Log Book Quiz

Read my reply above, Grumpy. Then reread the example you cited above. Packrat is a dedicated driver for a Walmart DC. His normal work location is that DC ie: the location he's dispatched out of.

In this case, his terminal serves no different purpose than a laundromat, or a shower, or restaurant, etc. All are perfectly legal under the PC guidelines.

However, if he picks up paperwork at the terminal, or has his truck worked on, or performs anything else work related, then no that drive time can't be logged as PC. He indicated nothing of the sort in his example.

This site is supposedly to teach younger drivers.

No, that's exactly what this site does, and that's exactly what this discussion is doing. You not agreeing with the answers doesn't change that fact.

My previous response got captured in the quote, so I am reposting it.

While my first response involved the PC use, which I mentioned would be proper use of PC, I also had an issue with the scenario to the extent that you log off duty the entire time you are in the dock. As Robert B points out, with the follow up, one aspect of the scenario is the incorrect off duty status

FMCSA language on off-duty time.

Off-duty time is when the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work

IMO, sitting in a dock is one of those gray areas, because at any time you could be required to perform work. In these cases, I don't log the entire time off duty. I log some time on duty, so that I can tell LEO, "I did x, y, and z work. Then, after I was relieved from that work and all responsibility for performing work, I surfed the internet." The problem is the timing of your 10-hour break. If I log 15 minutes after I get in the dock, my 10-hour break starts earlier than if I log 15 minutes after they are done unloading. But at least I can say to LEO, "I did all work necessary relating to unloading during that 15 minutes after I got into the dock." He may disagree, but at least I've shown some on-duty time related to the actual unloading.

With regard to Andrey's scenario, I have arrived at a truck stop only to find no parking. But, on my way I saw a weigh station with parking. I went back to that weigh station on PC. The next morning, before my 10-hour break is up, I went back to the truck stop on PC. I used PC to find safe parking and then used PC to get back to where I was at the end of my on-duty driving status. So I didn't advance my load.

Unless I’m reading this wrong, I’m thinking Grumpy is correct.

How so, Robert? Everything starts and ends at the DC, not the terminal. He completes his work related duties for the day, bobtails to the terminal , and bobtails back to start his next day.

If he received his dispatch from the terminal , then I would agree with you. But as a dedicated driver, his dispatches come from the DC. The terminal is no different than going home for the night, which is legal.

Because as it’s stated, the truck is being positioned for the next load. As a dedicated driver, those loads are picked up and delivered at the same locations. Regardless of dispatch or not, it’s coming from the same place unless there’s an exception for that?

If it’sa matter of actually dropping the truck off, jumping in a personal vehicle and then going home, I can understand that. Maybe that’s what I missed out on.

But it's not really being positioned. It's simply leaving the start position to go somewhere else, then returning back to the original start position to start a new day. No advancement or gain was made.

Let me ask this:

Would you agree that it's ok for a driver to bobtail under PC to a laundromat or restaurant and back? Because the law clearly says that's ok.

If so, then it stands to reason that going to a terminal for the same reason is ok too. Am I wrong in this? Maybe, but I just don't see how. Simply being a Crete terminal shouldn't change the fact that he's only using it for personal reasons in his example.

I think a clear distinctions here should be made between the "normal work location", and "work-related" duties to those not.

By the letter of the law, I see what he's doing as perfectly legal.

This will be another good question for your family member LEO. I suppose, just like many other FMCSA laws, this can be open to interpretation.

I’m gonna call him lol. I’m also going to check with our log auditor tomorrow because we have a few drivers who do something similar but I’m not sure how they log that movement. It’s a curious question for sure and maybe one of those gray areas left up to interpretation.