How to log

Your 10 minute breaks is no big deal anyway, since you can only log 15 min increments, so naturally you would round up to 15 min. As for the other stuff I don't have enough experience myself to comment on that.

 

During training at our company we got some good tips.

1. I flag my post trip but I don't log line 4 because I can do it in under 15 minutes, this will save some time.

2. I flag fueling as follows: Less than 50 gal. Flag it but don't log the time, it doesn't take 15 minutes so why log it? More than 50gal. Logged as 15 minutes.

3. Hooking/Unhooking....only log time if it takes 15 min or more, otherwise just flag it.

4. When I deliver a load I always log 15 minutes, then I go to line one and on my flag I write, "Unload, Break". It never takes me more than 15 minutes to deal with the shipper and get my BOL signed. The exception is if I'm doing the unloading or handling the frieght in anyway, then I log the time required to do it.

5. Pretrip always logged as 15 minutes.
6. Scaling my load always flagged but I never log time for it, doesn't ever take 15 minutes to drive onto the scale and go get my receipt.

I have days sometimes that I only have 15 minutes total on line 4. I've been audited at DOT scales in both WA and OR and no one has ever even questioned it.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks truckin916, that is informative for me too.

 

First I'd like to say just because you've been inspected at DOT scales does not mean that what you're doing is legal. That's always a bad example due to the many variables involved. The best information is the FMCSR pocketbook. Then if you have questions seek an answer.

If you're doing your post trip in less than 15min then in my opinion you're not doing it right. There's just too many items to be checked if done properly. You also say that you always log pre-trip as 15min but then you say if you drop and hook and it takes less than 15min you just flag it. I would hope that you're doing a pre-trip on the trailer you just hooked to.

You may work for the best company in the world but their number one priority is to make money. It's you that's going to get the ticket so if I were you I'd make sure I'd be able to back up everything you claim on that legal document. I don't mean to be critical or harsh but it's always best to protect yourself.

 

I agree! Point of inspecting is to closely look over your vehicle. Your very life depends on it, so it makes sense to be thorough, aside from possible tickets.

I have an additional tidbit I was told just today. My logs department told me that if I'm in the passenger seat riding down the road, I may NOT be logged on line 1. They said I must be on line 4. I never thought of that, and it doesn't make sense imo. So, knowing it will piss off my dispatcher to no end, I put myself on line 4 when I got to the right front seat. Now my actual drive time will be GREATLY affected, but they tell me that I'm not only to do it this way(because OR DOT told them), but that I will never lose time because of it... You know I laughed about that part.

Of course, they added that any time I'm in the sleeper, the law states I must be logged on line 2. I don't know about that either, but haven't had time to verify. I'll do it tomorrow, when I care again. First, I'd like to see them get angry about doing what they said I must. Either way, they'll be pissed. I don't care at this point, as I've put in my notice.

 

I will comment on this later ! When I have free time

 

Ok I hope I make sense with this tonight

One if you are stopping for 10 minutes during your 14 hour period, I hope you are logging you are off duty for that 15 minutes (if the company allows you to do so) because this allows you to save driving time when you stop that truck.

Now as for logging line 4 for scales,loading, unloading, dropping,hooking, random drug/alcohol, accidents, repairs etc. The times SPENT DEALING WITH IT, should be LOGGED AS LINE 4 TIME. Now if you can go to the sleeper then go to the sleeper and log in the sleeper. If the company allows you to leave the equipment to do whatever you want and log it as off duty then do what you want to and log it as off duty.

But just logging line 4 for 15 minutes for everything you can do can lead to a false log because if I can prove you was scaling that load longer than 15 minutes and you only logged 15 minutes then I would write you up for a false log and so would DOT if they came in the office, on the road when they inspect you or if you are in an accident and it becomes a criminal case.

So please make sure you understand DOT/Log Auditors are trying to prove if you was doing it longer than you stated and they are trying to prove your log shows you was in the location you was proven to be in.

That's just my side of the story and how I stress to drivers to always look at log books, regardless of where you work