possible or impossible??
#21
03-06-2009, 04:49 PM
Here is the situation. You get a load, you get underway at 7p (CDT) and the load delivers by 15:30 CDT the next day. You have to drive 617 miles, of which 319 are run within states with a 55mph speed limit. the rest of said miles are run at however fast your truck can go....lets say 62mph.
Now i know the answer is it is POSSIBLE, if you keep the doors closed, and never stop for a break, and drive 11 straight hours and speed a little. Cause the way i figure, if you estimate your speed as 55mph, it will take 11.21 hours to drive 617 miles.
but in your opinion....is it reasonable to expect this load to be on time?
Okay, with full tanks, I go on duty at 6:30 pm and hook and PTI for 30 mins, getting on the road at 7 p.m. I drive the 319 miles through the slow states in about 6 hours...averaging a LEGAL 53.16 mph. I stop for a TWO hour nap... NOT 3!! I'm on the road again at 3 a.m. I have 5 hours of driving left, and 5.5 hours to do it. I have 300 miles left divided by 5 hours. That's an average of 60 mph. Even in YOUR truck, I could do that and legally log it. AND..... I have time to stop for a 30 min coffee break to stay awake. I get to my drop at 0830 in the morning, within 11 hours of driving time and at the end of my 14 hour window. Since they SAID it could be delivered BY 3:30 in the afternoon, I ask them if they will take me right then. They say yes, and I can stay on the clock as long as necessary to get unloaded. A couple of hours later, I tell my dispatcher I am empty and need to shut down for 8 hours (split because I already logged a 2 hour break.) I'm ready to go again at 6:30 p.m. Where's the problem?
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#22
03-06-2009, 06:03 PM
there have been a few instances where i've driven 646 miles within 11hrs. i drove for ALL of the 11. i only stopped once, and it was to refuel. after shutting down, my ass was numb.
#23
03-06-2009, 08:21 PM
Geez. I don't know how you folks put up with those slow no goin trucks.
I'll run 730 miles on a decent day. Legal.
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#24
03-06-2009, 09:08 PM
#25
03-06-2009, 09:39 PM
It's tough when your dispatcher cannot get the idea of the HOS rules that drivers have.
However, I also think that this run was taken with no time for error...such as traffic and fuel issues. The is why a pre-trip plan is needed....to plan how many hours are needed, then to add at least 2 hours for room.... For example...This trip is 617 miles to drive. You figure a driving average of 55 MPH, no matter what the speed limited is. That means it will take you the 11.25 hours that you figured above. You need to take a 2 hour lunch break in the middle... You also need to add another 10 hours for your break,since you would go over your 11 hours of driver per 24, even if it just 15 minutes. But you were also having your truck loaded, unless you went to line 2 while that was happening, and you still have a problem with the 14 HOS rule. Then at least another 2 hours for a cushion for unforeseen problems, like traffic and such. Total time needed is 25.25 hours total, and that's when you are able to leave the dock loaded. This is what you tell the dispatcher you need for time for a legal, and safe trip. Will they be happy with that?? No, they will only see that there trip takes 11.25 hours to make. However, do not leave their failure to understand HOS rules and regs. be your problem. If they were stupid enough to take a run under tighter hours, then that's on them. Always plan out your trips. And always include loading time, which at some places, could take all day, or as fast as hooking up a trailer. And you need to know that information, too, so you can plan accordingly. Proper Planing Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Good Luck.
#26
03-06-2009, 10:36 PM
When I run out west I usually drive 700 miles per 11 hours. You are right about a numb butt!
#27
03-07-2009, 12:01 AM
Does Swift have a company speed policy? Do they limit the number of miles you are allowed to drive in an 11 hour period?
Where I'm leased into, we are allowed 660 miles each 11 hour period, with our maximum allowable speed set at 65 mph. However....We can only average 60 mph over the 11 hour driving period. And yes...They have a log auditing system that flags speed between logged stops. Someone whom drives for a company that does not have a set "Speed Limit", and does not limit the maximum speed that company trucks, has no room to criticize any driver that has speed parameters within which they must drive. The delivery time Kevin was givien was doable, if he drove straight through, took an 8 hour break, finished the drive to the consignee, then made the delivery. Was that a reasonable expectation? No. It is unreasonable to expect an individual to switch from working day time hours, to working night time hours, without stopping for a nap. It is also unsafe.
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#28
03-07-2009, 12:43 AM
That says it all right there. Not likely. Sure, there are exceptions to every rule. Sure - if the stars, moon, and all the space aliens aligned perfectly, and a driver hit absolutely no traffic whatsoever, and never slowed down for any reason, then they could average 55 mph through a 55 mph state.
But using Illinois as an example: Every interstate that travels through Illinois at one point or another intersects with a major city. Chicago, Rockford, Bloomington, Champaign, etc. In those cities, these interstates meet up with other interstates. There are curves within these interstates that are posted less than 55 mph. If the speed limit is 55 mph, and you AT ANY POINT go less than 55 mph (for curves, major cities, etc), then you are not averaging 55 mph unless you are speeding.
#29
03-07-2009, 12:00 PM
1/2/2009 Questionable Speed Average Speed: 66.57 I never looked it up to see if/where I went wrong. Since then, I was on the phone with my DM one day and he said my average speed at that moment was showing 64 (QC point to point, not logs) . . in my 62 governed truck. I don't recall that I was doing anything extraordinary at the time so I think it's fair to say the system has a little wiggle room. The other "speed policy" is the downhill rat. I may be corrected on this by one of the newer Drivers . . they tell this to you in orientation and that's the end of it. I think that if you go over 70 in your first 6 months or twice in any subsequent 6 months, you're gone. And, if you spend more than 7 seconds at either 67 or 68 without braking, that's treated the same as breaking 70. In any event, the QC rats you out and the alert goes to corporate safety in Phoenix.
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#30
03-07-2009, 01:59 PM
One time last year i took my 10 hr at the Cheyenne TA, and i ended my day at Williams, IA at the Flying J...i think it was just about 700 miles....and this was in a Werner truck *L* went across 80 and hit 35 in Des Moines....
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