Stretching the truth on Line 1: Finessing or falsifying?

If the plant has you wait outside of the truck, in a break room, and not at the dock supervising or attending the unload, then you are off duty LINE 1.

Off duty states that YOU are not responsible for the load, so once in the dock, away from the truck/load....OFF DUTY...LINE1!

 

To log off duty, you must be relieved of all responsibilities of the truck and the load and "free to pursue activities of your choice".

 

When you go to orientation they will tell you the company policy for this.
Most places it is log 15 min for check in and then line 1 or 2.
I know that my current company does this, and Central did that.
I have had quite a few inspections doing it that way in several states and never had an issue.

 

And you probably wont have a problem at any scale house or logbook check, UNLESS you are involved in some sort of accident especially if there is a fatality involved. Their lawyers will dig up any evidence necessary to prove that you falsified your logs and thereby making the accident and the fatality YOUR FAULT!!!
Sonny, it's just not worth it! You most likely will get away with it but are you prepared to give up your job, your possessions, and maybe your freedom to gain an extra couple of minutes in the logbook???
I know I used to play the game too, I thank God that I don't have to anymore!

 

Just going on what you said here:
1. In order to be on line 2, (legally) you MUST be there. If you are in a break/drivers room, you can't be in the sleeper.
2. If you are not participating in the load procedure, or counting the freight on the dock, or monitoring the flow of product into the vessel...you are not ON DUTY...you have been placed OFF DUTY by the shipper themselves since you have no responsibility with the product or the vessel, or the tractor. There would be no other option available to your log book.

Keep in mind that COMMON SENSE AND LOGIC will pass muster in any courtroom, especially in this example. And by the exact wording of the regulation there is no other common sense explanation to your accessibility to your truck.

 

I guess on the practical side of the matter, if I make it a practice to get some sleep time however it becomes available, I'll better my chances of driving while I'm in condition to drive. If I need sleep while at a shipper/receiver and I am allowed to remain in the truck, I can log Line 2 and if "push comes to shove" and I get a violation because I should have logged on Line 4, then at least I would have gotten some rest and prevented what could evolve into "bad to worse", i.e., being involved in an accident because I wasn't well rested. I'm probably way out of line and not in touch with reality here, but I'll be ###### if I'm going to drive when I'm physically drained.....let the chips fall where they may!

 

I used to play that game too Dave...Now I don't!

I'm unloading in Casper, Wy. tomorrow morning, The truck that loaded right before me unloaded this morning and reloaded to go to Oklahoma for delivery tomorrow afternoon.
He's shut down right now in Colorado at the P.O.E. and has a fat logbook violation to show for it and he's gonna be late with the freight too.

It's not worth it to do that crap!

I don't play the "game" anymore and haven't in many years!

Sonny...My advice to you is RUN LEGAL! Don't start playing the "game" because you will lose in the long run.

"Fudging" is lying, Guiys like to call it "fudging" because it sounds better but a lie by any other name is still a LIE.

 

I know of a driver who got a log violation for logging more than 2 hours off-duty away from his home location without a hotel receipt. Which I think really sucks, because does this mean that I can't spend an afternoon going to the movies, out to eat, whatever, for more than 2 hours. I'm supposed to be like a prisoner in my truck.