Resets And Home Time

Hi Guys, still reading and very much enjoying the posts on here. I have now been with Swift Transport nearly ten months......I remember the one year rule for keeping with the same company before you decide to move on. I've been ok with Swift and I'm now getting plenty of miles with over 3,000 miles last week. I know this is the slow season and that could change.

I always come back to the forum with a question and this is no different. My DM and I are not seeing eye to eye. I've been out for four weeks, working Christmas and New Year, I should be entitled to four days off as it says in the rule book. But if you have down time where by I ran out of my 70 hours drive time......a reset.....this she thinks is part of my off days. Which would only allow me three days. My argument is that I would prefer to have all my days off at home. If I get caught out as I do because I run my driving hours up to the max then where ever I end up is not my choice. I don't class 34 hours in a truck stop a day off.....or a terminal. Any ideas on where I stand on this?

Please let me know either way.....I can take it.....even if I'm wrong ;-)

She's wrong.

Hometime means home time. It's time spent at home. It's time spent away from your truck.

She is absolutely wrong and I urge you to stand your ground. I took three 34 hour resets this past month. Does that mean I only get to go home for a day? No.

She's clearly new and hasn't ever drove a truck and she's confused about this rule. When you're taking a 34 hour reset it never goes against your hometime because you're still on the road.

To be honest, if this happened to me I would get it worked out with them. If they still insisted that it cut into my hometime then I would pursue choosing a new DM because this one is clearly a nut job.

I agree with Daniel on this. I just about do a re-set each week I'm on the road. It just so happens that the way I run my clock it just usually makes the most sense to work in a reset on the weekend if possible. I'll usually stay out around ten weeks and I have no problem taking a full seven days off or even more if I want it when I'm on home time.

I also agree with the guys above. A 34 hour reset is not home time, nor should it count against your home time.

I mean think about it this way also - you're taking a 34 hour reset because you ran so hard it's literally illegal to run anymore. That is something that should be rewarded, not punished. You don't take your hardest working employees and punish them by taking away the time they've earned and deserve with their family and friends.

AND you stayed out over the holidays to boot????

Listen, dispatchers will try to pull this kind of stuff on you. Either she's misinformed (unlikely) or she's just trying to make a few extra bonus dollars by keeping as much freight moving as possible. If that means tricking you into cutting your home time short, some dispatchers will do it.

As we always say - stay professional and speak to her on this matter with kindness and respect. But at the same time this isn't something you should allow. If she won't budge on this then kindly tell her you're going to speak with her boss and other people in management to get this injustice corrected. Then go ahead and start making phone calls, keeping a professional tone at all times with everyone. Remind them of how hard you run and the fact that you stayed out over the Holidays.

In the end they're almost certainly going to give you the full home time. But say they won't? Ok, no problem. You've been there almost a year. Go along with it, get your full year in, and then go to a company who is going to treat their drivers with more respect than that.

But I don't think you'll have a problem getting this resolved. I think once you mention to her that you're going to speak with her boss and management about it she'll "suddenly realize" that she "misunderstood the policy". That's how the game is played in trucking. Everyone is out for themselves and sometimes even your own co-workers will take advantage of you if they can. Don't take it personally, don't waste your time and energy getting upset about it. Simply call and try to get it rectified. If she's correct and that's the company's policy then move on to another company. But I think you'll get it straightened out just fine.

Thanks again guys.....I knew it. I'm annoyed at having my last two home times cut short by this rule that clearly was not correct. I will have to talk to our terminal manager about this.

My DM does try to play at being boss and yes she is new to this role. Before being DM she worked at the drivers reception window at Swift......I would imagine that this new role is a big step up for her.

Like you say Brett, I need to keep all of this on a professional level and just talk...believe me I have had to bite my tongue a few times. It will get resolved I have no doubt. Thank you all again, I really do appreciate the feed back guys.

Hey, let us know how this works out for you. If she's a new dispatcher then it's not surprising that she's pulling a power trip or being a little over-aggressive with her tactics from time to time. She's probably just doing all she can to establish herself as a solid dispatcher.

Let me add one more thing.

You work at Swift and I work at Central. We are brother-sister companies. Your company owns mine and we basically have the same procedures and policies. Having said that, our hometime policy is also the same. It's 1 day off per week, 34 hour resets don't have any effect on our time at home. You know what I'm getting at...

No problems in getting my fourth day off.....as the rule book says.....you go out for four weeks you are allowed four days off. The weather here in Michigan might just keep me off a few more days. I will be changing my dispatch as well when I get back that way I can keep with Swift for the regulation one year. I don't think it will be long before I'm looking else where though. Drive safe out there in this weather guys..

No problems in getting my fourth day off.....as the rule book says.....you go out for four weeks you are allowed four days off.

Nice!!! Glad that worked out well for ya.