Getting The Most Out Of HOS

Run your ### off...that 8.7568 hours a day crap is for the birds.

 

I would rather use up my 70 in 6 days then take 34 off, even doing it away from home. The big thing is can I do my 34 at a truck stop with showers and a laundry? Hopefully there is grocery shopping within walking distance. I love to read and relax sometimes.

 

Tell that to your dispatcher.Alot of drivers take resets and they have like 50 available hrs.It depends a lot on your company.If you can show them you run hard yet safely and make ontime delivery,your dispatcher may give you the good loads.

 

Without knowing the types of runs, typical lengths of haul, number of appointments you'll deal with and they are scheduled, time between unloads and reloads, etc, it's real hard to offer any meaningful advice. Likely you will not be able to run your wheels off and reset even if you wanted to, and the situation will probably take care of itself in how the loads fall.

Every situation is different and some want to deal with it in ways another may not want to.

As long as you are bumping up near your 70 regularly and stay there for sustained periods, and you don't waste a bunch of time logging "On Duty", at least you know they're keeping you as busy as you can be, and that's something a lot would like to see, but can't due to limited work or poor utilization of equipment and driver.

 

Sometimes we all get unintended resets. I think the best way is however YOU are comfortable with, as long as your company is agreeable.

 

You need to be looking at the load and the next one when managing your hours. Make sure you're not logging on duty when you don't need to, and plan how your recap hours are going to leave you on the next load. Sometimes you can look at what you've got coming in recap and know you're fine for a solid week. Others, you know you're going to be so limited you really need the reset.

Usually I have to reset after a hi-mileage run with some extended waiting at a customer or very involved reset. A lot of times you can run hard enough that you can fit in a reset with no hassle someplace comfy.

 

You're always "fine for a solid week" ... doesn't matter, what you've run to date ... from this day forward, you always have 70 hours available to you over the next 8 days.

 

But getting a couple of days when you're only getting 4 hours back can destroy an upcoming run. Hence my point of looking ahead and planning a reset, not letting one get planned for you, or getting houred into craptastic loads when you'd have been better off sitting for 34 and getting a good one.