If you tell me log on duty during a 5 hour unload then I'll respectfully turn down all live loads

My company required logging fuel stops, pre and post trips and loads/unloads. However I only logged 15 minutes. They used a 3rd party company to aggregate this information and if our logs did not match it was a fault. Too many faults could get you fired.

 

It not about what I we think work is. It's what the law says.

(5) All time loading or unloading a commercial motor vehicle, supervising, or assisting in the loading or unloading, attending a commercial motor vehicle being loaded or unloaded, remaining in readiness to operate the commercial motor vehicle, or in giving or receiving receipts for shipments loaded or unloaded;

Notice is say Attending a CMV being loaded or unloaded. Just because your playing on Facebook don't mean it not work. You their getting loaded or unloaded for a reason. Your doing it to make money and your working in my opinion.

Your also remaining in readiness to operate a CMV. You can't just drop trailer and drive way and go watch a movie or anything your stuck their waiting while theyoad or unload.

 

Now go back and reread that entire part.

(1) All time at a plant, terminal, facility, or other property of a motor carrier or shipper, or on any public property, waiting to be dispatched, unless the driver has been relieved from duty by the motor carrier;

I had a letter. I was legally off duty.

be VERY carefull when you quote the FMCSA regs.

 

I was looking around on the internet and came to a forum with this reply. I admit it is 5 years old but does a great job of how most truckers in realville USA do this. I highlighted the part I want new drivers to see.


(Technically speaking, when you're doing things related to the job - taking paperwork inside, counting product as it gets loaded onto the truck, doing paperwork, etc - you're supposed to log it as on-duty not driving.

But the reality of it is that 99% of drivers log all time at the customers as sleeper berth. In reality, you will be in the sleeper berth most of the time you're at a customer. But regardless, that's just one of those situations where almost everyone logs it as sleeper berth to save hours on the logbook.

You're going to find once you get out on the road that there are a ton of gray areas and catch-22's. The best thing to do when you're unsure of something is do it by the book and speak with several experienced drivers from your company about it. But make sure you get more than one opinion on it.

You'll find that a rookie who seems willing and eager to learn will get a lot of help from the veterans out there. We've all been there and we remember well what it's like in the beginning. It's brutal, to be honest. You're pretty much unsure of everything you're doing for about the first 6 months, but then it gets better and you're only unsure of about 75% of what you're doing the next 6 months.)

 

I have had my elog looked at by DOT in depth a grand total of 3 times in almost 2 years. None has had an issue with how I log. When I log a pretrip, which I do log, I flag it as pretrip, load check, fuel. You can do that. Never been an issue. I’m not only technically, but literally, in the sleeper berth 90% of the time I’m not driving. I log off duty when I exit the sleeper berth in the morning before I start my pretrip, if only for a second.

That seems to be enough for DOT. I was once asked why I don’t log securement time and I told him flatly, I don’t secure the loads it’s all drop and hook. The 5 minutes I’m logging is to grab paperwork, look at the securement and couple the trailer and go.

Never had an issue.

 

I have logged working at a shipper some. This was because the shipper required I stand and watch my truck being loaded. I did not want to do it but had to because of the way my company was paid. Outside of this I do not ever remember logging more then 15 minutes on duty while loading or unloading.

 

A Swift driver told me that they must be logged on duty during those waiting periods in order to receive detention pay.

Even then, it's still hit or miss whether they pay it, he said.

 

If I'm not driving the truck, throwing straps, or tarping the load, then the log is set to off duty. I'm not the one driving the forklift or operating the overhead crane, so I'm not working.

Don't like the policy? Change companies. Don't like logging on duty while working and not getting paid? Find an hourly position.

 

That's just stupid

 

If I am not driving, dealing with customers, securing a load, fueling, or otherwise doing things job related, I am not on duty. Period.

I do not log on duty while napping, reading, or fooling with my smartphone in my bunk. Nor should anyone else.