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From the FMCSA web site: On-duty time means all time from the time a driver begins to work or is required to be in readiness to work until the time the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work. On-duty time shall include: (1) All time at...

That driver was not forced to park at that particular spot. He just chose to do so because it was easy. This is something to watch as we continue to gauge the truck-parking impacts of the new HOS rules. Merchants who have easy-of, easy-on locations near freeways have always had to deal with...

On our way to a truck stop to start our 34 hour restart, we stopped at a DQ for a snack before putting ourselves into restart prison for the weekend. While we were there, a big rig pulled in to the small lot and the driver told us he was there to do his 30 minute break. He purchased nothing from...

A while after I did the interviews and research for the story linked to above, I talked to Jeff Jones and Don Bentz about doing a piece on their new product. It turned out to be too early. Neither one of them wanted to say much at that time. In the telepone conversation we did have, Don was...

Turtle a/k/a Professor of Twinkology

Saturday morning, in the 12:01 to 04:00 range, the Pilot and Love's at Van Horn, TX, and the Flying J at Pecos, TX were all filled to overflowing (numerous trucks double and triple parked); similar to what we saw last week at the TA in Rockwall, TX. I'm trying to be objective in my observations...

Bentz closed its doors in October, 2009. See: The Downfall of Bentz Transport Products, Inc.

Next comes cameras in the back so they can verify load securement in real time and then cameras in the cab to the person actually driving the truck can be verified too as well as the presence or absence of a fatigued look on the driver's face.

Back to the original topic, Diane and I have been driving in western states this week. As a general practice, we frequent truck stops as little as possible. In our fuel and shower stops this week, everything seemed normal compared to the way it was before the new HOS rules went into effect on...

I've seen that happen a couple of times. After a long traffic jam, cars and trucks started moving again but one truck stays put in its lane, not moving an inch while the lane opens ahead. Presumably that is because the driver fell asleep while sitting there or even went back into the sleeper to...

1. This shows why it will take some time to see the full impact of the new HOS rules. Drivers are learning new behaviors and trying new techniques, and sharing them with others as they discover what works and does not. 2. I did not know that the Qualcomm MCP200 could track a truck with that...

That's a better solution than any I mentioned above. If traffic started moving again, you could move quickly enough back into driving. But this assumes that the traffic stays totally stopped for 30 minutes at least. You can't creep ahead with the flow if you are in the sleeper.

The Detroit bankruptcy news prompted me to read this article about Chapter 9 bankruptcy. It seems that politicians and their appointees still run the city, only now with more power, less transparency and less accountability than ever before.

We're on paper logs yet but no matter. Either way, if stopped in a traffic jam, like when the freeway is closed for an hour or more and nothing moves, I will log myself as driving because that's what I am doing, or as on-duty because that is what I am. Yes, the brakes may be set. Yes, the...

If I was in a traffic jam that stopped traffic for more than 30 minutes, I would not log a 30 minute break because doing so would be a false entry. Though stopped, I am still at the controls and operating the truck. I should not have said "most if not all drivers" above. There will be some who...

In a case like that, most if not all drivers would log part of that stoped time as their 30 minute break; making lemonade out of lemons.

Good point. As we continue to watch for the truck-parking impacts of the new HOS rules, the impacts will likely vary from location to location.

This is on a Wednesday, right? What time of day?

So the question does not get lost in the various excursions this thread has taken, let me ask again: Why is FedEx Custom Critical doing this? What has changed in the industry or with FedEx Custom Critical to prompt this game-changing move?

A lot of the loads FedEx Custom Critidcal puts on its own trucks are not true expedite loads either. We found this out when we moved to Landstar and covered the very same loads from the very same shippers picked up and delivered at the very same docks. At Landstar, if a load picks up say at...