Journal/log

Sure Loud! ARE YOU LOUD??? LMAO!

Logs are a sheet that you have to draw a line on and state if you are 1) off duty (meaning you are doing what you want or eating, laundry etc) 2) sleeper: means you are in the sleeper berth of the tractor 3) driving: means you are behind the wheel 4) means you are working but not driving.

DOT (FMSCA) must know what you are doing @ all times and every day that you are working for a trucking company.
You must write down the city & state you are in every time you stop.

There is much much more to it than this, but that is the basic idea of keeping a log sheet.

YOu must be legal at all times or you can end up 1) paying unnecissary fines 2) in jail 3)terminated from the company.

Does that help? If not
Check out this website and review everything under 395.5 and also review all the interpitations. If you have questions please feel free to ask under regulations thread or send me a pm.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regu...guidedetails.asp?rule_toc=764&section_toc=764

 

Dave, a log is not hard to forge at all, heck I know plenty of drivers who are pretty good at it (that's why you will hear them reffered to as 'coloring books'). The only thing is, once you start making it up, it can be hard to stop. And, the DOT officers can typically tell if you're making it up or not.

But yes, every commerical driver (except for certain situations) needs to keep a log to show what they did during their work day/period.

(personally I use my logbook for TP, softer than whats in most truckstops!)

 

(I realize that everyone on this board is going to jump on me for this post, but the law is the law).

Once you become a truck driver, you must log not only your work for the trucking company, but also any paid work you perform anywhere.

On Duty : "(9) Performing any compensated work for a person who is not a motor carrier."

When this item was added to the regulations, I dreamed of a worst case scenerio. Imagine a local driver who also directs a church choir. He receives a small honorarium for choir practice on Wednesday evening and performance on Sunday morning. These two hours are on-duty and must be logged.

In the real world, the biggest violators are small farmers who drive commercial trucks during the week. During planting and harvest, they work horrendous hours in the fields all weekend, then hit the road Sunday night with a log showing a 34-hour reset.

 

That's why we have a log book shortage

 

Yes if you work for a trucking company and are required to keep a daily log you must account for any work for any other company. It is a pain in the wazooo for us to!

Get this: If an owner operator (or company) driver is working on his truck in his garage on time off he must log this on line 4 as well. How would they know? Well any reciepts you may have I guess showing you bought it or if they happened to drive by your house and see you working on it and pull you over when you leave the house

 

How is it a pain for you? You don't have to think it up and make it work!

 

You are right! But I have to think is this driver lieing to me, and how do I know he didn't work Saturday at the other job? It's just stupid to me.