Switching from Short Haul Exception to Standard 60/7 or 70/8

Hi,

First off I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. I'll give my background first if you don't want to get to know me please skip down to the bottom of the page. I've been driving straight box truck for 9 years now first 5 of which were as a company driver. Then that company lost its contract and I got hired by the next company to get the contract. They have an owner/operator set up and original I just ran under their authority. Well mid summer this year they decided they wanted us to all get our own authority and run that way so I am new to running under my own authority. Prior to doing so I never really cared about my HOS because the responsibility has always fallen under someone else I just got the job done. Well now that I am an owner operator with his own authority and insurance and being a make lemonade out of lemons kinda guy I've decided to use my authority and insurance to try and pick up additional work. I've been looking on uShip and found loads that I know I can do and fairly certain that I can get them done legally within my HOS. Up until this point I've used the Big Road Trucker iphone app mostly just to easily keep my hours of service since I'm not required to keep an actual log. So I guess my broad question is how to I switch over to long haul rules to take weekend runs? Is it just that simple on the weekend run long haul rules. Or do I need to run long haul rules even on my short haul runs? Also if I run long haul rules what are the advantages of 60/7 over 70/8 or vice versa.


Thanks for for the help,
Mike

 

Like I said I am now and the company I worked for before kept them for us (right or wrong that's what happened and it's water under the bridge). Right now I'm on 60/7 because I am home every weekend. What I would like to know is how do I switch from 60/7 short haul to 70/8. I read in the rules that if I start at 60/7 then I have to run that for 7 days after. Does that mean that just mean a 34hr reset then start the next week at 70/8 or am I understanding it wrong and I can switch middle of the week? Also I was wondering even though I have 60/7 short haul marked in my log. Is I just happened to be compliant with 70/8 that week can I just could I just change? Just looking for information here.

 

I guess I'm taking the long way around to understand all this. I didn't say the DOT said you had to run so many hours. I meant/said that if you were following the 60/7 hour rules that you had to follow those rules for seven days after you your reset. And I guess my question is if I'm short haul then I don't have to keep a log just hours of service. Haul now 5 days a week, but I want to pick up loads on the weekends I'm going have to switch to the 70 hr rule. Since I don't have a log book right now. Then when I switch to 70 hrs say today would it affect my availability for tomorrow? With the shorthair your driving hours are guesstimated since you aren't keeping an actual log book so when I switch to 70hrs would my availability just be based off of my guesstimated driving hours used during short haul prior in the week. Or should I do a reset and start fresh with the driving hours? Or does the DOT not really care when it would be minimal or do they go off of my complete duty hours?

 

Incase there is a misunderstand I want to start using 70 hour ruling because I want to be available 7 days. Not trying to make it complicated. Just don't want to break the law. Maybe I'm over thinking it and I can just switch and run. I don't know. Just wanted to make sure what I was running tues-fri on 60hrs didn't affect my availability on when I switched to 70hrs on Saturday. And that switching to 70hrs on sat didn't make anything logged tues-tri incorrect. Sorry for the inconvenience guys.

 

Furthermore I'm not asking to do this a week at a time. Once I go available 7 days I understand I'm on 70hrs. I just didn't know if switching affected anything.

 

Just out of curiosity I've posted 2 questions on the forums looking for information and it seems like I'm getting some flack because I'm not very familiar with things. My question is what is expected when you're thrown in to something some people may have grown up wanting to own a trucking company. Some people may have grown up just driving a truck. Some may have just found them in a job and they perform well and found that they've got to be owner operators to keep providing for their families. I understand it would have been great to have a mentor to teach me everything before I got started. Or if there was a school I could have went to to learn all this because it was my dream for a long time. But that's not the case. I'm just trying to make a living. Just like you guys. I was forced in to this. Seems to me some credit is due for being here trying to do it right. I understand I'm the one who will benefit in the long run, but then again I'd be the one paying the price if I don't get it right. So why all the animosity towards questions?