Logbook Question

When i was in school we had a DOT officer come in and talk to us and she said if you are using it for personal use and it's ok by your company then technically its off duty but again it would be your company's call

 

Log it on Line 1....Flag it: "Off Duty/ Driving...."

 

I had the same question. I unloaded in my home state approximately 60 miles from the house but needed to take the rig to my mechanic. I figured I was off duty. Someone was telling me no. I need to know.
The truck is mine. Not a company driver.

 

The issue is that you are not supposed to log back on duty in a location other than the one you logged off duty on.
So if you leave your delivery site, drive to the shop, then drive home, you may log this off duty. But you cannot log on duty till you are back in the place you went off duty.
Also the question of going to the shop will come in. Technically if your truck is in the shop you are on duty bringing it to the shop. Since this is work related.
Who the truck belongs to does not really matter.

 

I asked dieselbear this question a few months back. He answered at length to the different situations. Try a search you might be able to come across his answer.
From what I remember if you are not laden ( under load ) and you are off duty you do not have to log it. But it would be best to ask dieselbear or do a search.

 

This makes sense, but what about this scenerio. Say an RV transporter doing driveaways leaves from the factory in Kansas, drives the RV to Seattle and delivers it to the dealer. This particular transporter does not use a tow car but is taking Amtrak back to Kansas. Didn't he go off duty in Seattle and will be off duty until he gets back to the factory?

 

In that situation he would need to explain it to the officer.
But if he does not use a Tow car does he even have to use a log book?
Since they would not have a DOT number assigned to a Mobil RV that moves under it's own power.
The Tow car/ truck is the commercial vehicle, not the RV.

So in that situation I cannot see him needing to bring a log book when transporting that RV. But when he gets back into his transporter or another CMV, then he will have to log his working time. In this case I would log it as on duty not driving time though. Since he was not in a CMV.

 

I was looking into RV transport a few years ago before the RV industry went south, and the companies I talked with said that even driveaway transporters needed a logbook, though they did not necessarily need a CDL. At the time I didn't get into details, I just thought it was curious. Thanks!

 

I have never done RV transport so I could be wrong. I cannot see why you would need a log on a non-commercial RV.
The only reason I can see is for tax purposes. Since if you are on a log and subject to federal HOS, then you get a larger per-diem deduction than the standard for other workers.
Now if you must put your company info and DOT number on the RV for transport then I can see it being a temporary CMV, in which case you would have to do it.
In that case I would make a note in the notes section on the bottom of the log saying that I took alternate transport home.