Log Book Quiz

Just to add clarity, as I know how Packrat runs, I think the "terminal" aspect is throwing the monkey wrench into the equation.

As Turtle stated, as a dedicated driver his "place of origin" for business purposes is the Walmart DC. He is dispatched out of the Walmart DC, picks up trailers out of the DC, drops empty trailers at the DC, and returns to the DC for completion of his load. While he may sometimes go to the terminal to get work done on this truck (and this would be on duty driving), the scenario he discussed involves returning to the terminal for shower, laundry, etc.

And I'll give another scenario that I think is an appropriate use of PC involving the "terminal" for personal purposes. While under a load, I am relatively close to the Pittston terminal, but because of limited parking there, I park at a truck stop nearby that has more parking. After I park at the truck stop for the night, I find out the showers don't work. I drive to the Prime Pittston terminal to take a shower and then back to the truck stop on my 10-hour break. After my 10-hour break is over, I continue with my load.

Would you say that I need to drive to the terminal on the drive line?

And I'll give another scenario that I think is an appropriate use of PC involving the "terminal" for personal purposes. While under a load, I am relatively close to the Pittston terminal , but because of limited parking there, I park at a truck stop nearby that has more parking. After I park at the truck stop for the night, I find out the showers don't work. I drive to the Prime Pittston terminal to take a shower and then back to the truck stop on my 10-hour break. After my 10-hour break is over, I continue with my load.

Would you say that I need to drive to the terminal on the drive line?

No, you are not furthering the load and returned to where you started.

Laura

And I'll give another scenario that I think is an appropriate use of PC involving the "terminal" for personal purposes. While under a load, I am relatively close to the Pittston terminal , but because of limited parking there, I park at a truck stop nearby that has more parking. After I park at the truck stop for the night, I find out the showers don't work. I drive to the Prime Pittston terminal to take a shower and then back to the truck stop on my 10-hour break. After my 10-hour break is over, I continue with my load.

Would you say that I need to drive to the terminal on the drive line?

No, you are not furthering the load and returned to where you started.

Laura

With the most recent changes to PC, returning from the starting point no longer matters and the recent guidance only mentions moving to the closest available parking, the direction doesn’t matter.

With the most recent changes to PC, returning from the starting point no longer matters and the recent guidance only mentions moving to the closest available parking, the direction doesn’t matter.

But the "closest available parking" thing only applies when it's work related, such as finding parking when you're out of hours. It doesn't apply to personal matters such as finding a shower, or going to get something to eat, or going to see a movie, or anything else of a personal nature. Returning to the starting point does matter in these instances, so that you are not advancing the load or enhancing the operational readiness of your truck.

I never said it was required, just that it mattered since the load was not advanced or enhanced. That was more the point of what I was saying, and that it has nothing to do with moving to the closest available parking, as you said. Two completely different things.

If you go to the fleet owner site, it highlights all of the new PC changes. It doesn’t matter if it advances the load, it doesn’t matter if you return to the starting point. Regardless of whether or not your parking, going to the store, or grabbing a shower.

Now, PC cannot be used to specifically advance the load, that’s illegal. As long as it’s being used in a personal nature though, it’s allowed.

If you search around enough, you're bound to find plenty of sites with their own answers and interpretations to support whatever argument you want. I prefer the official FMCSA site, with their guidance.

That link in particular is in response to a phone call with FMCSA asking specific questions which aren’t clarified in the guidance. They mention it in the article and all of the information contained comes directly from the individual on that call.