Line 5: On duty, waiting?

How can a state determine where you are and what you're doing while being loaded and unloaded. If pulling a van or reefer than I'm in sleeper or off duty all but 15 minutes (to check in ,dock and open close doors) If you are in the sleeper that is sleeper time not on duty. The sleeper is for more than sleeping. If in a break room and waiting that is off duty, I'm not working I'm taking a break, just like when I stop to eat, take a leak , walk around and stretch or at home its off duty.

 

Maine has been going nuts with wait time at water plants.
They know that at Poland Spring for instance, you wait off site till they call you to come to a door.
You have to be up and listening for your CB to do this.
If you load there and have hours of off duty or sleeper time, they know what you were doing, and will call you on it.
They mess with Western Express for this mostly. But they will do it to other company's to at times. There Vendetta against Western Express is personal. And they do not look like they are going to let up.

 

...and you can't hear the CB from the sleeper?

"Yes, officer, I was in the sleeper. I was reclining in the bunk watching a movie until they called for me to load."

As long as you aren't in a day cab, there shouldn't be any problems with logging sleeper time while waiting for a call to load/unload.

 

I log 15 minutes to check in, pti, fuel and drop/hook on line 4. The rest is off duty.

Many times I go into my 10 hr break when I hit the dock and nothing has ever been said as it would be hard to prove otherwise.

 

I do the same thing condo.
I am just saying what Maine DOT are saying. Part of there problem is that they know you wait across the street, then drive over and get a door when called.
Most drivers do not log moving the truck to the door. Heck, I would not eather.

 

Well the good news is I'm now with a local company and get paid hourly.

The bad news,,, I haven't put in a 40 hour week YET! (in 2 months)

Some days are 12 hours long and other days are just,,, off.

(I'm staring to look for a 2nd job I can work around, but my hours are pretty wacky, so I don't know what to go after.)

 

As long as it takes you less than 7.5 minutes to do, you do not need to show any time...just flag it.

 

The point I was making, isnt flagging, Maine is asking that even though you are asleep in your truck with CB on, that you remain onduty while attempting to get load while at dock. The plants do have some break rooms that you can go to, just not a comfy place to fall asleep while waiting. And some times it will take up to 4 hours to get you loaded.

Drivers appreciation day / week (?) you get to take a case of water.

 

Actually, it could go either way....

In other words, if you are resting in the sleeper berth, you should be 100% legal to log that time spent in the sleeper as sleeper berth time and not "on duty not driving".

...but if you are sitting there waiting to jump to action when they call you to go load, you ARE "remaining in readiness to operate the commercial vehicle."






I still think I'd log it as sleeper time if I was, in fact, resting in the sleeper.