Paper logs tips?

It really only helps if you have the kind of freight/customers that can make it worth your while.

If you're doing it 'just cuz', or you don't know what you're doing you're playing with fire.

 

My suggestion is run lose lea logs and don't get crazy, other suggestions are if your asking that question you don't have enough experience to forge logs or to do so safely so just fudge your luck a little and don't try running 3 log books.

I'm not talking down to you but this is the kinda thing you should figure out when you have some time in.

 

I know it does! So sad not to be able to work over 70 hours........

 

When I was a company driver, they put me in a 65 mph truck with a 9 speed top 2 transmission. Company driver fuel cards only worked at certain truck stops. Travel agent opened up my fuel card. I wanted $200/day minimum, and they started me at $.44/mile. Had to run 455 miles a day minimum to make my minimum. Doable. But if I ran 682 miles, I'd earn $300. Can you make 300 miles a day in a 65mph truck at $.44/mile? Absolutely. Not every day, but it was doable with good trip planning. The thing that hurts you is fueling. Most companies will want it to match your logs pretty close. So, I would pre-trip and fuel at the same time, 15 minutes. Start the day at a shipper, run straight to fuel, then hammer down. 5.5 hours, break, 5.5 hours, off duty.

Yes there are, but Opie said, "Maximize." If you, the driver, aren't bringing your A Game behind the wheel, it doesn't do any good to work a logbook. The regs have changed a bit since I was a company driver. Used to run 11 straight. Can't do it now, with that stupid 30 minute break thing.

There are certain things you can fudge, reaching a city, going off duty until you reach the other side of the city (just be sure to subtract the miles), personal conveyance (works rather well when your travel agent is on the same page), and the rolling restart. The thing that will burn you faster than anything is being on the road AFTER your 14 is up. If you get dotted, you gotta log it. Instant red flag if you fueled up at 0200 and get inspected at 1730. Even if the DOT dont catch it, your safety department will. Don't do it.

So, you're at a shipper. The shipper is slow. You got signed in at 0700 and now its 1430 when you get your BOL. 650 miles from your destination. What do you do? Youre 2.5 hours from your 10. On elogs, you wait for your reset and then hammer out. That puts you at the receiver at 0600, with a vampire nap (just remember that you need to be parked by 0700). But if your receiver doesnt open until 0800, you will be in a bind of you need to leave to make room for other trucks. You may need to delay your departure from the shipper. Paper gives you alot more leeway.

So, my 715 miles, 5 days a week would give me$1573/week or almost $82000/yr.

Yes you can. With good planning in a 65 mph truck. On elogs even.

 

When I drove for Schnieder 11 years ago, I took their stapled/ bound logbooks and turned them into loose leaf. A trip to Wal Mart to get a 3 pin punch and small 3 ring binder did the trick!

You gotta be real careful disposing of any sheets you redo! Don't leave them in the truck and tear them into tiny shreds, throw out a few pieces here and there as you go down the highway.

 

Run one log book as two, hide your fuel receipts(if u fuel after midnight) and always fuel before midnight that is when you push that log book back the fuel date falls into the same date. And I'm going to stop typing now.

Spent 6 hours at shipper.... Log book shows 30 mins... Take that you just bought yourself 5:30 extra to drive haha

 

My friend I tried and tried and tried to read your post but at some point got so lost! Then passed through my mind that I post (write) the same way. I can see your point! maximize driving time but as a driver I do not believe you make 82000/year!... In your calculations you forgot that you will change jobs at least once this year

 

IF I were to do something like this , I would keep any old log pages in my personal effects, i.e., briefcase, clothes bag, etc., and such would be out of the driver's reach and closed to eliminate any "casual" observation of contents. DOT has no authority to search those items. Neither does a LEO unless you've consented to a search (dumb), or given them reason to get a warrant (in which case, logbook violations are probably the least of your problems). But, you are correct, it would be best that any corrected pages get disposed of. I actually used to have a shredder in my truck.

 

If you do it right, you will not have to redo any logs often. I ran 1 logbook, and it wasn't loose leaf. The rules state that you have to show every change of duty status. That's where things like fueling, loading and unloading, at specific times can either help you or hurt you. I limited redoing logs to the 'rolling restart' ,or possibly a PC restart.

 

Another thing I have heard some lease ops do is to save money on IFTA they will calculate their MPGs at say 8.5 miles per gallon. As they get each load they divide the miles by 8.5 and buy no more than that amount of fuel on the company fuel card. The rest of the fuel they buy on their own credit card or cash, usually reefer fuel and log it off duty.