Beer on the Road
#81
10-18-2007, 08:35 PM
Originally Posted by mudpuddle
The regulation is very clear and specific.
Well.... YES and NO. :lol: You may not operate a CMV or go on duty while your CMV contains any alcoholic beverage unless it a shipment and it is on your BOL. THIS is TRUE! If you come out of the sleeper berth and engage in a conversation/inspection with a DOT or police officer you are in fact then on duty and if you have alcohol in your system you're had. This is NOT true! No more so than answering a phone call or qualcom message from your dispatcher. If you are OFF duty, and NOT in a postion of "readiness" to go ON DUTY, then you are NOT ON DUTY, and therefore not subject to this regulation. If someone hits you in a parking lot and you have to come out and exchange paperwork, take pictures, etc you are on duty and you could be violated. Please cite me the REG! There is an exception. If you are using your CMV as a personal conveyance you may have closed containers in the CMV but you are on very thin ice with that one unless you are an O/O. THIS is true.... but it is clearly stated that it makes no difference to the LEO's whether you are an O/O or a company driver! The simplest thing to do to prevent loosing your career over something so unnecessary is to NEVER have alcohol in your truck. By the way say you drive your personal conveyance to the nearest tavern and have a few. Even if you sleep in the truck how long do you think it will take for the company to fire you when they start getting calls from concerned citizens about their driver who was drinking and driving? Well... NO ONE was talking about driving the bobtail to a BAR! And, who really calls companies anyway?? Do SOME of you guys EVER DRIVE OTR?? I see trucks at XXX video stores parked overnight. I see them at bars. I see them everywhere! Sure.... YOUR "simplest thing" is idealistic.... but is it practical? Is it realistic? Have you been outside of your LOCAL area to MAKE such a claim?
__________________
Remember... friends are few and far between. TRUCKIN' AIN'T FOR WUSSES!!! "I am willing to admit that I was wrong." The Rev.
#82
10-18-2007, 08:47 PM
Originally Posted by golfhobo
And, who really calls companies anyway?? Do SOME of you guys EVER DRIVE OTR?? I see trucks at XXX video stores parked overnight. I see them at bars. I see them everywhere!
#83
10-18-2007, 08:53 PM
Originally Posted by Rev.Vassago
As the others have stated, you can be On Duty (not driving) past your 14th hour or your 70th hour. You can also be required to go On Duty by your motor carrier at any point when you are in a CMV.
__________________
Remember... friends are few and far between. TRUCKIN' AIN'T FOR WUSSES!!! "I am willing to admit that I was wrong." The Rev.
#84
10-18-2007, 09:04 PM
Interesting pictures of YOUR personal "stock" of alcohol, REV! But, I fail to see your point. So far, you are only engaging in intenet masturbation, and haven't answered a single one of my points.
But, of course, I'm not surprised! I always THOUGHT you were a "boozer." Personally, I would never touch ANY of those.
__________________
Remember... friends are few and far between. TRUCKIN' AIN'T FOR WUSSES!!! "I am willing to admit that I was wrong." The Rev.
#85
10-18-2007, 09:17 PM
Originally Posted by Rev.Vassago
Originally Posted by SteveBooth
Same rules DO NOT apply to a commercial truck driver in a truck stop off duty. Call the DOT. I've talked to them personally about this.
Call your DOT and put the question to rest, it's simple.
__________________
Remember... friends are few and far between. TRUCKIN' AIN'T FOR WUSSES!!! "I am willing to admit that I was wrong." The Rev.
#86
10-18-2007, 09:20 PM
golfhobo, coming in after the fact and rehashing what everyone else has said does not make you an authority, nor does it even make you appear smart. In fact, it makes you UTurn2001.
#87
10-18-2007, 09:50 PM
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: East Central IL between the corn and the beans
Posts: 4,977
Here is one fact. (and maybe it has been brought up already, I just do not feel like wading through 6 pages of posts to see)
You never know who is watching you. It could be some one who is pissed at your company, it could be someone who is simply pissed at truck drivers, or it could be one of the company snitches. You just never know who is going to see you buy the booze and take it back to your rig or have that drink with dinner or come out a bar and head back to your truck. Every company I have worked for had a zero tolerance when it came to booze in the cab of the truck. If caught they would fire you or terminate your lease if you were an O/O.
__________________
Finding the right trucking company is like finding the right person to marry. I really comes down to finding one whose BS you can put up with and who can put up wih yours.
#90
10-18-2007, 10:18 PM
Originally Posted by SteveBooth
Yup, I called Washington also and got the same answer. After giving me the answer they forwarded me to the legal department that would handle the case if there was ever a question and they agreed. THEN!!!! They forwarded me to the person in charge that writes the regulations for alcohol and drugs. He was not available but his secretary assured me that he would call me back and will post what he has to say.
///// They all did say this though. If you are on duty for 14 hours there is no way you can go to the store to buy beer or eat or fuel up or anything because you need to be in your bunk. I was given a sample. You drive for 11 hours and are on duty for a total of 12 hours. You now go off duty for 2 hours and eat and drink. Just make sure it doesn't take more than 2 hours and back in your bunk for a 10 hour rest UNLESS YOU SPLIT the berth time. Yes, it happens! You get some bureaucrat who has tunnel vision about THEIR specific responsibility of the law. 1) You are NOT required to "jump in your bunk" or in any OTHER way go OFF duty after 14 hours! You most certainly CAN fuel up, fix a flat tire, or unload a full trailer LONG after your 14 hours are up! The 14 hour rule is a "window" within which you MUST complete (if you choose to) your 11 hours of DRIVING! And AFTER which time, you cannot start driving again (regardless of how many hour you drove) until you've had a required 10 hour break. Since you are then "on break," you can use your UNLADEN CMV as a POV to go to the store, bar, or whatever AS YOU WISH! You will NOT turn into a pumpkin after 14 hours!!! They are WRONG!!! 2) IN your second "sample," there is NO requirement that you finish eating and drinking within the remaining 2 hours on your 14 hour clock!! This is B.S.!!! Just don't try DRIVING after that.... or even BEFORE that, since you'd already driven a full 11 hours! "SPLITTING" has nothing to do with anything at this point! You CANNOT "split" your berth time IF you've already driven ALL 11 hours! It's ONE thing to argue with the REV or some newbie about the regs.... but, DANG I hate having to correct the DOT on their OWN business! :shock: I have seen MANY "safety directors" tell their drivers that ALL THE HOURS on either side of an 8 hour sleeper break cannot exceed 14 hours! This is totally WRONG!!!! There are two simple rules! You cannot DRIVE more than 11 hours before the "bewitching" hour of 14 hours! And IF you drive 11 hours during that time, you MUST have a 10 hour break to RESET both clocks before driving again! However, IF you drive LESS than 11 hours, you can take 8 hours in the sleeper, and then drive the remaining hours (out of the 11) before taking a two hour break! THAT..... THAT..... is "splitting" your sleeper berth! (and of course, there's more to it.) But, there is NO LAW, NO REG, NO ACT OF GOD..... that says you must END YOUR DAY.... or QUIT working..... or even not drive your unladen CMV for PERSONAL reasons, AFTER the 14 hour mark!!! HERE's a REAL "sample:" You start at 7 a.m. and drive 11 hours with a fuel stop and a break in there, and it takes you until 7 p.m. You THEN, pull into a truckstop and refuel and fix a flat for the next 3 hours! It's now 10 p.m. and you're at the 15th hour. You park your truck and drop the trailer. You go in and take a shower and eat a "cowboy ribeye steak." At midnight, you DRIVE your UNLADEN CMV (as a POV) to the nearest WallyWorld and get some badly needed supplies AND SOME BEER! Then, you drive back to the T/S and park in front of your trailer (I don't suggest rehooking!) Since you finished fixing the flat, etc., at 10 p.m., AND you've driven your full 11.... you've been ON BREAK since 10 p.m. and MUST wait until 8 a.m. to go "on duty" again! After showering and eating, you didn't GET that beer until midnight, and you MUST not drink a beer after 4 a.m. So, drink a few, then throw the rest away with the empties..... and get some sleep! Is it WORTH it? Probably NOT! Just, find a place to have a beer or two with your dinner, and don't bring any back to the truck! But, Steve.... the DOT people you talked to were WRONG about how soon you had to "jump into the bunk!" In fact..... IF you knew you wouldn't have to get a dispatch until noon the next day.... well.... go for it! I SWEAR I don't see why this is so hard to understand! Don't drive more than 11 within 14. After THAT.... 14 means nothing. WHEN you finish line 4 for the day, you need 10 hours off duty before driving again. You can't drink 4 hours prior to driving, and can't have more than .02 in your system (or you'll get OOS) or .04 or you'll get a DUI! If I haven't made this absolutely CLEAR.... please tell me. Ask me what you want to know. I will NOT give you bad advice! Disclaimer: "YOU" does not refer to YOU, Steve. It's the general form of the word meaning ANYONE who doesn't understand.
__________________
Remember... friends are few and far between. TRUCKIN' AIN'T FOR WUSSES!!! "I am willing to admit that I was wrong." The Rev. |
