My experience running 100% legal, if anyone cares.

477 miles
10 hrs on duty
$162.18 earned
Started at 1730, drove 69 miles to my p/u, drop and hook, 1 hr on duty, not driving. Drove all nite till about 0245, had to pull over 35 miles from my delivery, I was just too sleepy! took a 3 hr nap, made to my 1st stop about 45 mins early. they took less than 30 mins (WOW!) to unload me and now I am parked for a 10 hr break at the Petro in El Paso. My next stop is 416 miles away but dont deliver for another 20 hrs. It sucks cuz I have sleep when I would rather drive and drive when my body would rather sleep.
You know that really ought to never happen. It's just not safe for me to drive between 0200 and 0600, but the logbook says it's LEGAL FOR ME TO DRIVE. It must BE SAFE FOR ME TO DRIVE THEN, huh???
I wonder what LogsRus and some of the LEOs on here would have to say about that. ??? Then I wonder what my company and their customers would say if I told them I was too tired and not safe to drive at that time of day and their load was going to be late???

 

I would greatly appreciate that! I am so tired of the OTR game!
I've even seriously considered going back to school for Respirtory therapy (####, I cant spell to save my life!) or Polysomnography (sleep study) but have not figured out how I will be able to pay my bills and go to school. If only I could convince my wife to sell the house and then we could live in a cardboard box under a bridge...I could afford that!

 

380 miles driven
10 hrs on duty
$129.20 earned
still coming up short. Between the 10th and 11th, I spent almost $25 on 2 meals and 1 snack. This really sucks.
You know how when you get dust in your mouth, for a little while, everything tastes like dirt? Here lately, everything seems to taste like gun oil! I am getting so tired of this "lifestyle"! How can you call what we do a "lifestyle" when you HAVE NO LIFE, and everything you eat,the lack of exercise, the odd schedules we keep are killing us, slowly but surely???

 

I am done running legal! In the last month have managed to "legally" run myself to the poor house! It's time to go back to the "The Dark Side". I will still have to match qualcomm times to my paper logs but I wont be showing nearly as much time on line 4 (on duty, not driving). I just cant afford it anymore!
I believe I have proved my point suffiecently. Running 100% legal, a mileage paid driver can not make enough money to sustain the average family in the OTR irregulr route, refrigerated segment of trucking.
So, welcome me back to the dark side. BTW, I havnt stopped looking for the white unicorn, I mean, a local job that pays by the hour.
I'll have to gather all my data next time I stop and give a thorough breakdown of how this month went, if anyone is interested.