Logging off duty when in sleeper. Yes or no?

I tried to catch up on the last 3 pages of this thread and then my ADD kicked in. Basically it's "Sleeper birth, off duty, sheep, cow, fire truck, HEY MARCARENA!!!"

 

Just to help things along. To adhere strictly to the "rules", if you touch either an elog or a paper log to switch from sleeper to off duty, you just went ON DUTY! Logging is work, therefore, if you do so much as draw a line on that log, you are on duty. Sorry, start that break over!

 

Guess I'll have my kid draw in my coloring book. Then I'll look it over when on duty then sign it.

 

How many times have we been "told": "Just use common sense when logging." ? But what aspect is that "common sense" approach aimed at? It was approximately 2 years ago the FMCSA "adjusted" the sleeper berth/on duty not driving distinction to the co-driver being allowed to be in the passenger seat for up to 2 hours without changing the status line on the log. With this "distinction" the FMCSA codified a rule making the "SLEEPER BERTH" truly equal to "OFF DUTY". So what is "SLEEPER BERTH"? It is now (since that change) an actual LOCATION, not a DUTY STATUS. But with their (FMCSA) ruling, or reduction in distinction of a rule, they went forward and removed any "common sense" when they required 8 hours continuous 'SLEEPER BERTH" to qualify a defined period for a "split sleeper break". If SLEEPER BERTH is a location (for a team operation allowing the co-driver 2 hours front seat time without a change in duty status), and equal to being OFF DUTY, why wouldn't 8 hours OFF DUTY begin a "SPLIT 10 HOUR BREAK"?

We all know that most of us don't "sleep" 8 hours, let alone 10....the whole thing is typical of government/litigation control over the regular citizen! So to the "common sense" crowd, your mantra should remain CYA...and/or KISS!

 

you got that right otter, problem is common sense is becoming a rare thing these days.

its like the deal they changed in july with the laptop log programs where you can sign your logs electronically now, despite several court rulings from several years back that electronic digital signatures were legal and allowed on legal documents, forms for the federal government, etc etc. only in july of this year did fmcsa issue guidance that those logs couldn't be digitally signed and not the drivers actual handwriting.

I often wondered about this with a paper log and a carbon copy , the carbon copy was not the drivers handwritten signature but a carbon copy. the digital signature I use on logs is a digitized copy of my actual signature, so when I printed off a copy of my logs , was it not also the one and the same as a carbon copy of a log???


I have never handed a dot guy more than the past 7 days logs and the current day, and all he got was the carbon copy and the 8th original since it wasn't complete.


same as when I handed over the printed copies of my laptop logs, they got a "copy". I had one guy say in ohio that the signature looked printed, I simply said that is a copy of my log, the original has been sent in, that's a copy like a carbon copy of a old style paper log. he said ok and all was well.

what is further amazing is how many wont even check a truck with elog stickers, they assume its foolproof, so I added a couple of stickers that the laptop log program sent me in the mail.

the stickers states,, driver is using ***** electronic laptop log program. after the arm reach up, they see the sticker and wave me on. all in the perception.

when the man pulls ya in and says bring the paperwork in, walk in cheerful and like ya own the place, answer any questions clear and precise, like you're the one who wrote the rules. hand em a permit book completely in order and arranged alphabetical, with truck and trailer registration back to back in the first clear folder, then the ins. card, and ifta in the clear page , then your truck and trailer lease, and everything else in alphabetical order. not a hair out of place

if ya dump it all out on the desk from a manila envelope and search for everything youre in for a long day. again its all about perception cya and kiss to the max.

 

Skateboardman speaks the truth. BTW, 2015 is about one long day away - permits ready to go? IFTA stickers ready? I had a DOT official in Texas (I think) gig me for having inserted my 2014 lease agreement before the actual new years day, 01/01/14? He let me go, but I now keep the current year paperwork right up to the final day of the calendar year. Just because.

 

Simple question. 30 min bark 2 hr off duty 8 hr sleeper berth. Good to go another 11? Plz yes or no

 

If it were a consecutive 10 hours offduty/sleeper combined, yes a fresh 11/14/8/

 

As long as you do not go below line 2, it is all off-duty time. 10 or more consecutive hours above line 3 gets you a brand new 11 and a brand new 14.

Unless you are trying to describe a sleeper split?

 

It's hard to abide by the rules when they keep changing them