Odd laws and how to find out more...?

[Zen Road Warrior]

Hello, I've heard of some odd laws out there that drivers can get tickets for like in Mass you need to pass someone in 3 minutes and in CA you need to have a line in your log every 4 hours.

I'm a new driver and was wondering how can someone find out about all of these odd - not so obvious laws out there - I don't want to get tickets out of just not knowing.....

Thanks

[Orangetxguy]

Hello, I've heard of some odd laws out there that drivers can get tickets for like in Mass you need to pass someone in 3 minutes and in CA you need to have a line in your log every 4 hours.

I'm a new driver and was wondering how can someone find out about all of these odd - not so obvious laws out there - I don't want to get tickets out of just not knowing.....

Thanks

Have never heard either of those "Laws". Of course..I have never driven a truck in MA..and don't have any intention of doing so anytime soon. As for CA....
Read this;
Hours Of Service

You are required to comply with California's driver hours of service regulations when you are involved in INTRAstate commerce. You are considered to be involved in intrastate commerce when you do not:

Cross the state line.
Transport cargo which originated from another state.
Transport cargo destined outside of California.
Transport any hazardous substance or waste. (49 CFR 171.8)
Other Rules

You are required to comply with federal hours of service regulations when you are involved in INTERstate commerce. You are considered to be involved in interstate commerce when the cargo you transport:

Originates out of state.
Is destined out of state.
Consists of hazardous substances or wastes. (49 CFR 171.8)
Any combination of the above.
Driver's Record Of Duty Status

The California Highway Patrol is authorized to develop additional safety and driving regulations. (VC §§34501 and 34501.2)

A driver’s record of duty status must be used to record all of the driver’s hours. Drivers of commercial vehicles must be in compliance with the hours of service requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 49, §395.8 and the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 13, §§1201–1213.

A driver’s record of duty status, in duplicate, must be kept by each driver and each co-driver while driving, on duty but not driving, or resting in a sleeper berth. The record of duty status must be presented for inspection immediately upon request by any authorized CHP employee, any regularly employed and salaried police officer, or deputy sheriff. There may be instances when you do not need to maintain a record of duty status.

Condition Federal (Interstate commerce) California (Intrastate commerce)
Driving time You may not drive for more than 11 hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty. You may not drive for more than 12 hours following 8 consecutive hours off duty.
On duty time You may not drive beyond the 14th hour after coming on duty following 10 hours off duty. You may perform work, except for driving, after being on duty for 14 hours. You may not drive after having been on duty for 15 hours. You may perform work, except for driving, after being on duty for 15 hours.
Multiple day on duty time limitations You are not eligible to drive after having been on duty for 60 hours in a 7-day period. However, if a motor carrier has commercial motor vehicles operating 7 days a week, the driver is not eligible to drive after having been on duty for 70 hours in an 8-day period. A driver may restart a 7/8 consecutive day period after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty. You are not eligible to drive after having been on duty for 80 hours in any 8 consecutive day period or if transporting farm products after having been on duty 112 hours in any consecutive 8-day period.
Off duty time After driving for 11 hours or being on duty for 14 hours, you may not drive again until you have had 10 consecutive hours off duty

Exception: If the truck is quipped with a sleeper berth, these 10 hours may be broken up into 2 periods provided neither is less than 2 hours.
After driving for 12 hours or being on duty for 15 hours, you may not drive again until you have had 8 consecutive hours off duty.

Exception: If the truck is equipped with a sleeper berth, these 8 hours may be broken up into 2 periods provided neither period is less than 2 hours.

Adverse driving condition You may drive an additional 2 hours if you encounter adverse weather conditions which were not apparent at the start of the trip. You may drive an additional 2 hours if you encounter adverse weather conditions which were not apparent at the start of the trip.
Regardless of the adverse conditions, you are not allowed to drive for more than 14 hours or after having been on duty more than 15 hours.

and this:
Limitations: Driving Hours
34501.2. (a) The regulations adopted under Section 34501 for vehicles engaged in interstate or intrastate commerce shall establish hours-of-service regulations for drivers of those vehicles that are consistent with the hours-of-service regulations adopted by the United States Department of Transportation in Part 395 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as those regulations now exist or are hereafter amended.

(b) The regulations adopted under Section 34501 for vehicles engaged in intrastate commerce that are not transporting hazardous substances or hazardous waste, as those terms are defined by regulations in Section 171.8 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as those regulations now exist or are hereafter amended, shall have the following exceptions:

(1) The maximum driving time within a work period shall be 12 hours for a driver of a truck or truck tractor, except for a driver of a tank vehicle with a capacity of more than 500 gallons transporting flammable liquid, who shall not drive for more than 10 hours within a work period.

(2) No motor carrier shall permit or require a driver to drive, nor shall any driver drive, for any period after having been on duty for 80 hours in any consecutive eight days.

(3) A driver employed by an electrical corporation, as defined in Section 218 of the Public Utilities Code, a gas corporation, as defined in Section 222 of that code, a telephone corporation, as defined in Section 234 of that code, a water corporation, as defined in Section 241 of that code, or a public water district as defined in Section 20200 of the Water Code, may be permitted or required to drive more than the number of hours specified in subdivision (a) while operating a public utility or public water district vehicle during the emergency restoration of service.

(4) Any other exceptions applicable to drivers assigned to governmental fire suppression and prevention, as determined by the department.

(5) A driver employed by a law enforcement agency, as defined in Section 390.3(f)(2) of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as that section now exists or is hereafter amended, during an emergency or to restore the public peace.

(c) The regulations adopted under Section 34501 for vehicles engaged in the transportation of farm products in intrastate commerce shall include all of the following provisions:

(1) A driver employed by an agricultural carrier, including a carrier holding a seasonal permit, or by a private carrier, when transporting farm products from the field to the first point of processing or packing, shall not drive for any period after having been on duty 16 hours or more following eight consecutive hours off duty and shall not drive for any period after having been on duty for 112 hours in any consecutive eight-day period, except that a driver transporting special situation farm products from the field to the first point of processing or packing, or transporting livestock from pasture to pasture, may be permitted, during one period of not more than 28 consecutive days or a combination of two periods totaling not more than 28 days in a calendar year, to drive for not more than 12 hours during any workday of not more than 16 hours. A driver who thereby exceeds the driving time limits specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) shall maintain a driver's record of duty status, and shall keep a duplicate copy in his or her possession when driving a vehicle subject to this chapter. These records shall be presented immediately upon request by any authorized employee of the department, or any police officer or deputy sheriff.

(2) Upon the request of the Director of Food and Agriculture, the commissioner may, for good cause, temporarily waive the maximum on-duty time limits applicable to any eight-day period when an emergency exists due to inclement weather, natural disaster, or an adverse economic condition that threatens to disrupt the orderly movement of farm products during harvest for the duration of the emergency. For purposes of this paragraph, an emergency does not include a strike or labor dispute.

(3) For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms have the following meanings:

(A) "Farm products" means every agricultural, horticultural, viticultural, or vegetable product of the soil, honey and beeswax, oilseeds, poultry, livestock, milk, or timber.

(B) "First point of processing or packing" means a location where farm products are dried, canned, extracted, fermented, distilled, frozen, ginned, eviscerated, pasteurized, packed, packaged, bottled, conditioned, or otherwise manufactured, processed, or preserved for distribution in wholesale or retail markets.

(C) "Special situation farm products" means fruit, tomatoes, sugar beets, grains, wine grapes, grape concentrate, cotton, or nuts.

Amended Ch. 928, Stats. 1991. Effective October 14, 1991.
Amended Ch. 1043, Stats. 1991. Effective January 1, 1992.
Amended Ch. 1144, Stats. 1992. Effective January 1, 1993.
Amended Ch. 208, Stats. 1993. Effective January 1, 1994.
Amended Sec. 1, Ch. 102, Stats. 1995. Effective January 1, 1996.
Amended Sec. 24, Ch. 787, Stats. 2000. Effective January 1, 2001.


Those were gathered from this web address; http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/cdl_htm/toc.htm

Nothing there about a line every 4 hours. As with Federal Regulations, you must keep your logbook up, to the last change of duty status.