Just some of the stupid things I see

Agreed.....

 

Man...you're right on that one !

I met a guy in Illinois the other week. He was hauling motorcycle parts in a gutted out motor home. And transporting NEW bikes on a trailer. One still in the box.

It looked on the up and up at first glance. But a closer look told a completely different story.

 

There are so many out there using hard shell trailers through USHIP and others.

I really wonder why the DOT cannot see them, when I can glance at them and know exactly what they are doing as far as commercial or not.

 

Thats why Truck Stops sell fresh Donuts.....I always keep a few fresh ones for my "Interview"



American Trucker

 

I have emptied out in L.A. and run the 400 miles home as "personal conveyance" in the past.
I'll stay home a week or two and then load and go.

It's a grey area and I could easily log it as deadhead but I'm almost hoping to get stopped and questioned about it to "test" the limits.
But I have a really good attorney that loves a good challenge.

Interesting question though.

As far as the "dunce" that was going 1000 miles back for a load....You just can't fix stupid.

 

I've used personal conveyance to go 250 miles from our terminal to my house, with trailer, unladen. The entire purpose of that trip is to get me to the house. When I come back after a 34, I log the empty miles to whatever shipper I'm going to as on-duty driving, because it's freight related.

If I knew where I was going to pick up after my hometime before I went home, I wouldn't feel okay with personal conveyance, since, at that point, my hometime would be officially built into my dispatch plan.

My 2 bits, anyway.

 

I think you are giving the people who make the laws way too much credit for an intelligence that I don't believe they have! I really think it is more stupidity, than it is a deliberate act.

It leaves both the trucker, and the DOT officer in a situation that is neither of their making, nor of their choice.

 

Drivers from my home terminal often get loads from another terminal just under 120 miles away . We bobtail there , pull a load with a dedicated trailer then bobtail home . When we bobtailed home using personal conveyance on e-logs corporate safety flagged several of us for using personal conveyance for over 100 miles . I e-mailed them telling them I knew FMCSR didn't specify miles for off duty use and asked where in the company manual that rule was given . I got no response . My terminal manager told me to just run on duty 30 miles down the road bobtailing from the other terminal then stop and go off duty . We are paid $.40 a mile for the bobtail

 

OK, lets look at why there is so much confusion on Personal Conveyance.

The regulation where this option is based is an Interpretation on 395.8:

You notice the INTENT of the interpretation and the intended use of Personal Conveyance:
1) - from terminal to home or home to terminal
2) - SHORT distances (in the vicinity) from enroute lodgings for meals

Will you agree it is not "intentionally left vague"? It is very plain and limited in scope.

The problem out here in the real world is that too many drivers (and carriers) want to expand this limited exemption to fit anything and everything they want it to fit. Trips that do not involve "Terminal to home" operation or meal trips "in the vicinity" of enroute lodgings. I have heard some very creative interpretations of "Personal Conveyance" from drivers.

As there continues to be confusion and abuse of the "Personal Conveyance" exemption, I think there will be a clarification coming in the future to stop the abuse. Or, the exemption will be done away with, and any driving of a CMV will be Driving Time, period.

$.02