Erase Day 1 Or Take 34 What Do You Prefer?

OK, my head was about to explode trying to read this and figure out the point you were trying to make.

All in all, it makes no difference in the miles per week, per day, per month, etc, etc, if you run on recaps or do 34 hour resets.

You can get in just as many miles either way. It all depends on you. If you want to run 7 days a week. Or you like "2" days off every week.

There are many differences in how many miles 2 different drivers will get each and every week. Terrain. Traffic. Road construction. Weather. How long each one has to set at a shipper or receiver. How many drop and hooks compared to live loads. ETC.

But on paper, it doesn't matter which you choose. Running on recaps of doing 34's. Miles add up the same with both.

As far as running when you want. That can be done. Up to a point.

What I am about to say, some old timers will say that I am not a true deep down trucker. Well that may be so. But I run safe. I don't push an envelope like some truckers do. I run electronic logs , which tickles me pink. The paper logs, yeah you could in theory make lots more money. But if you had a less than "legal" dispatcher or company you were working for, you ran till you were about to drop.

I usually start my day between 4 to 6am. I run all day long. Bathroom stops and maybe a lunch stop. Around 5pm I am looking for my nights stay.

Every trucker will tell you. Make sure you plan out your trips. Make sure you have your stops planned out. Well, I do that to an extent. But they aren't set in stone. I make a target location on where I WANT to stop for the night. But I also keep in mind how many T/S or R/A are close by. Just in case I don't have a good day or I have a great day.

I don't do nights unless it is totally, absolutely, down and out a have to case. I don't sleep good during the day time. Never have been able too. Even years ago when I was much younger and in the military. If I worked nights, I was lucky to sleep maybe 4 hours a day.

I might not be the smartest guy in the bunch. But I know when and when not to push myself. And doing too many nights is pushing me out of my "comfort zone." So, I stay away from nights as much as possible.

Working your HOS is something that takes practice and it has to be done everyday, every week and every load you handle. So you can make it come out in your favor.

I run recaps. I run 7 days a week. I try to run 8 1/2 to 9 hours a day. Some days I have to run maybe 10 hours. The next day or within a couple of days, I will run a 7 hour day. When it rolls around again, I push a couple of hours off the 10 over to the 7 hour day.

No matter which one you choose. You can't get a perfect 8.75 hour day. And you can't get a perfect 11 hour day. So you have average and work it out to work best for you.

Keep it safe out here, the life you save might be your own. The Blue Angel.