Examples Of Cheating On Logbooks

They are also starting to install cameras that record the license number of the truck as it goes through a weigh station and states are starting to tie their systems together.

This is really the kind of conversation you need to have over a long meal, there are so many little nuances to it that it would be impossible to explain in a unilateral post. There would be so many questions and scenarios to run through.

That being said, feel free to PM me and I'll give you my number so we can talk. I like to think that I've become pretty proficient at the art form :)

Persian- Would you comment how the DOT/weigh station in one state can call another state's weigh station and find out when you were in their state- then take the mileage between these two points; and divide miles by hours to find out your speed. So if DOT ends up with 70mph, and speed limit is 65- you just got caught- I would think with multiple DOT violations, BOY WOULD THAT BE BAD. How about the fine?

I have never worked with paper logs. Read Brett's book- I think he wrote about someone carrying 3 log books. (It might not be in Brett's book.)

I tell you DOT guys are not dumb- alot of them aren't anyway. They know ALL the tricks.

In life, I have learned, there's always somebody slicker than you.

My #1 rule is to never show an average speed above the state speed limit for trucks, and in general I try to keep the average 5mph below. Does that mean there aren't portions where it might be a little higher? No, but it's an average. For example, as a flatbed driver, I have to do load checks every 150 miles max. Because the logbooks go in 15 minute increments, there can be a big difference in the speed shown in a 150 mile section, depending on if you log it as 2.25 or 2.5 hours. DOT understands that. They know you have to approximate and round your figures. This means they also understand that you could have started a section at 6:54 and ended at 9:07, and it would be logged exactly the same as if you had started at 7:07 and ended at 8:54. You follow me?

That's why the average is so important. Say you're traveling through a state where the speed limit is 65 mph for trucks. If your average for the day is 60 or 61, that accounts for the occasional slow down up a hill, the time spent exiting and reentering the freeway, the load checks, etc.

This technique only makes a big difference in situations when you get stuck in traffic because of an accident, rush hour, etc. In that case, at your next stop you can simply log that you drove a certain amount of time and took a break afterwards until the present moment.

If you are attempting to run further than what your log would "legally" allow, you need to remember where you can legally stop, and adjust your logs accordingly.

Dave