Sitting In Dayton New Jersey Waiting To Unload.... It Must Be Monday

Well I'm sitting here at the West Rock warehouse in Dayton NJ waiting to get unloaded I've been here since 10:00 this morning my appointment was at 11:00 but the West Rock guys are running way behind there is still 4 other trucks ahead of me. Oh of course I'm also running out of HOS time. Another fun Monday in New Jersey.... Hopefully they will get me in before my clock runs out or else I'll have to creep in to the dock.

I’m thinking about getting into the trucking business and wondered about a situation like this!!

Question: why are your HOS burning away when your sitting still, dead in the water waiting for 5 hrs. Why can’t you go off the clock until they are ready to unload you, then go back on so your whole day isn’t shot?

I’m thinking about getting into the trucking business and wondered about a situation like this!!

Question: why are your HOS burning away when your sitting still, dead in the water waiting for 5 hrs. Why can’t you go off the clock until they are ready to unload you, then go back on so your whole day isn’t shot?

Because once your daily 14 hour clock starts running, it cannot be stopped. You can stop the 11 hour clock for Driving or On Duty only.

Well thats a bummer. So your just stuck getting paid whatever the Company gives you for being delayed?

Well thats a bummer. So your just stuck getting paid whatever the Company gives you for being delayed?

Yes, but the main thing to concentrate on is how many miles the load is paying, once you leave, and how safely you can get it to its delivery in a hurry. Maximization of your clock is key to making the most money, the big miles, and the best dispatches from your employer.

2 more questions if you don't mind

1. If you run out of service hrs while being unloaded and can’t park there for night, is there an exemption that allows you to drive to closest truck/rest stop?

2. You pre planned your days trip to stop for night at specific spot knowing you could get there barring any major problems. Your almost there and run into major traffic due to whatever ahead. If your drive clock runs out while sitting in traffic is there an exemption allowing you to get to that approved parking/rest area?

Thank you for answering! I do understand managing the clock, But in this case, being delayed that long by receiver threw the whole day off. Could have missed a noon pick up and 2 drop off sitting there

David, we don't bite! You ask us as many questions as you are curious about. That's kind of our purpose here - we help out the new guys on the job.

If you run out of service hrs while being unloaded and can’t park there for night, is there an exemption that allows you to drive to closest truck/rest stop?

Yes, there is a proper way to handle this.

You pre planned your days trip to stop for night at specific spot knowing you could get there barring any major problems. Your almost there and run into major traffic due to whatever ahead. If your drive clock runs out while sitting in traffic is there an exemption allowing you to get to that approved parking/rest area?

This situation is slightly different. It's different only because it's traffic related. As a person develops their good trucking practices they will tend to allow some extra time in their trip planning for Murphy's Law to exercise itself.

There are regulations which provide allowances for things like this. There are also company specific policies that will take precedence over the regulations.

Don't sweat the details at this point. And don't worry about delays like Chris is posting about. It's all part of the job, and as long as you prove to be a worthwhile driver you'll find your dispatcher throwing extra money at you for anything he thinks had a negative effect on your work week.

I quite unexpectedly got delayed close to eight hours one day last week. I considered it no big deal. I just put myself on "sleeper berth" and effectively paused my clock that way. I had plenty of hours to work then after the delay. When I got my paycheck there was an extra 250 dollars on it for "detention." I never thought anybody owed me anything - all I did was rest during that time.

This kind of stuff is rare in my experience. Don't let it be something you're concerned about. You can find nightmare stories online about this kind of thing, but it's pretty obvious to experienced drivers that the people who post these complaints don't even know how to handle such events.

Chris is just venting a little. It's normal because he knows we understand his frustration. It's trucking. It's not perfect.

Thanks Old School. I know these things are bound to happen. I’ve had guys sitting around for hrs waiting on a large mulch delivery that got delayed, all the prep work was already done, we were dead in water until mulch showed up. I figured there were policies in place to account for the unforeseen problems I asked about. Just figured I’d ask since Chris was dealing with an issue I have been wondering about.

I just finished getting unloaded I had 11 minutes left on my HOS clock when I bumped the dock. I had to creep out and get back on the street to shut down. I was doing good keeping my speed under 5 mph but it bumped over and I got the dreaded HOS violation from Ms Qualcomm doh.... Down for the night now tomorrow brings new opportunities.