Veteran Truckers, Heres some questions from a Newbie about HOS

First, is it a violation, to do your pre-trips on your break time or off-duty(sleeper berth) clock, maybe even at the very end of your reset? If so, what are your tips on time clock management, obviously trip planning and all of that but what have you found has worked for you? Hopefully no one has found themselves out of shift time at a receiver/shipper. But lets hear it.

 

Yes, that would be a violation, and an unnecessary one. You have 14 hours of on duty time available, and only 11 of those can be used for driving.

If I’m going to be waiting around at a shipper (like I am right now) or a receiver, I log into sleeper berth and physically move myself back into the bunk. If I’m there for over two hours, my 14 hour clock stops and I get that time back.

 

If you drive the same truck all the time your pre-trips take about 3 minutes. It isnt a huge deal.

 

Anything you do for the truck is On Duty time. Be it pre-trip, post trip, fuel, paperwork, loading, unloading, taking to a shop, etc.
Note that loading/unloading applies when you are doing it, not somebody else. If you are in the sleeper then that is a sleeper berth on the logs not unloading.

 

Depends on your goal. If you're trying to do your pocketbook a favor (and your carrier), you'll log the bare minimum of drive and on-duty time, then go on sleeper berth or off duty.

If you're trying to burn up your hours...lol all you have to do is be honest.

But make sure it's LEGAL on your log sheet (paper or electronic) no matter WHAT you're doing.

My main tip? Make your log work to YOUR benefit. You're tired this week? Make it impossible to work too hard and get some rest. You need money? Your cup can runneth over with hours. Lol

 

Customers wasting the time of truck drivers is a BIG issue in trucking. The driver has his time monitored by electronics and limited by the Federal regulations. Many customers could not care any less about wasting the time of drivers.

 

Not saying this is legal, but here's what I do - I pre/post as long as I want, but only log a little bit, if I log it at all.

For a post trip, I'll log five minutes or so, and then go off duty. Then I'm under my trailer, over and under my truck frame looking at U-joint straps, etc. Hood popped, you name it. If I'm bored enough, it might take an hour. If I find a problem, I've got ten hours to fix it before I'm reset. All off duty.

My log isn't going to get destroyed just because I want to be a little thorough.

 

When in doubt about logbook entries, go to the government so you do it correctly.
"Www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-service/logbook-examples.pdf"
Use their examples as a guide. Any problems; show them the pdf file as proof you did it correctly.

 

Ive never logged a post trip in my life, except 1 union company where we had to by company policy (paper logs). Never had an issue with it in almost 40 years.

 

(5) All time loading or unloading a commercial motor vehicle, supervising, or assisting in the loading or unloading, attending a commercial motor vehicle being loaded or unloaded, remaining in readiness to operate the commercial motor vehicle, or in giving or receiving receipts for shipments loaded or unloaded;


direct from FMCSA website but there are some here that will argue till their blue in the face that it’s legal to be in sleeper while you’re being loaded or unloaded. They love to quote regs till you point out that very clearly in the regs they are wrong by using sleeper berth to give away their time. Don’t work for an outfit that expects you to sit in a dock for multiple hours giving away your time.