Plus One

As per swift safety, get to NEAREST safe haven, contact Safety at your home terminal ASAP... Make a note as to why you drove past the 11 hour mark. CYA. Just because the regs allow it, doesn't mean Swift does. You should call up your safety person next time you are at your home terminal and chat. They are on our side. Sorta

 

Highflight-
That's a long post, but just a few comments.

The 'on-board-recorder' rules vary by company as they aren't mandatory (yet),
but they are pretty similar.

As to mechanical failure...
If you breakdown on the Interstate shoulder, on-road comes and fixes it,
but not before your 14hr expires.
What to do?
For your safety and that of other motorists, you had better move it!
Maybe it depends on YOUR safety manager... but what I (correctly) did was
drive to the nearest safe-haven, a truck stop 20 miles down th road.
Then added a note on the approve/edit window, and called dm in the morning.

Sounds like the 'letter of the law' might not permit this.... hmmm.

I know I'm getting that truck off the shoulder of the Interstate at the earliest possible SECOND

Edit: I think you are misreading the part about mechanical breakdown and
it is written in that part unclearly.
In my scenario, it IS an 'emergency' and allowed.
As apposed to an engine problem etc at the shipper etc that means
you'll just be late.

 

And oh yeah...
Plus one still sucks.
Example.
I bust my ##### all day, don't stop for lunch,
to get to shipper after dropping.
Preplan says preloaded 13:00-14:00
Get there, they say it scheduled for 18:00 and not ready.
So my 14hr gets burned before it's ready and I have to sleep at the shipper,
and send mac 22 cause now it's gonna be late.

QUIT HIDING IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM ME THAT I NEED TO DO MY JOB!!!!

 

So I tried to put down everything I got from this thread in one post to help me determine whether to take a trip or not. I'm getting ready to go back to Swift after 2 years of not driving. I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row to make it easier. My recruiter has stated that as long as I pass my driving test I shouldn't have to go out with a mentor again. But not sure if a week or two with one wouldn't be that bad.

This is what I got out of this thread. Please clarify if I got something incorrect.

What time did your day (HOS) start and how much driving time do you have left and how much time is left from your 14.

Time to get ready to drive, waking up, breakfast, etc.

Time for pre-trip and post-trip.

Where is the pick up and how long to get the trailer.
*Have you been there before so you save time by knowing where to go or do you need to look it up and/or call them
for information.
*Get to pickup location. Send arrival macro 1.
*Get paperwork and find trailer.
*Hook up trailer, slide tandems add ½ hour.
*Is it a live load/unload then plan minimum two hours.
*Send macro 2 - loaded.
*What is the weather like on the way.

Do you have to find an empty trailer first and how far is it from where you are and where you have to go.
*While waiting for them to tell you where an empty trailer is you can call other local customers to see if they have empties.
*Keep a list of places where you've picked up empties before.

How far is the destination from pickup and use average 50 MPH for travel time.
*How much time do you have from PU to delivery and divide that time into the number of miles to drop. How fast (mph)
is it? For example, delivery time is 7 hours from pu time. 500/7 = 71 mph plan.
*What kind of terrain are you driving on, hills, flat, etc.
*What is the weather like on the way.
*How heavy are you that will slow you down on hills.
*Is there city traffic.
*How long to fuel.
*How long to weigh at scale, adjust tandems, reweigh, get paperwork.
*Is there a place to park after you drop that is close by and still within your HOS especially if you are using elogs.

What is your average non-stop driving time before you take a break.
*How long is your average break.

Use a macro 9, acceptance/rejection, to specify when you can arrive and be within your HOS.

Put in macro 22 to ask for adjusted times.

Turn down the load if you cannot safely make it. If asked, reference the times that were in the original message. Don't accept on a verbal change in the times. Get it in a message.

Write down/document every load you turn down and why in case it is brought up later. Take photos of Qualcomm messages for proof. Photos of damaged trailers, etc.

Call drop location to see if you can drop early. Or arrive early and feign ignorance and ask to get unloaded early. Also, when you call verify their operating hours and that it is the correct pickup location.

Side notes:

Intermodal loads, try to have a backup preplan for after you drop. Use macro 49 when dropping at the railyard.

If there is two of the same truck stops in a city you can use the truck stop directories to find the correct truck stop number so you fuel at the correct one. You can also use google and the truck stop's website. Download the pilot/flying j locations .pdf from their website to your smartphone or computer. Lists lots of useful info including store #, # parking spots etc.

Have a broom to sweep out trailers.

Mac 34 is what is used now to change your PTA, regardless of the type of logs.

Mac 12 and 23 for direction help to locations.

Questions I still have:

With the new elog system are you logged on duty as soon as you read the Qualcomm? What if you read it while you are on your 10?

Exactly what does a MAC 9 do?

What's a MAC 11?

 

Simply working with the Qualcomm doesn't put you on duty. Only you putting yourself on duty or moving the truck does that.

Edit: I'm referring to the use of the equipment itself; not the legality of whether or not you should be on duty. The answer to that is in the guide I referenced in an earlier post and in the guidance section on the FMCSA website.

Macro 9 is to accept or reject a load offer. When rejecting, you state why you can't make it. If you can't make it because of pickup or delivery times or for lack of hours, you enter the date and time you could pickup and deliver.

Macro 11 is to let the company know what your mileage is; required to be sent after fueling. Has all sorts of back-end uses that you care nothing about.

 

I got one the other day... JiT load, I'm bobtail, don't BT to shipper, So needing an empty. 600 loaded miles, 30 empty miles. PU @ 0800-0815 Preloaded, drop @ 23:00 no early drop loaded @ 41,000lbs from Seattle area to Butte, MT... Traffic in the Seattle Area is crappy during rush hour. Snoqualimie, the grade near Vantage, WA, 4th of July, Lookout, Did I mention these trucks are governed? What about finding parking that late? Do the planners want to set us up for failure? Maybe I'm just playing too much on the easy side on this one. Would you have taken this load?

 

In a simple word, NO! This load cannot be done as presented. And I guarantee you if you turn it down and try to tell them the times you need to do it they will take if off of you, which I'm guessing is what happened.

 

Right away I'm seeing 14 hour issues. But lately I kinda don't even look at delivery times, I look more at how many miles does the load pay. I've had 2 minor accidents and 2 major pull-over disco lights tickets due to allowing myself to get stressed out over delivery times. I pick 'em up and go and it gets there when it gets there.

 

Also a no. Would not touch that one with a 10 foot pole. Like the one that kept offering me in Sparks, pu @ 1000, 44K and del at 1930 in Redlands, CA, 502 miles. The worst part, was told by my DM that it did not need to be there until midnight Sunday, but like it has been drilled in my head, to not accept a load that is not doable, and I look at the times. Good old Plus One