Why aren't logs required for local work?

Don't worry, be happy.

 

it has to do with "air miles" and hours you work. if you travel under (i think) 100 air miles, no log. if you work under (i think) 12 hours, no log.

someone more familiar with this can chime in. i need to do a log myself as i put in 300 miles (round trip) nightly, but under 9 hours (most nights)

 

See you are not exempt from hos. You are exempt from needing to keep a full grid log if you meet all three criteria.
1. No more than 12 hours working.
2. Less than 100 air mile radius
3. Start/stop in same location.

If you meet all three you can do a timecard, instead of a full graph log. Remember though you still need to be aware of your 60/70 hour clock. It is still in affect.

 

As for the question asked, could you imagine what a graph log would look like for a local delivery guy with 28 stops....

 

well when i ran the road and had to make multiple stops, especially in the same city, i went down to line 4, on duty, not driving and stayed there, then i had to flag from the start of that till the end, then go back up to driving line. all i had to put down was "all city driving, Allentown, PA".

 

It depends on a few things, one is can you put 30 stops on a log?

If you can, then can they be read?

OK seriously this is a long explanation.

There is an issue with the way the regulations were imposed onto the states, the FMCSA, or at the time the ICC had limited powers (and still does) to tell the states what they can do within their borders and the state in truth can ignore the ICC/US DOT/FMCSA regulations to a point. A state can require logging for one or another truck, define what a truck is or isn't and so on. We have some odd issue of what a CMV is here, with five, FIVE different definitions based on both weight and licensing and they all conflict.

The states agreed to follow the HOS back in the 1930's as part of the driver protection the HOS was created to do and it worked. The ICC (and congress) at the time had push back by the states with some exemptions and there were I think 300 different requests made for exemptions like those for borax trucks, and another for peach trucks and so on. So congress said, we will just give a mileage exemption but they have to limit the hours worked with no need to log the time other than a time clock.

Then the states later agreed to adopt most of the other federal regulations after the war because of the horrible mess that came about during the war (a lot of drivers were killed by the lifting of HOS and safety requirements in '42 - '44), so one centralized means of regulation creation and approval is not needed through this agreement, they are just adopted by the states automatically. The states still can opt out of this but then they have another issue with another agreement between all the states that will stop that.

 

They ask where are you coming from and where are you going. Or, they may ask if you are keeping a log book. You answer and include the fact that you are run local and are not required to keep a log due to the fact that you remain within the 100 air mile radius, end of story.

That has always been my response and the DOT officer has never taken it any further.