Should I PC home, 5 hours from home?

Well, it’s the holiday weekend and I expected to be home and I expected to have hours, but I have no hours and I’m about 5 hours away from home. I don’t want to sit in a truck for another 24 hours and miss the holiday weekend. I’ve rarely gotten out of this truck for the last 5 months and I just wish the planners gave me a better load that could have gotten me home.

 

I would say no.
PC isn't a 5 hour trip.
Finish your 10 and go home.

 

Sometimes we spend holidays away from home. Part of being a truck driver. It's not for everybody.

If you are out of hours and are parked in a safe place, you can't legally move the load.

 

I wouldn’t and it truly sucks. We’ve had drivers abuse PC and they get theirs turned off. I use it for going to get a meal while on my 10 hour break at one of our terminals. It’s a very nice feature to have.

I went to Portland Oregon last month from Dallas and ran out of hours in Moriarity New Mexico on the way home on a Saturday night. I work five days a week and hadn’t been up to the PNW in over ten years. Enjoyed the trip but that Sunday was not fun. I ended up leaving at midnight when I got my full 11 rather than waiting until 0900 for my restart and running recap until the next Thursday when I called it a week. Never done a 34 on the road and don’t plan on it.

 

I'm home every weekend, but I've still had times when I run out of my 70 and have to do a 34 3 hours from home. #### happens. If you're not happy with how much you get home, or the way the company treats you there's thousands of other companies chomping at the bit to hire somebody.

 

That's not how you use PC. That's designed for quick tasks: grocery shopping, getting dinner, finding a spit to park if you goofed on your trip planning. You're only 5 hrs away. You'll make it for the holiday. Just be patient and do things the legal way.

 

As a personal rule i say PC is for 1 hour or less trips MAX when loaded, usually i drop my trailer and use it to run over to a kroger or DG or something. Maybe get some chow or hit up a laundromat. 5 hours is not just pushing it but well outside the realm of reasonable especially with a load on no matter how you cut it.

Now if you owned your rig and were unloaded and going home with no load planned....maybe but even that would skitch me out. I dont even like doing the full hour max even unloaded. All it takes is one DoT officer with a stick someplace unpleasent to ruin your week god forbid you wreck and are out of hours.

 

No recap hours after midnight? Would your company even authorize a 5 hour deadhead home?

Sounds like you’re a company driver that should be asking someone there for options.

 

The FMCSA PC rules can be a bit complex. In the link I provided I think the relevant guidance can be found in questions 1 and 7.

1 May a driver, who drops his or her last load at a receiver’s facility use personal conveyance to return to their normal work location (i.e. home or terminal?)

No. Returning home or to the terminal from a dispatched trip is a continuation of the trip, and therefore cannot be considered personal conveyance.

7 Are there maximum distance time or distance limits for the use of personal conveyance?

No. However, it is important to note that the provision in §392.3 of the FMCSRs, prohibiting the operation of a commercial motor vehicle while fatigued, continues to apply. Therefore, a driver must get adequate rest before returning to driving.

It is my opinion that as long as home is not your normal work location you are free to PC there. Then 7 says there are no time or distance restrictions.

BEWARE my interpretation is not binding on DOT officers that may stop you. It is also not binding on a carrier. Some carriers don't allow PC unless it is an emergency. I also maybe 100% DEAD WRONG!

So while I think it (((((may))))) be legal to PC 300 miles I am going to agree with all of the above comments and tell you to get recap hours back or take a 34! You don't need t get an HOS OOS order.

I am also sorry about missing the holiday!

 

I would