Question:
First off, I'm a newbie so go easy, I know it it probably a dumb question. OK, here it is: I just finished school, I'm going to drive my own car 8 hours to attend orientation. The company is going to reimburse me for gas money. Because the company is paying me for gas would this 8 hours be considered "on duty"?

Answer:

you aren't driving a commercial vehicle and will most likely get to rest in a motel after your drive,so I would say off duty.
A driver that works out of a terminal and returns to the terminal everyday,don't log their travels back and forth to work.
the company will probably have you log the whole orientation off duty with maybe some time on duty for the time at the doctor for the pee test and physical.
"I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious."
--Thomas Jefferson

Answer:

...the company will probably have you log the whole orientation off duty with maybe some time on duty for the time at the doctor for the pee test and physical.
ALL time spent during carrier orientation is on-duty time.
It is not a pee-test, but a drug screen.
Last edited by BEDSPREAD on Tue Sep 25, 2001 4:29 pm; edited 1 time in total

Answer:

it is on duty and the company will start you off right and have you lie on your log book after 3 days of telling you to run legal.
"I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious."
--Thomas Jefferson

Answer:

What gets me zig is that I have been in driver orientation for carriers that;

One tells you not to show the time,

One tells you to log it.
The trick comes on Friday afternoon after class, equipment assignment comes. You finally find your tractor, you have no time to store your gear or clean it up to the point where you are able to sit in it comfortably (or lie down). You inspect it and it is not road worthy, even though it has been sitting on the yard for a week. You are then instructed to report to dispatch for assignment and the first thing out of their mouth is,
"Damn Driver!...Am I glad to see you!...I have this Hot Load sitting on the yard that needs to be down the road by 0600hrs. tomorrow morning and you are my man!"
Last edited by BEDSPREAD on Wed Sep 26, 2001 6:32 am; edited 1 time in total

Answer:

i loved werners way of running you to omaha for a car trade and when you get there,they don't have a car waiting for you.
It would seem simple,dispatch tells the car assignment person your coming in and they get a car ready for you before you get there,should take 2 hours to switch.
Not at Werner,they get you in over the weekend,take your car away from you,even though they aren't going to do anything with it over the weekend and than monday morning you find out the car assignment person will be in a meeting all morning
and the people they hire and don't have a car for them to drive??well just wait untill someone quits don't take long,everyday someone quits
Crete has a great orientation system,go to local terminal,doctor and pee,than they rent you a car to drive to Lincoln,why not just go to Lincoln??Than good chance you will drive the car back to local terminal to get a car
All new cars arrive in lincoln,all new drivers arrive Lincoln,all trailers leave Nebraska,try and find a empty in NE
I just a cardriver,but it would seem to make sense to me,if you add a tractor to the fleet,bobtail the tractor to the trailer factory in Lafayette IN or even better,tell freighliner to send all new tractors to the Lafayette terminal
"I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious."
--Thomas Jefferson

Answer:

Maybe I asked that wrong, I wasn't talking about the orientation time. I mean the drive up there, is that "on duty". I only ask because they are paying for my gas. Is that considered compensated work?

Answer:

Well first:
§395.2 Definitions
Question 11: Must nontransportation-related work for a motor carrier be recorded as on-duty time?
Guidance: Yes. All work for a motor carrier, whether compensated or not, must be recorded as on-duty time. The term "work" as used in the definition of "on-duty time" in §395.2 of the FMCSRs is not limited to driving or other nontransportation-related employment.
So if you flip burgers at Mickey D's on the weekends you're technically "On-Duty" and it counts against the 60/70-hour rule.
Second:
§395.2 Definitions
Question 24: If a driver is transported by automobile from the point of a breakdown to a terminal, and then dispatched on another run, how is the time spent in the automobile entered on the record of duty status? How is the time entered if the driver goes off-duty once he reaches the terminal?
Guidance: The time spent in the automobile would be on-duty (not driving) if dispatched on another run once he/she reaches the terminal, and off-duty if he/she is given 8 consecutive hours off-duty upon reaching the terminal.
I've always used this regardless of when the driver drove the car.
Keep the faith.
M
The regulations posted are from cites with the most current available on-line regulations to my knowledge. Due to the FMCSR being updated from time-to-time, the poster accepts no responsibility for the content of the regulations and it is ultimately the readers responsibility to verify the current regulations. The views posted are my own and in no way represent the US DOT or FMCSA.
Last edited by M Millard on Wed Sep 26, 2001 1:53 pm; edited 1 time in total

Answer:

On the drive to orientation, are you an employee?
lol - an owner/operator?
The funny part is, people want to believe, so they leave their common sense at the door on the floor...
Zigzag, why would the caring company want to pay an hourly employee to do something when the can get a driver to do it for the book milage?

Answer:

Originally
Maybe I asked that wrong, I wasn't talking about the orientation time. I mean the drive up there, is that "on duty". I only ask because they are paying for my gas. Is that considered compensated work?
The drive to orientation is not considered as on duty time as you have not been hired by the carrier. You have only been pre-hired, and in all actuality are not an employee of the carrier until you actually begin the orientation process.
You are being compensated for your driving expense, not being paid wage(s).
Now, when you begin orientation, you are required to record your duty status while participating in the orientation process by regulations. Whether the carrier requests/allows you to is another matter.
If after orientation, they request you to drive (or are driven-take bus or fly)) to another location to pick up equipment or whatever, that will be considered as on duty time unless you are allowed eight hours off duty at the other end. Driving your car back home after orientation is not considered as on duty time unless they have directed you to pick up a piece of equipment on your way back.
It sounds confusing but it is not really.
Last edited by BEDSPREAD on Thu Sep 27, 2001 12:36 am; edited 1 time in total

Answer:

Thanks Bedspread, that sounds logical. Simple once you explain it.

Answer:

Originally it is on duty and the company will start you off right and have you lie on your log book after 3 days of telling you to run legal.
"I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious."
--Thomas Jefferson
Newdriver, listen to zigzag, he/she is right, It is on duty and the company will start you off and you will have to lie on your logbook in order to have time to run....Hey! Newbie welcome to game...OH! don't believe everything about the company specially about safety, the real world is a very different ballgame, Dispatch will push you to the limit and the main concern to the company is the load to be delivery on time regardless. the driver are nothing, just nothing...don't forget that, and you won't be suprise.

Answer:

When I got my first pumpkin car Schneider paid for a rental car to get me from San Diego to Portland. It took me two days to get there and I logged it as driving time.
At some point someone, I think my dispatcher, told me I didn't have to log it. Better safe than sorry though.