while on your 10 hr break as in logged off duty or logged in sleeper berth? You do that and someone runs into you and law enforcement sees you were driving a CMV and not logged on line 3 how do you think that's going over? Also many carriers have GPS records of when the truck was moving and when it was parked. You think there might be a sticky situation when they see that the GPS records don't match your logbook?

What about if you get back to the truck stop and your trailer is no longer there? The company's trailer and the customer's $100,000 worth of freight are gone. How's that phone call/ qualcomm message going to go? Ya think they might just tell you to turn in your tractor and GTFO? After that gets on your DAC how do you think your future job prospects will look?

Your big concern is being able to eat at a restaurant? Most Flying Js now have Denny's restaurant. TA's restaurant is better than it used to be. Many truck stops are within walking distance of Cracker Barrel, Longhorn Steakhouse, Applebees and the like. If not grab a cab if you must.

As others have mentioned I believe you're better off stocking up at Walmart and using a crockpot or lunchbox stove to cook food in your truck. You can have it cooking while you drive and you can eat as soon as you park. This will save you time and save a heck of a lot of money.

Want entertainment, see naked women, gamble at Casinos (like a fool) or see the attractions of certain cities? Do that during your 34 hour restart. The last OTR gig I had I got a restart every weekend. By restarting I got a fresh 70 and could run hard M-F without worrying about doing a recap or exceeding my 70hr limit. I realize not everyone gets dispatched that way. But bottom line is you should find ways to occupy yourself and entertain yourself without having to drive your tractor off the place you are spending your break.

You can follow the advise given here by experienced drivers or you can do your own thing and suffer the consequences.

 

Yup- and they meant it. They just left off the "through the windshield" part.

 

DA, if that were the case and you KNEW you were going to be offduty I would still say to weigh the potential for disaster. Even parking the rig at home I would still go out every couple of hours to check on it. You have to remember not only is it your job on the line, but most companies post on your DAC. That means not only is it your current job that can be lost for damages, but also a cut in potential jobs in the future.

 

Most Truck stops WE use have people that will give you a ride, for a fee, or you can call a cab!
For us, doing 5700 miles a week... I find there are always other things to do. Get the truck washed, polish the metal, sleep, do that maintenance you need to get done! If you want time off, go home! otherwise keep that truck rolling, shiny side up and put the green in your pocket to take the vacation you want. Oh and most ' clubs' are just a den for trouble. Close enough to walk to. But beware

 

I was wondering the same thing about 34 hour restarts. I myself enjoy fishing and there are plenty of places around the country that i would love to fish that i would otherwise never get the chance to fish. But then again if my truck is parked next to an amazing trout stream, with the name of the company on the side, it probably wouldnt take long for someone to find out i wasnt where i should be. I wanna drive. I'll take vacations to the spots i find along the way to fish.....although i would love to hit up some native steelhead waters out west somewhere....

 

Being caught fishing in a stream is lot different that being caught fishing at the strip joint. I plan on taking my rod and tackle with me when I go otr.

 

So, you are gonna leave $100,000+ equipment, possibly a loaded trailer, and head off somewhere?