Safe Haven Rule

Us Swift drivers cannot afford that line five - it's not on our Qualcomm or our paper logs. We would be stuck at the receiver, to either putt-putt away or camp out until we can move again.

That would make the proper answer to drive on line five, or off-duty driving - personal conveyance.

Swift doesn't allow company drivers to log line five, which gets pretty annoying in situations like the one described here. Luckily as a team it doesn't usually affect me much; it might mess up a rolling reset if one of us is in the process already.

Thanks guys. To bad none of you offered to help me out other than saying search or printing manuals. And to suggest that as a rookie I possibly had poor planning is actually an insult. As of late it seems like you moderators are in competition to either see who knows the most or who can do the best at putting people down. The correct answer was off drive because I was not under a load.

Wow, everyone went crazy out of their way to help answer your question in every way imaginable. They gave their advice, they pointed you to regulations, they pointed you to other conversations we've had on the topic and that is your response????

Wow. Just wow. You're really a class act. If I had asked someone for help and then treated them that way my parents would have beat my *ss up and down the road. Probably would have made me change my name to spare themselves the embarrassment.

The correct answer was off duty drive because I was not under a load.

Each company policy dictates this situation differently. I would be hesitant to say that yours was the right answer. There should be multiple right answers...

Thanks guys. To bad none of you offered to help me out other than saying search or printing manuals. And to suggest that as a rookie I possibly had poor planning is actually an insult. As of late it seems like you moderators are in competition to either see who knows the most or who can do the best at putting people down. The correct answer was off duty drive because I was not under a load.

Just for the record, I'm not a moderator but some people think I'm part of this competition you mentioned. And this is one of the many reasons why I'm not a moderator, I reckon. They all do a good job at controlling the urge to post smartass replies. I just can't help myself sometimes.

I am truly curious, though. Did you know the answer before you posted, or did you find it somewhere else?

And to suggest that as a rookie I possibly had poor planning is actually an insult.

And to suggest that as a rookie you're not going to make more mistakes than a veteran is actually a joke.

The correct answer was off duty drive because I was not under a load

And if by "correct" you mean blatantly illegal, you're right. It is not legal to drive on line 5 simply because you're not under a load. You're still on duty for your company, so that's illegal.

Here is an excerpt from 13.3 Determining On Duty And Off Duty Time in the High Road Training Program:

What Is Considered On Duty Time?

The 60 / 70 hour limit is based on how many hours you work over a 7 or 8 day period. Just what kind of work is considered on duty time? It includes all time you are working or are required to be ready to work, for any employer. Here are some specific activities which are considered to be on duty time:

• All time spent at a plant, shipping / receiving facility, terminal , or other facility of a motor carrier, unless you are in your sleeper berth or have been relieved of all work related responsibilities.
• All time inspecting or servicing your truck, including fueling it and washing it.
• All driving time.
• All other time in a truck unless you are resting in a sleeper berth.
• All time loading, unloading, supervising, or attending your truck; or handling paperwork for shipments.
• All time spent providing a breath, saliva, hair, or urine sample for drug / alcohol testing, including travel to and from the collection site.
• All time spent doing any other work for a motor carrier, including giving or receiving training and driving a company car.
• All time spent doing paid work for anyone who is not a motor carrier, such as a part-time job at a local restaurant.

What Is Considered Off Duty Time?

By understanding the definition of on duty time, you will get a good idea of what is considered off duty time. In order for time to be considered off duty, you must be relieved of all responsibility for performing work and be free to pursue activities of your own choosing.

If you are not doing any work (paid or unpaid) for a motor carrier, and you are not doing any paid work for anyone else, you may record the time as off duty time.

If you could use off-duty driving anytime you weren't loaded, imagine how differently things would be done. Everyone would do off-duty driving anytime they were deadheading somewhere. That would be nice, but it wouldn't be legal.

Hey I just want to jump in real quick and thank Anchorman for the quote (thorough) and thank Brett for posting the breakdown from the training program. Really handy stuff for a newbie fixing to head off to school. I had a question about this sort of issue but I just didn't know how to formulate it due to my lack of knowledge and experience.

Thanks guys. To bad none of you offered to help me out other than saying search or printing manuals. And to suggest that as a rookie I possibly had poor planning is actually an insult. As of late it seems like you moderators are in competition to either see who knows the most or who can do the best at putting people down. The correct answer was off duty drive because I was not under a load.

The correct answer is don't be a jerk. Nobody likes a jerk.

Phil

I had a question about this sort of issue but I just didn't know how to formulate it due to my lack of knowledge and experience.

We are pretty good at deciphering and clarifying what you are trying to ask so ASK AWAY! Don't be hesitant to ask.

If empty, there is always the off duty driving that can be used.