OTR drivers: practical issues for getting around in a bobtail

I bobtailed plenty. Some companies have restrictions I learned when I was in Nashville and KLLM drivers were buying and installing mudflaps so they could bobtail.
I frequently slept right where I parked,,usually a "entertainment district"
Google places to see,, whenever I had a few hours I'd go to any auto related museums, something anything to get out of the truck.

 

Company gives me 25 PC miles a day.
I bobtail anywhere and everywhere.

 

In my time I bobtailed all over we were on paper in those days, no computer anything until the late 90's

Its a joy to fit a bobtail inside a store parking lot space with a inch around the wheels inside the lines between cars. A stunt really.

I don't give it a second thought as long the trailer is signed in at the fuel desk and kingpin is locked etc. Personal conveyance for the rest. That did not count against HOS.

Once in a great while when visiting home ground, we will have enterprise deliver a rental to the truckstop and we take off and roam all over. Since we are allowed to go anywhere east of the Mississippi River for 4 days that's not a issue.

 

Most co’.s wont let you. I rent cars if i’m on a layover.

Keep in mind its not safe to bobtail. Your brakes dont operate as well and if its snowing, you might as well just shoot yourself, that way nobody else dies.

 

It’s up to the company you drive for.
You can get pretty much anywhere just obey the “no trucks” signs.
Many shopping centers have security that won’t let you park overnight. You can always park on the street. Just keep in mind that some cities have no overnight truck parking laws.

 

1.) yes, there are still clearance limits, weight limits and no truck streets. Other than that you should be fine. BTW a bobtail still weighs I think 9-10 tons. So no wooden bridges.

2.) lots of places. Also it's easier to hide a bobtail. The hard thing is getting rid of the trailer. I'd rather you not leave it at a truckstop, thinking about the driver that's gonna need that space, but I've had shippers/receivers who would let me leave a trailer with them ("we'll unload it in the morning") overnight.

3.) here's the real problem with all of this. Most likely no. Liability, fuel costs, joyriding. All are really hard to sneak past a safety department. Once or twice I've been caught "joyriding" with a mega and I told them I was going "food shopping", which they were okay with. This was before eLogs and the tracking system they used was so glitchy it only updated 3 times an hour. Modern systems know you're moving by the minute. So I would get everything really clear with your employer as to what's allowed and what's not.

My current employer is much less informal.

 

... and after bobtailing all day, do you park at a truck stop in a full size truck spot?