Swifties - what is acceptable for out of route?

Doc, do yourself a google search for nearby drug stores bro. Might be one close enough you could make it there and go back to off duty before the duty status sticks. You have five minutes. Do that and your back at the Pilot with the good stuff.

 

Not for company drivers.
If you are driving you are on the on-duty driving line.

But we can get to a safe stop. I have driven 40 miles to do so with no problems.
It sometimes helps to contact your DM to inform them of your intensions.

Even so, if you drive 40 miles to a stop and your next load is 1 mile from your last destination - you will be paid 1 mile for the mt miles, even though you drove 80 with the round trip.

 

The only 'concrete' answer you'll ever get is to get to the nearest safe place to park.
To me, that means the nearest place with a good cup of coffee when I wake up.

 

After a year of solo driving, you will not owe them anything. Move on to a better company, and you will learn about off duty driving.

"the old miserable one" isn't your boss. She is there to help you do your job.

 

To answer your question about "Line 5", Off Duty Driving....if the company allows it, then your graph would show a fifth line with that particular title. Also, the companies that do allow it, have specific guidelines (miles/time) that they will allow for "personal conveyance".

Personal conveyance is only mentioned in the explanation/evaluation information in the FMCSA Rules and Regulations, it is not in the actual rules and regs as a specific item.

 

Generally speaking as a company driver I try to park as close to my delivery as possible for a 10 or other off duty. Sometimes I have had to travel as much as 50 miles to reach a truckstop, rest area, or Walmart. However, as noted above, I've often had to backtrack unpaid miles for my next load.

Regarding taking major changes to a planned fuel route, it's best to contact a DM before doing that. There's been a few times I've done that to save time going a longer route on freeways rather than run through multiple small towns.

Acceptable out of route should average less than 16% of total miles.