Running out of hours

The law is clear. The confusion starts when every company and driver interpret it differently. One of my largest (beefs) with the current way ALL the FMCSA rules are written is they leave a lot of (grey) area. In fact just here on these forums I discovered a FMCSA rule said one thing and the guidance said another. (sorry I forgot the thread it was in.) I never run E-logs I always used paper. I never used more then 15 minutes on line 4 for pre/post trip or getting loaded or unloaded. This might not have been 100% legal, but my company accepted my logs and when I did go into safety I had very few (discrepancies) noted in my logs. As an OTR trucker line 4 is your worst enemy! Every hour you tie up on line 4 is an hour you can not drive. I do not know anything about e-logs and to be honest I don't really care. However the concept of staying off line 4 is still valid in my view.

 

OP, just a word of caution, before you are inspired by these posts to mark up your coloring book like a some sort of Picasso, these mega companies can and will go back 11-12 months back and review your logs when freight slows down and they need to rid themselves of drivers. So what you get away with now may not haunt you until this time next year.

Be diligent, and learn the business, and stay away from the lunch counter log artists until you get a grasp of how this game is played.

 

You should be able to edit the e-logs and make sure that on duty
should not exceed 15 to 30 minutes whether a
waiting for load or anything else , that you can save time and have more hours left within the 14 hour .

 

I would not fear (losing a load) as far as the carrier goes. Once that load is in your carriers trailer it is theirs 99.99% of the time. My last carrier had a term (I have since forgot what it was) to describe a customer they were almost about to lose because of bad service. When you get a bit more experience you will come to understand what a logistics company is and the broker systems. As to your job I think not. You might get (punished) by making you sit, but I don't think there is a serious danger of being fired.

Oh and @IluvCATS the law is clear!

 

I would never break the law. That why my logs have passed 6 separate DOT inspections.

 

You are an outlaw puss&boots and you know it!

 

Say you just spent two hours in a customer break room looking at a coke machine while they unloaded your trailer.

Now tell me you were on duty!

I would say not true...what you were on is considered off duty and relieved of any responsibilities.

 

When I was an active driver I spent an average of 15 to 18 hours a week waiting. It was hard enough as it was getting anything done with the 66 to 68 hours I had as it was ,much less dropping that to 48 to 50 hours a week by logging all that wait time on line 4. Honestly I would quit and go do something else if that were to have happened to me.

 

Theres no reason to log on duty longer than 15 minutes for loading or unloading. The posters on here always act like DOT is going to fine you for something you post. Truth is you need to guard your 70 hours.

Pretrip, posttrip, 15 minutes each max, loading unloading if you are not actively loading or unloading meaning your sitting in the truck, break room, or playing with yourself in the bushes your off duty, fueling I dont fuel my tractor or trailers ryder does, so I flag it and show it as off duty, When I did I would stay off duty while sitting in line, go on duty just before sliding the card into the pump, go back off duty just as soon as the pump is hing up. about 7 minutes average.

I run my 11/14 down to the minute, when I go off duty parking the truck for the 10 I normally only have minutes left. Also my first drop takes right at 2 hours, store unloads not me, so I take it as the first of the sleeper split, this just shortens my 10 down to 8 hours parked, second store takes about an hour but this too is logged as about 5 minutes on and the balance as off duty.