So how is the 30min breaking working out?

You said :If you take that break in the first 3 hours since starting to drive, you'll have to take another one later on to get your full 11 hours in."

Drive 3 hrs and stop for 30 minutes, you have only 8 hrs left on your 11, right? You can drive another 8 hrs straight without having to take another 30 minute break because 8 hrs is all you have left on your 11 hr drive time, right?

I have read the regulation

 

OK... at 2 hours and 59 minutes. You'll have a tough time getting that 1 minute past the 8th hour. The point is take the break too early, and you'll get another one.

 

let them get that ticket for not taking their break and we will see a whole bunch of whining

 

Glad to see you at least conceded the point

You're correct though, stop at 2:59 and the whole system crashes!

 

I drive at night so trying to park somewhere for 30 minutes can be a problem sometimes. I stopped to do it at a rest stop in Indiana & another time in Wyoming. Both places were full & I had a hell of a time getting my truck out of there. I had to wake up the guy in Indiana to back his truck so I could pull out. In Wyoming, I had to put the truck in reverse & back it out of the rest stop. My biggest complaint is that I wish we could take our 30 minute break within our 11 hours instead of the first 8 hours.

 

You can take your break any time you want to. You don't have to wait till you've worked 8 hours.

"May drive only if 8 h ours or less have passed since end of driver's last off-duty or sleeper-berth period of at least 30 minutes"



https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos/index.htm

 

I have e-logs. When this law went into effect on the 1st, I was watching the clock. My day started with me having 8 hours to drive (instead of the usual 11). I drove to my delivery, and while I was waiting to get unloaded (it took about 2.5 hours), I was in off duty. When I was done and ready to go, my clock said I was back at 8 hours to drive.....

 

That's correct but you also have 10 +/- left on your 14 after that break. So if you do a 15 min pretrip, drive for 3 hours, take a 30 min break you've used 3.75 hours of your 14 leaving you with 10.25 hours left. Say you drive for 6 hours to your destination and spend 2 hours unloading/loading or whatever. You can not move that truck until you take another 30 min break.

I try to take my break between the 5th and 8th hour. Taking it too early could potentially set you up to have to take another one. That's my 2 cents!

 

Wrong. If you are off duty during the 2 hours unloading/loading or whatever, then that counts as your 30 minute break.

 

Only if you're off duty. So if you're on duty while you're unloading I'm right! But whatever. You're the expert!