Profile For Daniel S.

My fault - my question was more directed towards how companies manage OTR rookies - if one is willing and able to stay out on the road, does a rookie have a chance to pace themselves versus huge fluctuations in driving hours. if there are fluctuations, your truck is your only place to sit at times. how restrictive are companies when your in a truck for more than 5 days?

Http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/hos/Interstate-Truck-Driver-Guide-to-HOS_508.pdf

Regaining hours with the recapture rule

Let’s take a look at a hypothetical scenario…

ABC hauls freight for a supplier, and he must adhere to the 70-hour/8-day rule. That means he can’t exceed 70 hours of on-duty time in eight consecutive days, including today.

Let’s say he drove just under 10 hours a day for seven days in a row, and let’s say he logged a total of 69 on-duty hours of his available 70 in that time frame.

When midnight rolls around, the hours he logged on Day 1 drop off—we’ll say 9-1/2 hours—and he recaptures them. He can then add those newly recaptured hours to the one unused hour from the day before.

That means he now has a total of 10-1/2 available on-duty hours to get that new supply of black belts to martial arts retailers along the west coast. trucker hours recap Do I Have to Use the New 34 Hour Restart?

The only thing that can stop you - HOS rules. What does all of this mean for you?

If you (or your dispatcher) are master planners, you may go months before you have to take a 34-hour restart. In fact, if you’re really good, you may never need to use it.

Like we said, the 34-hour restart isn’t mandatory.

Here is maybe the idea ? A common misconception among Colorado truck drivers is that they need a restart to gain more hours. In fact, a recap is all you need. The idea of a recap began in the 1920s to maintain compliance of the 70 hours in 8 days or 60 hours in 7 days rules. It was initiated when drivers had to haul cargo across the country and needed substantial rest after making their deadline.

With today’s schedules, drivers don’t travel as far to deliver loads, but they still need rest. There is minimal chance that a Colorado Truck driver will hit more than 70 hours in 8 days or 60 hours in 7 days. But, almost every truck driver would rather run a full shift with a day off than deal with the rules of a 34-hour restart, which requires 2 consecutive days off between 1 am and 5 pm. A recap is a rolling continuum that ensures maximum profitability and keeps you from losing good driving hours.

The good news is the original recap rule has never changed and can still be used today.

For example, let’s say you work the following schedule:

Mon – 8.5 hours Tue - 11.5 hours Wed - 10 hours Thu - 11 hours Fri - 10.5 hours Sat - 9.5 hours Sun – 0 hours

That would give you a 61-hour total for 7 days, leaving 9 hours to work on the 8th day, which would be Monday. On midnight Monday you gain hours because the hours worked on the previous Monday are dropped to keep you under 70 hours in 8 days. No restart needed! Just a nice day off on Sunday.

You could also work a 9-hour shift on Sunday and take off Monday. The only time you need to take the 34-hour break is when you hit 70 hours in less than 8 days. Even if you only have 3 hours left within an 8-day span, you could start working at 9 p.m. one day and keep driving through the night because you gained hours at midnight.

What do you think? Would you rather run a full shift with a day off or deal with the rules of a 34-hour restart?

I read this and seems closet to what you are saying - http://www.dtrucks.com/blog/why-colorado-truck-drivers-do-not-need-restart-recap

Daniel, no one here considers your question stupid!

You don't have to take 34 hour resets if you manage your time so that you can work off your re-cap hours, but sometime it its helpful to take a reset depending on how hard you've been running.

oldschool, thank you for reply. 1) so a 34hr reset is voluntary ? I have read "pro tip: If you keep your daily average around 8.75 you'll never run out of hours. You can run 7 days a week)" - is this what you are saying ?

stupid question - when i hear about OTR drivers staying out for 2-3 weeks, the truck is the drivers to live in, even during 34 hour resets, etc? having problems understanding 70/8 weeks (averages just under 9 hrs per day driving) with the 34 hr resets. can you idle or is APU required to stay in your truck in 34hr reset period in very cold or very warm areas?

what are top 10-20 rookie / student driving mistakes in first 6-12 months ? i am hoping the answers are more specific like "downshifting mistakes" or "low clearance mistakes" or "not reading all the signs" or "not preparing for the route enough" or "bad backup setups/tips", "not setting tandems / weight balance correctly", etc. some of the ones like "not focusing on a parking arrangement" in your 10th hour of the 11 hour day is also along that line as well. thank you jt