Alcohol At Dinner

Student; cdl permit

I understand good practice and having a drink during a run would not be good. I understand that. But I ask this anyway.

Before your 10 hours off, you have dinner and one beer.

Q1. You do not go back to the truck until 10 hours after the last sip. Are you legal?

Q2. You return to the truck 1 hour after the last sip. There will be a blood alcohol level above nothing. You intend to go to bed. Are you legal?

The answer to both of these is YES, it is legal. However, even just a trace of alcohol is enough to put you out of service for 24 hours. You risk a DUI if your B.A.C. is .04 because you have the keys in your possesion. Most companies have policies against consuming any alcohol while out on the road, or at a minimum "8 hour bottle to throttle". I have a job im home every night and dont partake in any alcohol during my work week. Im sure id be ok to have a beer with dinner but why risk my job that's providing for my family because i wanted an alcoholic beverage. All it takes is a trace amount to cause issues that's why nearly every driver avoids mouthwash containing alcohol.

Ive read stories here in the past of drivers losing their job because they had a drink while off duty on the road. Somebody snapped pictures of them drinking at a casino then walking back to the truck to sleep.

Do not have that beer on your 10 hour or even 34 hour break. You risk your job and career. What if, during your break and staying at a hotel, then during this break there is an emergency requiring your truck to be moved? If anyone sees you having that one drink and calls your company, you're fired. It is also illegal to have any alcohol in your cab, including empty bottles. If you feel you can't have a meal without a beer, then trucking is not for you. By the way, we had someone post here one time that he was fired for having that drink while on his 34. Someone saw him and called his company.

With Swift you would be terminated in both examples. Swift requires a minimum 12 hours from the time of your last drink and you enter their property. If you test higher than zero they will terminate you.

So legal yes, but also unemployed in most situations.

Ok as Rick Harrison on Pawn Stars would say:

DON’T DO IT!

In my professional opinion if you possess a CDL it’s NEVER ok to have anything alcoholic. Why would you ever want to take that chance?

At Prime it is a 24 hour policy. it used to be 34.. We had someone who posted years ago that since he takes the truck home and is responsible for it, his company does not allow drinking even on home time. i thought that extreme at the time., but you go.to a wedding get pretty tipsy, then get called for either a load or even just to move the truck from the space cause of an issue at the truck stop. having seen 3 different truck stop fires, that isnt crazy. the fire dept might need more room or whatever.

in that event you are impaired. and YES, i have been asked once to come off hometime to deal with a quick unload as the nearby driver ran out of hours. they made it up to me in money and an extended home time.

i dont drink at all so none of this affects me. But i have seen quite a few students at applebees and such drinking then get sent home.

DO NOT drink at anytime of your training. not at all. And Brett wrote in his book i think it was that he got popped for drug and breathalyzer at 0800 coming off home time....they expect you to do it at home so they will test you.

DO NOT drink at anytime of your training. not at all. And Brett wrote in his book i think it was that he got popped for drug and breathalyzer at 0800 coming off home time....they expect you to do it at home so they will test you.

That's right. Came into work after a few days off and they sent me for an early morning drug test and breathalyzer. I asked the guy giving the test, "Do people actually fail a breathalyzer test at eight in the morning???"

He said you'd be surprised at how many people do.

Failing any sort of drug or alcohol test, which includes prescription drugs you do not have a prescription for, is pretty much career ending nowadays. If you feel it's that important to have a beer once in a while within 24 hours of being on duty then you should probably consider a different career. Partaking in any sort of alcohol or non permissible drug is really about the most egregious thing you can do as a professional driver.

Judgment is everything in trucking. Discipline is extremely important. Show a good deal of both.

Every holiday weekend (hubby gets them off, paid and nice.. yeah...) They DO a drop, and a breath blow on him. At 55 his party days are over, but... protocol is protocol. Seriously, EVERY holiday weekend. He goes in early, because he's prepared for the inevitable. He quit drinking quite some time ago..years ago?!? A social 'beer' lands him a headache every time. The real one, at home. He doesn't drink anymore, but they still test him, so as not to be discriminatory, perhaps!

ps: Brett, I've not said this enough, but thank you for all you do here. I really mean that! Heck; I even learned 'the how to's' on here... just didn't go the right route, and will start over at some point.

No Shirt, No shoes, no problem... the other stuff... problem~! Love that song, btw :)

I was weened on beer growing up in Wisconsin... so that statement alone should speak for itself... when I decided to start driving big trucks ... it was a no brainer for me ... if I wanted to be successful at this new career... considering I had a spouse, 3 children, and a house payment all depending on me...

I suddenly became a non-drinker... well I caught a couple of beers at the house on my home time.... just needed to catch em when your first get home and not right before you are headin out...

just sayin

Student; cdl permit

I understand good practice and having a drink during a run would not be good. I understand that. But I ask this anyway.

Before your 10 hours off, you have dinner and one beer.

Q1. You do not go back to the truck until 10 hours after the last sip. Are you legal?

Q2. You return to the truck 1 hour after the last sip. There will be a blood alcohol level above nothing. You intend to go to bed. Are you legal?