Off duty Driving on paper logs

I understand. But, my vehicle is a 1 ton pickup truck. There is no load on it after I drop the trailer I deliver. I can do whatever I want.

If I decide to get a load, then I am under dispatch from that point as well.

The truck is not making money when I dead head home or to my sisters or sight seeing.

I do run logs, I was just stating that according to the rules, I have an argument if needed.

 

One reason I left QC to retire early was because of their policy on PC . They said you couldn't use PC with a trailer or from a tankwash . If I went to a tankwash and ran out of hours before the tank was washed I would not be violating HOS if I logged off duty and PC'ed to a truckstop to get something to eat .
QC said we could not PC from a customer . Why not ? We would get load orders where we would drop a loaded trailer at a customer . That was the end of the order and we had no further assignment . There was no reason we shouldn't have been able to go off duty and bobtail home from there . That customer was only 15 minutes from the terminal . Going to the terminal before PC meant we would have to spend 15 minutes on a trailer inspection then waste 15 minutes driving to the terminal then another 15 doing a tractor inspection . It would delay starting a reset by at least half an hour .
Not being able to PC from a tankwash also made no sense when our drivers dropped tankers at a tankwash near Houston . If a driver ended his day at the tankwash there was no reason he shouldn't have been able to PC to one of the fuel stops in Baytown .

 

NOPE! Why did you drive to the truck wash? Did you get the truck washed? Thats on duty, same with going to get oil change, or fuel. If you do anything to that truck while its in your driveway, clean out the sleeper, wash with your hose and bucket, polish wheels and tanks....On duty.

I went online to buy an oversize permit at 10:00 PM. The state of Arizona time stamps the time you got your permit so you cant buy one after you get busted with no permit. At about 7:00 AM I pulled out of my storage yard and DOT stopped me, he shut me down because I signed the permit that I got while sitting in my living room in my underwear the night before (less than 10 hours previous). Drivers Legal Plan beat it but the officer had a good point, I was working on trucking stuff so I have to log it.

Same goes for doing your billing when you get home, or going to the DMV to renew your CDL or get your registration.

 

That's what wives are for - doing paperwork so you can stay off duty . O.K. , they're good for other stuff too .

 

I prefer to let FMCSA interpret their own regulations.

In an interpretation letter to a carrier in 2011, FMCSA gave this interpretation guidance regarding "off-duty driving."

"A driver logged as "off-duty" may drive a CMV only if the vehicle is being used as a personal conveyance. The term "personal conveyance" is used in Question 26 of the Agency's Regulatory Guidance to 49CFR 395.8. Question 26 discusses the concept of "commuting" using the example of transportation from a terminal ("normal work reporting location") to a residence. In essence, a driver's off-duty use of a CMV as a personal conveyance must involve relatively short trips between his or her normal work reporting location (usually a terminal) and residence. If a driver is on the road, the CMV could also be used to make short trips between a hotel or motel and a restaurant." (underlining is mine)

These are FMCSA's words, not mine.

 

How in the world are you going to log the renewal of the cdl when you drove your car in. Create a false log?

 

If it was in the letter those are the words and opinions of an employee that wrote the letter . Many Federal employees are far from competent .

 

Interpretation letter signed by Anne Ferro, the administrator of FMCSA.

 

The CDL thing does not apply. That is a state item and is not a part of interstate commerce. Also, it is you private vehicle driving license also. Your comment goes too far. I was with you in principle till you decided to throw that one in. For me, though, virtually everything is going to be off duty anyway. Even if I put on the coveralls and grease the truck. My grease gun is not time stamped. I coin drop at the local car wash, who has a truck bay, to wash the truck, so it is not going to get logged on duty also, including the drive from the house to there as I am just going to town to do a little shopping. At least that is the story. Don't polish the wheels and tanks. I use Alcoa Durabrites all the way around and the tanks are painted.

Only those in the black helicopter crowd would go so far are to actually log all this stuff as on duty. Your permit comment, of course. That involves commercial, interstate commerce and is time stamped. I can understand covering your bacon on that one. But the other stuff? I guess if one's paranoia gland has grown to a large size, then I can see them doing that.