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Split Sleeper The Swift Way????

Discussion in 'Swift' started by neal79, Sep 30, 2011.

  1. Sep 30, 2011 #1
    neal79

    neal79 Medium Load Member

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    Feb 9, 2011
    Chicago,IL
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    Ok I just finished my log class and wanted to see what some other Swift drivers thought because I didn't think it was explained 100% correctly. What they explained was correct and would not be a violation but a few things that I'm pretty sure are also correct she claims are not allowed. I have used split breaks plenty of times before and have not had any violations, so I'm pretty sure I understand it correctly.

    For example, lets say I start with a fresh clock and drive 5 hours, for simplicities sake without any stops or pretrip (I know these would count against the 14 but want to keep it simple). Then I go right into the sleeper for 8 hours. After 8 hours I can now drive 6 more hours and would have 9 hours to do so.

    Now here is where I will make it a little non text book. I drive another 5 hours straight and stop at a Petro because I know there is nowhere to stop the next 100 miles. I go inside, take a shower and eat for an 1 1/2 hours, then go into the sleeper and watch tv for an hour and then decide to leave again so now I had 2 1/2 hours of line 1 and 2. That time does count against my 14, that started running at the end of my 8 hour break so I now have 6 1/2 hours on my 14 (5 hours line 3 and 2 1/2 line 1&2) and 6 hours drive time available (drove 5 hours, 11-5=6).

    According to the instructor this would not be correct since I took more than 2 hours, but would be ok If I took say 2 hours sleeper time and then 1/2 hour line one or the other way around. She seemed to be stuck on the it has to be 8 and 2 and nothing else when 395.1g (ii) 1 & 2 clearly state its at least 2 hours or 8 hours and less than 10 and the shorter break can be any combination of line 1 and 2. I know the FMCSR can be vague at times but I do not see any way that my example would not meet this rule.

    She just seemed to be stuck on this it has to be drive 5, 8 in sleeper, drive 6, 2 hours off duty, drive 5, then 8 in sleeper and so on. Now this is correct but it is only the most simple version of it and there are other ways it can work out in the real world and be legal. Oh and she also said that if I drove 5, 8 in sleeper, drove 6, took 2 hours off, then drove 5 hours, 8 in sleeper, drove 2 then dropped off my load and took a 10 to get a fresh 14 that also was a violation, because i never took my two hours off, I would have to take two hours off, drive a little and then take a 10 to break it and I know that is wrong too, as soon as you have 10 hours off your 14 always starts fresh.

    I know this is a complicated subject so sorry if I'm hard to follow but I have done this my way many times and have never got a violation from it. I even did it the night before I had the one accident and didn't get a violation and I'm sure someone in Phoenix looked at my logs. It just bothers me someone teaching a log class would not understand it. If I'm wrong or its some sort of weird Swift thing let me know, but as long as I don't get any violations I'm going to keep doing it the way I have been.
     
    neal79, Sep 30, 2011
    neal79, Sep 30, 2011
    #1
    scottied67 Thanks this.
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  3. Sep 30, 2011 #2
    scottied67

    scottied67 Road Train Member

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    Mar 14, 2010
    california norte
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    Taking more than 2 for the 2 is OK just complicates the math a little bit. Sounds like you have a handle on it already, no need to argue with those who have no clue lol. What I did was visited a website called logbook.com then downloaded the free version of Drivers Daily Log and whenever I want to split break, I run my exact hours through the program and simply do not drive past where the red line starts (red line represents violation). When the logs are scanned they will not show a violation although they might break Swift's policy, no one will catch it unless they hand audit the logs.

    For instance it was explained to me that Swift wants a pre and post trip performed for 15 minutes each for each 2 and 8 hour break. That works out to 11 total hours off thereby making the 10 hour break with its 15 minutes pre and post trip 10.5 hours more attractive to the driver trying to save time. More attractive to Swift as well due to fewer violations from confused drivers using this policy.

    I voluntarily retook that group log class recently the instructor asked what I was looking for, I told him I wanted more in depth training on the split. Same schpiel, 8 sleeper 2 off duty/sleeper drive for no more than 11 blah blah. True, doing it this way one would never have to worry about calculating the 14 which is what I was really looking for.

    Funny how they seem to officially be against the splitting but the planners often set you up such that it is the only way to get the load there.

    Months after training, I teamed up with my mentor for a short time, well once he was taking a 'rolling 34' we called it so I was driving while he was resetting-- I drove 10.25 hours to get to this place, we sat for several hours waiting to get unloaded then I told him another hour or so would be my 8 then we could go. He tells me to log half an hour for pretrip then let's roll. Truck stop was half hour away. Told him I only have 45 minutes drive time left, that I would log just 15 minutes. We argued about that til I almost had a 10 hour break lol. He said I was allowed 13 hours driving in 24 hours. True. But not for this case. Another example of people who should be in the know who don't know shinola.
     
    scottied67, Sep 30, 2011
    scottied67, Sep 30, 2011
    #2
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