[mike3fan]

Originally Posted by Phreddo

I had to agree to disagree with my dispatcher tonight about this.
i haul fuel, and i wanted to verify if i could log my post trip and fuel after the 14th hour as line 4. he said, no, it all had to be within 14 hours. I didn't say I disagreed, but I said, okay, i'll play it your way.
if these people wouldn't be running me 560 miles with a single 100 gallon tank every day, i wouldn't have to ask these kinds of questions :/
Also, i seem to use my 16 hour exception on a regular basis here, and i was trying not to have to use it for a 15 minute fuel stop. It's not like I picked the equipment or the load or the route, but yet I feel like I'm the one who has to take the heat.

The dispatcher is wrong as far as HOS regs. are concerned, you can log as many hours you want on line 4 after the 14th hour you just can't drive or resume driving again until the 10 hour off duty time has been met. However you are probably right in playing it the way they want it, most saftey men in my experience only talk a good game they really don't know the rules as well as they should. And it usually isn't worth the effort to try to change their mind, I think it becomes an ego thing to them.

[Phreddo]

I've always taken it to mean they want to simplify their compliance system by not tweaking the edges. When I worked for schneider they told me they don't "honor" the split sleeper berth rule, for example.
as far as i'm concerned, I put legality and safety over company policies, if I have to make a choice. I also like to know my options in case I ever really get stuck.
These wisenheimers like to think they're clever by working against timestamps. For example, if i wait in line at a plant, but i haven't checked in, i can theoretically pencil out that wait time if i get in a jam later in the day.
My theory is that, if an investigator really wanted to get creative, it probably wouldn't be hard to simply map the movement of my cell phone throughout the day. as far as I'm concerned, i -always- have a timestamp.

[GMAN]

It is a good idea to either get a copy of the federal regulations or check them out on line. Most carriers provide a copy to all new recruits. You can find a current copy at most truck stops. It will pay any driver to familiarize themselves with the regulations from the ones who wrote them. That way you know for sure. I remember when these rules kept changing, even the DOT people didn't fully understand them. You could get a different answer from two different officers in the same state. If there is a question and you have your rule book then you will know whether you are in the right or not.

[Fredog]

from the fmcsa website
D. 14-HOUR DUTY PERIOD

D-1. May a driver be on duty for more than 14 consecutive hours?

Yes. A driver may remain on duty for more than 14 hours; however, the driver of a property-carrying CMV cannot drive after the 14th hour after coming on duty. Also, the additional on-duty time will be counted toward the 60/70-hour on-duty limit.