Drinkin' on the road
 

No I dont mean when driving, but are there regs or laws that ban you from having a few during resets or what not? One of my buddies grandfathers was an old school trucker, and he told me the best part about being OTR was "A different bar and hooker every night"

Like I said, he is old school. But I remember hearing something about not being able to drink at all when you are on the road, whether on or off duty.

Don't know the rules as they do not apply to me, 11 years clean.

There are several who post around the trucking forum circus about having drinks while stopped over night. Call your company and see what they say the rules are.

The days of the back row and hookers are all but gone with the exception of a few places that still flourish.

i know the company i pulled for said no drinking why you were under a load or with any company equipment

Keep in mind too, that the DUI threshold is .04 for CDL holders.

Thats when driving a truck right, not when you are driving a 4 wheeler?

Nope; it applies for any vehicle you are operating.

Also, if you drink otr; you have to be out of the truck in a motel room, and cannot go back on duty for at least 24 hours.

Forgetting, as you say, drinking or being drunk behind the wheel:

DOT does NOT say you can't drink while on your own time. What they say is that you can't drink 4 hours before going on duty, and can't blow a .04 if stopped and tested. .02 or less is considered negligible and can't be considered by them. From there to .04 WILL put you Out Of Service, but not a conviction.

The real authority is your company (due to insurance mostly.) If THEY relieve you of duty (ROD) for a period of time.... or if you are taking a 34 hour reset, you can drink if you want, within the above rules.

But, I wouldn't do ANY of it while IN the truck, especially if the key is in the ignition or the engine running. As for drinking in a bar, then returning to your "idling" truck and going straight to the sleeper? I think I discussed this on another thread long ago. I can't even remember if I won the argument or not! :lol:

Probably NOT a good idea. If you MUST try out a bar while on the road, and ON a reset.... be very careful, discreet, and informed. Does it happen? Yes. Do MORE than 1% of offenders get in trouble? Probably not. If you want to risk it, drink NO MORE than two beers, EAT something, take a long walk, and don't return to your truck for 4 hours.

Or, just get a motel room.

Nope .. you will have a CDL. So .04 is Prima Facia evidence of driving under the influence car or truck. You will have to prove you were not DUI.

Good luck.

Also .. I just saw a driver arrested after having a couple of peers at a pizza joint and climbing into his cab. Cops were called and the driver arrested. Keys in the ignition with the truck at idle.

If I have a drink on the road because of a layover I always get a hotel and stay completely away from my rig.

Also .. if you tie one on and still are under the influence the next day .. you will be in serious trouble.

I would just drink on home time .

Just a heads up - alcohol is not permitted ANYWHERE in a commercial vehicle, unless it is part of a manifested shipment.

If you gotta drink, do it at home.

I agree not worth the risk

acranger
 

Company regulations will probably be more strict than state or Fed regs. The regs of the first company I pulled for were if I had the keys to the tractor in my possession, which was all the time, I could not consume alcohol. It was a long dry spell, but the job was more important than an adult beverage. BOL

P.S. BTW, drinkin' on the road isn't a good thing. The drink gets diluted what with the snow, or rain, road spray, and dirt. It can be really windy, or dry, or wet, usually no shade was well. Vehicles goin' by look at you funny too.

I would say a lot of places still flourish not just a few. :sad:

We had an owner operator that had a six pack of beer and a bottle of Crown in his truck when he was pulled over for a DOT check and guess what, it was confiscated and he was put out of service for 48 hours, yes 48 hours and fired by the company. The six pack of beer was not open but the Crown had been but he passed the breathalyzer and stupid human trick test. I seen him a week later leased on to another company. :shock:

I would not chance it, I would not have any alcohol in my truck even if I was parked for the weekend. :roll:

Doesn't matter - no alcohol ANYWHERE on a commercial vehicle, unless it is part of a manifested shipment.

Rev.Vassago; wonders if his mouthwash counts as "alcohol".

It only counts if you swallow it :lol:. And no Jack Daniels does not make mouthwash. :wink:

Doesn't JB have a big budweiser account?

I am sure they do, which explains two things:

1. Their drivers hitting everything that isn't bolted down in a parking lot, and some things that are, and

2. Sheepdancer


"But occifer, it didn't say on the bill of leeding that I couldn't sample the shipmen..........hic"

Might I add...

All JB drivers have an official worldwide parking permit like in my sig. They can park wherever they please.

Q: You know why JB quit haling doubles?
A: The top one kept falling off.

If you have to drink, you should get a room, go drink, go back to room. Alcohol in the truck can ruin you and your company. My authority was revoked for three days once because an O/O had "beer" in a 40 oz bottle, he said it was urine, DOT said it was beer. I asked who tasted it? Got my authority reinstated. :D :D :D

LMAO!!! :lol: :lol:

Re: Drinkin' on the road
 

Best not to touch the stuff away from home.

Any trace of alcohol in your system will get you put out of service for 24 hours. If you have a BAC of .04 or more, you are DUI under CDL rules, and will be cited accordingly (as well as put out of service).

And even if you are on sleeper or off duty time in your truck, you never know when you will have to come on duty.