Hours Of Service Boo-boo - Fix It (and Risk Ticket) Or Let It Ride?

Hello all, I am now working through a driver staffing agency for a slave driver. He recently sent me out on a 200 mile trip across a state line after working me for four hours earlier that day. There was a road and weather issue with the route back to the shop (I start and return to the same place daily), so I took an alternate route that took an extra two hours to return. My driving time was under 11 hours, but I completely forgot about the requirement to stop driving after 14 hours from the start time - so I am 2 hours over. I wrote down on the log that I shut down at the required time, and will say that the boss drove out to pick me up from the distant location.

I could re-do the log sheet by citing adverse weather exception, and emergency need to get home to take necessary bedtime meds. There is also the 16 hour once-weekly exception, but I didn't work for him for 5 previous days.

I'm scared to fix it, because the staffing agency communicated my less-than-honest log through electronic media (fax and email) which can, of course,be intercepted by the guvmint.

Please give me your thoughts - should I fix it and risk consequences, or just leave my slight fiction alone? Thanks very much.

I should add a little more info: one day out of the five I make the out of state run - the other four are local. Every day I start and finish at the same location. I didn't work on the one-week anniversary of the long day, for fear that may have triggered scrutiny of a seven-day-log examination at a scale. Will I be okay for every following out-of state run, or should I just not work any more of these -- and stay 100% local? Again, please give me your thoughts.

Welcome aboard Daniel.

I'm scared to fix it, because the staffing agency communicated my less-than-honest log through electronic media (fax and email) which can, of course,be intercepted by the guvmint.

I wouldn't worry about that. When you consider there's 1.2 million trucking companies and 3.5 million drivers, the DOT isn't combing through temp agency emails looking for one guy that might have cheated on their logbook one time.

I can't really say if you should fix it or not. That's kind of a toss-up and I don't have a clear solution that I know would work so it's basically a judgment call on your part.

Are you working under the 60 hour or 70 hour work week right now?

Falsification of logs is way worse than driving over hours. You are dealing with a federal document and it can lead to prosecution if caught falsifying logs.

Falsification of logs is way worse than driving over hours. You are dealing with a federal document and it can lead to prosecution if caught falsifying logs.

Thank you, Guy. But if I now "un-falsify", that would point out the original falsification. So maybe it's best to let the sleeping dog lie? Thanks.

Welcome aboard Daniel.

I'm scared to fix it, because the staffing agency communicated my less-than-honest log through electronic media (fax and email) which can, of course,be intercepted by the guvmint.

I wouldn't worry about that. When you consider there's 1.2 million trucking companies and 3.5 million drivers, the DOT isn't combing through temp agency emails looking for one guy that might have cheated on their logbook one time.

I can't really say if you should fix it or not. That's kind of a toss-up and I don't have a clear solution that I know would work so it's basically a judgment call on your part.

Are you working under the 60 hour or 70 hour work week right now?

Thanks for the welcome!

I've been logging as 70 hours/8 days, but that's because it's the first set of blocks on the log sheet - nobody told me to do it one way or the other. Thanks.

Hey...just let it ride.....if DOT was able to catch every log book falsification, there eventually would be no drivers in the trucks. We all make mistakes, and that was yours. If the truck owner has a problem with it, well...you were lookin' for a job when you got that one. There isn't a lack of trucking jobs, just a lack of ones that pay you what your worth, give you decent equipment, and treat you with respect. Chalk it up to experience and get on with your life. If it comes back to bite ya, then is the time you can come up with magical excuses.....like the rest of us !!

Hey...just let it ride.....if DOT was able to catch every log book falsification, there eventually would be no drivers in the trucks. We all make mistakes, and that was yours. If the truck owner has a problem with it, well...you were lookin' for a job when you got that one. There isn't a lack of trucking jobs, just a lack of ones that pay you what your worth, give you decent equipment, and treat you with respect. Chalk it up to experience and get on with your life. If it comes back to bite ya, then is the time you can come up with magical excuses.....like the rest of us !!

Thank you, Starcar.

Yeah everyone's done it before. You do what you gotta do. I'd be a liar if I said I didn't "trick" my logbook once.