Daily Lives Time Management And Off Time On The Road

I am thinking about starting a new career and was wondering how you manage your time. So, how much time can you drive before you have to stop and how long before you can drive again? What do you do while waiting,.what kinds of things are in your truck to entertain yourself while down. can you keep a laptop. what about guns, can you have a firearm in the truck. just a few questions, sorry.

I am thinking about starting a new career and was wondering how you manage your time. So, how much time can you drive before you have to stop and how long before you can drive again? What do you do while waiting,.what kinds of things are in your truck to entertain yourself while down. can you keep a laptop. what about guns, can you have a firearm in the truck. just a few questions, sorry.

First of all welcome to the forums. Great place to have questions answered. OK while there is no federal laws preventing guns in a truck it's the local laws, company policies and rules of customers is the reason it makes it next to impossible to be legal everywhere you will be going.

Driving....you can drive a maximum of 11 hours in a 14 hour time period not to exceed the rules of hours of service limiting 70 hours in 8 days for otr drivers and 60 hours in 7 days for For Short Haul Type Of operations.

As for entertainment.... Yes you can have a laptop. You can have a TV and movies. You can have a 7 foot vampire dido welding blowup doll if ya want. Your entertainment is limited to what you like.

Welcome aboard Rick!

I highly recommend you go through our Truck Driver's Career Guide and my book Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving (that link is to the free online version of the book). Those two resources will really help you understand how the trucking industry works, what life on the road is really like, and what it takes to get your career off to a great start. It will answer a ton of questions you have and probably a million you never would have thought to ask.

Read through those and come back often with lots of questions. We'll make sure you get the answers you're looking for.

I am thinking about starting a new career and was wondering how you manage your time. So, how much time can you drive before you have to stop and how long before you can drive again? What do you do while waiting,.what kinds of things are in your truck to entertain yourself while down. can you keep a laptop. what about guns, can you have a firearm in the truck. just a few questions, sorry.

You manage time very carefully. Shippers, receivers, traffic, you name it, are always testing you and your 11 and 14 hour clocks.

For example, I left a receiver (in South San Francisco) with about 50 minutes left on my 14. The nearest BIG truck stop was probably 50 minutes away IF I got lucky. Luckily, a nearby 7-11 let me park for a $10 fee.

Sometimes you can't use your entire 11. I think the CHP frowns on parking on the shoulder of the Interstate for 10 hours.

Dave

I work nights and I see trucks on off ramps all the time. I've taken my 30 minute break on a off ramp before. Although I think its because of the rest areas and truck stops being full more than a time management thing.

Does anyone stop their day early to get a parking spot at a truck stop or do you always run your clock out and park anywhere you can find.

I do the same routes every week so I don't have to many surprises as far as time management except for weather or breakdowns.

I typically won't shut down early just to get a spot, but when my loads allow I will start my day early so I can use my full clock and still be able to shut down sooner and find a spot easily.

And a suggestion about shutting down on ramps for those that may find themselves in that situation. Whenever possible shut down on the on ramp instead of the off ramp. Trucks and other traffic are moving slower on the on ramps versus the off ramps.

Woody

I typically won't shut down early just to get a spot, but when my loads allow I will start my day early so I can use my full clock and still be able to shut down sooner and find a spot easily.

And a suggestion about shutting down on ramps for those that may find themselves in that situation. Whenever possible shut down on the on ramp instead of the off ramp. Trucks and other traffic are moving slower on the on ramps versus the off ramps.

Woody

True. I stopped on an on ramp because the truck stops were full. I prefer out west between say Iowa and Utah. You can pretty much find parking anywhere, or park on an on ramp in most rural areas when you run out of hours. If I am picking up, I prefer to start as late as possible, and still pick up on time (arriving one hour early) in order to maximize my hours on the back end.

Other than that, if I plan out my hours, some days I'll run hard and others I'll have a short day, depending on who I deliver to and whether or not they accept early delivery.

Dave

You can have a 7 foot vampire dido welding blowup doll if ya want.

If you know where I can get one of those, I would appreciate it..

You can have a 7 foot vampire dido welding blowup doll if ya want.

If you know where I can get one of those, I would appreciate it..

ROTFLMAO

I work nights and I see trucks on off ramps all the time. I've taken my 30 minute break on a off ramp before. Although I think its because of the rest areas and truck stops being full more than a time management thing.

Does anyone stop their day early to get a parking spot at a truck stop or do you always run your clock out and park anywhere you can find.

I do the same routes every week so I don't have to many surprises as far as time management except for weather or breakdowns.

I ran 628 Miles today and I was shut down by 5pm, plenty of parking to be found around that time. :) its all about Trip Planning and Time Management.