Advice Please - Started Solo And Second Time This Is Happening.

So started solo 2 weeks ago and my fleet manager told me once you reach receiver, change your HOS to sleeper berth while waiting. So last week this happened and today again. It took them almost 6 hours to unload and I am running out of hours but on clock I am on sleeper berth for 6 hours and fleet manager wants me to wait for another 4 more hours and start my next trip. I am trying to sleep but I slept all night and not sleepy. Last time I was able to sleep for 3.5 hours. Today I am not sleepy at all and now I am worried about driving at night. What am I supposed to do in these types of situations?

Explain this to your FM just as you posted on here.

Explain this to your FM just as you posted on here.

Exactly as Packrat says.

It's funny how you can get jammed up at a shipper/receiver long enough to do a split or full 10 hour break - but not actually sleep because these are your normal waking hours. And obviously, if you start driving, you aren't going to get a full 11 in until you have to stop and actually sleep.

As PR says - let your FM know. And depending on the assignment, you might be able to get some miles down, and take another 10 to get a decent rest period.

Rick

Thank you Packrat and Rick. I will call my fleet manager and let him know the situation.

To me it seems like your FM is coaching you on how to maximize your efficiency and make the most money. The OTR lifestyle takes some getting used to. One major part of that is being able to get rest when you have the opportunity, not just when you'd like to. If I'm at a customer for 6+ hours I will absolutely try to get in either an 8hr sleeper break or a full 10hr break. That way I have a full clock available to work with and make more money.

Very often I get most of my sleep while I'm locked into a dock at a customer.

Do you have a preplanned next pickup requiring you to be in sleeper for 10 in order to make a certain time? If not, maybe you could do a split sleeper, being off duty two at the at receiver, then eight sleeper after you have driven and nearing the time of your sleeping habit. I know, that will still give you four hours of on duty at receiver, but in the end, you might end up driving more from not being sleepy.

Why would he have 4 hours on duty at a consigned?

Thank you Packrat and Rick. I will call my fleet manager and let him know the situation.

DO NOT CALL!!!!!

Put it in the QC. Put everything in the QC so two months later when a service failure pops up on your record, you have it in writing. Happened to me, Diver Driver and Turtle. Then they got removed. We also had a new dispatcher who told me to do something stupid. I told him flat out "that is stupid and will make both loads late". I did as told. The next day i got a call from a higher up asking why the load was late. "Read the QC. I am sleeping." CYA always

If he wants you to drive, you tell him to either change the appointment time or extend it to a window so you can sleep a bit then go. They often know the long customers. In a situation like that, i write "Going to sleep until X time. ETA to shipper is..." then he changes the time.

Do you have a preplanned next pickup requiring you to be in sleeper for 10 in order to make a certain time? If not, maybe you could do a split sleeper, being off duty two at the at receiver, then eight sleeper after you have driven and nearing the time of your sleeping habit. I know, that will still give you four hours of on duty at receiver, but in the end, you might end up driving more from not being sleepy.

Actually, there is no reason to be on duty. Also, trying a split that way could mess someone up who doesnt understand the 8/2 split. If the person did 2 off duty then 4 on duty....they just ruined the 14 clock once the 8 sleeper is complete. The 14 clock starts at the end of the first break, therefore going on duty for 4 hours just started the clock while at the same time, wasting 4 hours of your 70.

However some companies require on duty for detention, some dont.

Jj, I think your dispatcher is trying to help you learn the secrets of success out here. What they are advising is what most Top Tier Drivers do.

I always put myself on sleeper berth at shippers/receivers. If I'm going to be waiting on them, I'm going to be trying to sleep. It's not a big deal to the shipper/receiver. They will knock on your door when they're done. It's a discipline for me that helps me manage my clock so that I can turn the big miles. I sleep when the opportunity arises. I run down the road when it works best for efficiency. Why in the world would I want to burn up future productive time unnecessarily?

Don't get hung up on detention pay, as if it's something you deserve, so you think you should be on duty. I never try to earn detention pay. The people who do, are always complaining about not getting it. Here's something people don't understand. Really productive drivers get a lot of extra pay thrown their way. Non productive drivers have to argue and fight for it, and it's just one more futile way they waste their time and energy.

Here's an example. This week I got a third party backhaul load. The most efficient way to work it would've been for me to pick it up on the afternoon of the same day I'd been dispatched. I got dispatched at 1300, I had to go through the Bronx to get to the shipper and it would be 1600 when I got there. After a few phone calls it became evident the shipper had changed their receiving hours, but the broker was unaware. They told me to shut down and come in the morning. They stopped loading at 1500. No problem - I was going to have to shut down after getting the load anyway. Guess what? My pay statement was sent to me last night, and on it is 250 dollars detention pay for that little issue. I never asked for it - I never expected it, yet it magically appeared.

Always focus on productivity. That's how you Run With The Big Dogs. I realize you're new to this and the erratic sleep patterns are something you have to get accustomed to. But you'll help yourself a great deal by learning to roll with the punches - working when you can, and resting when you get a chance. You don't want to be that guy who is always getting passed by on getting great loads because you're burning up your hours. You'll know when you're becoming efficient. You should be able to turn about 3,000 miles before you've burned up your seventy hours. If you're only turning 2,000 - 2,500 miles but you don't have any hours left, you are killing your paycheck. Don't be that guy!

My dispatcher (20 years experience in trucking) once told me that Only 1 out of 5 Drivers Really Does A Great Job. He wasn't being rude or sarcastic. Trucking companies need efficient effective drivers who can produce results. They live with less than that, but the over achievers always receive The Best Treatment.