DOT Hours of Service for Truck Drivers

Being a truck driver can be a great job. You drive your house around, get to see the country, and you get paid for it. The downfall is if you have a spouse and small children, you're gone from home a lot, and of course, you have to follow DOT hours of service for motor carriers. The hours of service changed a few years ago because of, what else, government bureaucracy, and of course, because of stupid people. And yes, I mean stupid people who have either wrecked with a big truck or had family who wrecked. As we have examined in past posts most accidents between four-wheelers and big trucks is because the driver of the four wheeler failed to exercise caution and good sense while driving on the road with big trucks. But I have ranted about that enough!

What does hours of service mean? There are regulations set up by the Department of Transportation that are intended to make sure truck drivers get enough rest so they aren't driving while tired. Every truck driver who operates a big truck, whether a tractor trailer, straight truck or day cab, that weighs more than 10,001 pounds and operates outside of a one hundred mile radius of their home city, must keep a log book. These can be in a tablet type book or loose leaf, but are always done in duplicate. The driver keeps one copy and turns the original in with each trip sheet. Log books must be updated before each trip and at each break, and must include mileage, date, city, state, times, length of stops including fuel stops, sleep time, pre- and post trip inspections, off duty time, and must be presented to State Troopers or DOT Officers upon request.

Basically, a truck driver's day is broken up with a fourteen hour work day and ten hours of sleeper time. Of the fourteen work hours, only eleven of those can be used for driving, the other three are "on duty not driving" hours. These hours can be used for fueling, PM (preventative maintenance), truck wash, tire shop, etc. Now that sounds like a pretty good work day and a lot of travel time. The problem with these new regulations is it doesn't take into account dock time.

Dock time is the amount of time a truck spends being loaded and unloaded. A driver can be in a dock for any amount of time, but usually several hours. Some places, like the vegetable loads in Nogales, AZ, can take as long as 8-10 hours. Sometimes longer. Unloading in places like Wal-Mart distribution centers can take five or six hours and sometimes longer. It's not unusual for a driver to use dock time to sleep.

So what's the problem? It sounds like multi-tasking doesn't it? A driver is in the dock and sleeping too, sounds like killing two birds with one stone. Ah, but that's a rational conclusion, and you have to remember the DOT is an entity of the federal government--where no rational or logical decisions have ever been made.
Even if a driver is in a dock for eleven hours and sleeps during that time he cannot log it as sleeper time. He must log it as "on duty not driving", which leaves him only three hours for actual drive time. When you have a load going across the country and a certain amount of time to get it there, three hours is no time at all.

With all the problems plaguing truck drivers from the general public to the lack of truck parking to DOT regulations it's no wonder so few new drivers are being hired. In fact, many truck driving schools have shut their doors because there simply aren't enough people learning to drive truck to keep them in business, and many companies are now offering driver training to those with no experience driving big trucks.

I don't know the answer to getting DOT to post realistic guidelines, but I do know that the public in general can be responsible drivers, follow the rules of the road for sharing the highway with big trucks and reduce the number of accidents involving big trucks.

If you're interested in learning more about the trucking industry, try the following sites:

Trucking Truth

Life On The Road

Share The Road

The girl driving this car was trying to light a cigarette while getting on the freeway, ran off the road into gravel, lost control and hit a semi. She survived.

Having criss-crossed the country several times, I am still amazed at the way four-wheelers drive around big trucks. Truckers understand that their rigs are big, slow and can slow other travelers down. After all, truck drivers don't drive big trucks all the time, when we're home we are four-wheelers too. I drive a Ford F-150 4x4,  Nathan drives a Honda 1500 SE motorcycle, and we also have a Ford Ranger. We live in the boonies and often have to follow log trucks for miles before we're able to pass. It can be frustrating to drive five or ten miles an hour below the speed limit, or whatever self-imposed limit one might have, but trying to outrun or pass carelessly just isn't a good idea. Eighty thousand pounds vs. four thousand pounds--guess who's going to lose that one!

Here are a few simple rules to help us all share the road and be just a bit more friendly:

1. Don't tailgate a big truck. Slipstreaming does not improve your gas mileage and makes it impossible for the truck driver to see you. If you can't see his west coast mirrors, then he can't see you!

2. When passing a big truck, don't slide back into the lane right in front of the truck. Make sure there is at least three car lengths between you and the big truck at all times. Remember, it takes a big truck three hundred feet to come to a complete stop at fifty miles an hour.

3. Don't hang out in the hammer lane next to the trailer. The driver has blind spots and if he can't see you when he changes lanes, you aren't going to like what happens next. And neither will he, the paper work is crazy!

4.When a big truck is signalling to make a right hand turn, he really is turning right no matter how it may look from behind. Trucks make wide right turns to keep the trailer from running up on the sidewalk or taking out the signal light pole, so don't try to cut under his trailer and beat him to the turn. That is a suicidal move and you can be killed when the trailer runs over you.

5. If you are in front of a big truck, do not hit your brakes suddenly. A big truck cannot stop quickly and will run over you. Again, you will not like the results of this action.

6. There is this invention on every vehicle. It's a lever on the left side of the steering column and when you push it up the lights on the right will flash indicating you want to turn right and when you press it down, it indicates you want to turn left. This is called a turn signal and lets other drivers know what you intend to do. I don't think very many people are aware it exists because I see so few using it.

7. When coming off an exit onto a roadway, do not creep out in front of traffic. Truck drivers pay attention to get ons and will see you coming. Get up to speed and get on the road. If you creep up, you may get run over.

8. Pick a speed and stick with it, especially on two-lane roads. Do the speed limit, don't speed up and slow down only to speed up again. Trucks are heavy and it is difficult for them to get up to speed, so when they are following someone who is talking on the phone and not paying attention to their driving, this impedes their driving. Most trucks have manual transmissions and having to push on a stiff clutch to downshift and then upshift because a driver in front of them doesn't maintain their speed can cause a number of difficulties for the truck and for you.

9. Trucks are very heavy and especially slow going up hill. Be patient, they aren't driving that slow just to hold you back and when they can move out of the way to let you pass, they will. Trying to pass a truck on a hill or curve is stupid and will get you killed.

10. When road conditions are slick, please slow down and use all safety measures around big trucks. If they have to hit the brakes because a car cuts in front of them and their trailer loses traction, they may jack knife, or go into a skid. Again, you're not going to like what happens next.

11. When travelling, if you stop at a truck stop for fuel or to use the bathroom, truck parking is NOT for you. Even if you're in an RV or pulling a travel trailer, do not park in truck parking slots. Truck drivers are required by federal law to stop driving after a certain amount of time and truck stop parking lots are built specifically for this reason. Every time an RV or travel trailer uses a truck parking slot they are keeping a hard working man or woman from obeying DOT regulations. This includes rest areas as well--RV's and travel trailers can use car parking, just take two or three slots and park vertically, problem solved!

Everyone is in a hurry to get to where they're going but you want to arrive alive, so hang up your phones, eat your hamburger while stopped, read your newspaper at home, answer your email when you get to your destination and use common sense. There are more and more vehicles on the road every day and more and more big trucks, but we can all use the same roadways if we just take a few more minutes. What's five extra minutes to get somewhere compared to eternity six feet under?

Next time on My Road Trip I'll be talking about DOT rules of service for motor carriers. I hope it'll help everyone understand exactly what truck drivers have to deal with on a daily basis.

A speeding Camaro lost control on a wet roadway, spun into a semi and this vehicle then rear-ended the semi. The only survivor was the truck driver.                                                                            

Breaker One Nine!

Since I'm here at a hotel in Kansas City and it's snowing like it's Christmas, I thought I'd an answer a few questions and offer a little road advice since big trucks and four wheelers must share the road.

I knew this question would come up eventually! Allison asked, "What about the bathroom?"

Of course, I use the bathroom when we stop for fuel, showers, and at the end of the driving day. Also, the dogs need to get out about every four hours and we try to stop at rest areas for this so we can use the facilities. Occasionally, there are times when one just has to "go" and there's no time to stop the truck, or we happen to be in the middle of no where, so for those times, I have a 44 ounce plastic pop cup from the Quik Trip. It has a plastic lid and gets dumped, rinsed and dried, and kept for future emergencies. For those occasions when we have to have a bm and can't make a rest area, there's a trash can, lined with a Wal-Mart bag and paper towels. It's not exactly comfortable, but it works. Toilet paper and baby wipes are a necessity on a truck!

Some of the newer trucks do come equipped with showers and toilets, some even have mini-kitchens with cook stove and sink. These are called "apartments" and are longer than a normal tractor. They are very expensive and you may have seen them pulling moving van trailers.

Driver CB Lingo:

Remember those trucker movies from the 80's  BJ & The Bear and Smokey & The Bandit? They used trucker talk like "hey good buddy" "10-4" and "breaker-breaker," while some of the speak hasn't changed, some of it has changed meaning. So here's some Trucker-speak so when you rush out and get a CB for your car, you'll know how to talk to the truckers!

Good Buddy-This used to be a reference to any truck driver who was courteous or had done some kindness, however, now it means a gay or bi-sexual trucker looking for a partner for the night

Brake Check-vehicles are slowing or coming to a stop

Breaker One Nine-someone wants to talk

Radio Check-wants to know if  CB is working

Lot Lizard-male or female prostitute who works truck stops

10-4 or 10-affirmative, yes, or I understand

Smoky/Full grown/Statey/Bear-State Trooper

Care Bear-Any cop sitting in construction with lights on to slow traffic and protect workers

Plain Wrapper (any color)-Unmarked cop vehicle

Polar Bear-White unmarked cop vehicle

Kojak w/a Kodak-any cop shooting radar or taking pictures

City Kitty & Local Yokel-City cop

County Mountie-County Sheriff

Chicken Coop-weigh station

Yard Stick-mile marker

Meat wagon-ambulance

4-wheeler-any four wheeled vehicle

HazMat-Hazardous Materials require placquard on trailer

Straight truck-A truck w/tractor that doesn't detach from trailer

Bob tail-Tractor w/o trailer attached

Seat cover-A female in the passenger seat

Covered Wagon-A flat bed trailer with removable wooden sides and rails covered with a tarp

Flat Bed-A trailer used to haul heavy objects like steel, pipe, etc. and has no sides or roof, not to be confused with a step-deck, used to haul heavy equipment, or a low-boy, used to haul trucks or other large vehicles

Day Cab-tractor with just seats, no sleeper

Tanker-hauls fuel or any liquid, usually hazmat

Parking Lot-A trailer used to transport vehicles

DriveAway-A tractor that has other trucks piggy-backed on it

Reefer-hauls cold/frozen foods, sometimes hauls hazmat that requires temp. control

Dry Van-hauls any type of load not requiring temp. or humidity control

Bull Hauler-big, metal trailer that hauls livestock

Chicken hauler-flatbed loaded with metal crates hauling live foul

Boom Bar Load-These tractors have a large bar that attaches to the 5th wheel and has another tractor attached, facing rear so it can be towed

Dammit Girl-Driver has just seen a sexy woman in a four wheeler

Dammit Boy-same as above, but used by female drivers

Dammit Girl/Driver-A response used to express surprise, interest, or excitement (usually in response to a sexual comment)

Shut up stupid-a response to arguing truckers and one I hate hearing

I ain't got no panties on-usually whispered over the CB when no one is saying anything, a conversation starter, or in my case, a way to get me to turn off the CB

Some trucker's friends we met along the way

February 18, 2010

SNOW! SNOW! AND MORE SNOW!

After the ticket in Green Valley, AZ, we finally made it to Nogales to pick up a load heading to Rochester, NY instead of the planned on Florida anniversary trip. By the time we made Missouri, the cold weather had set in and only continued to get worse the farther east we went. St. Louis began the really bad weather and it took nearly an hour to get across to Illinois, and by the time we hit Indiana our top speed was about twenty six miles an hour. Needless to say, we didn't make our appointment in New York. But we did make it, which is more than some can say.

Most of the wrecks were four wheelers (cars), due to driving too fast.  We had a couple of close calls with four wheelers who didn't want to be behind or beside a big truck, so they sped by, lost control in front of us, and thanks to some great driving on Nathan's part, we avoided being caught up in their stupidity! Because of the deep snow, there were no real injuries, except to the pride of those who landed in the ditch or median. Unfortunately, there were a couple of big truck accidents that did result in injuries to the four wheelers who hit them, and I have to say, I am very proud of the drivers who chose to dump their trucks in the ditch rather than directly hit the vehicles who tangled with them.

If you saw the 40 car collision on highway 71 north of Columbus, Ohio, you know what we were dealing with. Fortunately, the wreck, with its twenty-nine mile back up, was on the southbound lanes and we didn't wind up sitting for hours at that location.

Following are some pics I took along the way. Please remember all the pics are taken while the truck is moving, and some of the roads are very rough, especially on the ice and snow, so some are blurry. My bad! :)

Sunset in AZ

F4 Phantom located in Corona, AZ at the VFW

This truck lost his trailer tandems in Oklahoma

The tandems that should be under the trailer!

The blue car was driving too fast when trying to make a left on to the on-ramp.

Snowing in Missouri near St. Louis.

Near St. Louis.

A car lost control in front of this truck and he hit the median guardrail.

Like I said, we were driving! Sorry about the focus.

The St. Louis arch in the snow.

This truck also swerved to miss hitting a car. (Illinois)

Pieces of the bumper.

The driver was injured in this crash.

This truck and car were involved with the truck above.

Westbound lane as we were heading east.

All part of the westbound wreck.

This was in Ohio on 71N.

The cab of the above truck.

This straight truck just slid off the road in front of us.

This car was involved in the 40-car pile up on 71N. 

Most of the vehicles had already been moved by the 

time we reached the wreck area, but a few cars and

quite a few trucks were still being towed.

February 10, 2010-Part Duex

Ever get the feeling you're going in circles? I certainly do and it's not just a feeling either. From Oklahoma to Kansas to Phoenix, AZ to Kentucky to Kansas City to Massachusetts to Kansas City to Phoenix, AZ! We delivered in Phoenix this morning, then got a PM, a truck wash, did laundry, took a shower, and we'll load tomorrow going....where she goes no one knows!

Here's a few things we saw as we ran in circles!

Hello! It's me on the road and that's a Marten truck we're passing that you can see out the window!

The TA Truck Stop Corfu, NY. This driver, Ken from Holladay, TN is adding diesel treatment to keep his fuel from jelling because of the cold temps. It was about 19 degrees.

This parking lot slid on ice and lost some of the cars he was carrying outside of Cleveland, Ohio.

 We ran into a little snow west of Santa Rosa, NM

                                         Phoenix, AZ

             I thought this looked cool! Near Phoenix.

If you don't know how to drive a truck, don't get in one--even a moving truck!

February 10, 2010-Part One

     Today's addition to My Road Trip is in two parts because it's been so long since I've posted and I have a lot to say--also, today is my best friend, Candi's birthday. Candi lives in a very small town in Missouri where she's a nurse at a doctor's office. Candi and I have known one another for about five or six years now. We met because of a gigantic dog named Brutus, who was in the dog pound and about to be put down. Candi volunteered at the pound to try and find the animals homes before they were put down and ran ads in the newspaper. I answered one of those ads and adopted Brutus. Candi and I became friends and worked together to provide homes for animals from two different pounds, as well as encouraging people to have their animals spayed and neutered. Candi is like a sister to me and I love her so much!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CANDI!

I promised to post pics of the truck so everyone can see how we live on the road. There are many misconceptions about living on a truck so I'm going to try and clear them up.

Isn't it expensive to live on the road?

No, it's not. We have everything we need on board, plus some things you might not think of!

Don't you have to pay for motels every night?

Not at all. Most trucks are equipped with two beds.

How do you take showers?

Nearly every truck stop has showers, which are free to drivers when they purchase fuel. Trucks usually fuel once a day and can hold from one hundred to three hundred gallons of diesel. We fuel at the Love's Truck Stop where we have unlimited free showers and coffee.

What about laundry?

Most truck stops have a laundry room with washers and dryers like the ones at your local laundromat.

What about food? Do you eat at restaurants every day?

Some truckers do, but that's expensive. We have a refrigerator/freezer and microwave on board, as well as plenty of storage. We shop at Wal-Mart and buy groceries not only for meals on the road, but also in the event we run into bad weather and wind up stuck on a road due to accidents or road closures.

Any other questions? Please leave them in your comments and I'll answer as I can!

We drive a 2006 Freightliner Columbia class with a Detroit engine and a fully automatic transmission (our first auto).

This is the tractor, or Bobtail when driven without a trailer attached.

We pull a 53' reefer that carries refrigerated and frozen items. The max weight allowed on any truck is 80,000 pounds. A reefer can take approx. 45,000 pounds cargo weight and still scale under 80k. Weights are calculated per axle. The steer axle can weigh at 12,000 pounds, the drive axle and tandems can weigh as much as 34,000 pounds.

On the scales weighing a load to make sure all axles are legal.

Trucks can carry as much as 400 gallons of fuel and have a fuel tank on each side. There are pumps on both sides so tanks are filled simultaneously.

Log books are required by the DOT for all drivers. They have specific rules for driving, loading, unloading, and off time that must be logged every day. A calculator and loose leaf log book is a drivers best friend!

The reefer trailer has a refrigerator unit at the front, thicker walls, and a fuel tank to operate the reefer, which adds extra weight and causes the cargo loads to be less than those a dry van can carry.

Sonya and Harley run things. Seriously!

                                                Command central.

TV & DVD Player

Above this shelf are more shelves I use for clothes.

Sonya on our bed. She's usually under the blankets, tunneling like a gopher!

The entire bed opens up and there is a ton of storage beneath. Above our bed is a bunk that has had the mattress removed and hinged lids added for more storage space.

                                        Microwave on top of fridge.

Bedside control panel for lights, AC/Heat, stereo, and 12 Volt plug.
                                                      

The "pantry" above microwave. As you can see, we store food, paper towels, and dishes here.

The doggies food and water next to our closet. The closet is below the TV/DVD shelf.