When do I have to fill out logbooks?
Dear Eric: Do I have to fill out logbooks?
Answer: The regulations state that you must complete a record of duty status (aka a logbook) every day, unless if you:
1) stay within a 100 air mile radius from your office, and 2) return to the office within 12 hours.
If you do that, your driver may record his time on a time card, time sheet, any thing that captures the time started, time finished, and the total number of hours worked that day. In the event the driver does not meet those requirements one day, then for that day, he must complete a logsheet. Logbooks are generally available at truckstops, or online from www.jjkeller.com. If you are a non-CDL driver, there are numerous exceptions that apply instead of the 100 air mile rule.
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Eric Arnold is a Former Enforcement Agent with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and a leading expert on USDOT compliance for small businesses. Do you have a question for Eric Arnold? Email him at [email protected].
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You can keep your time on a time sheet (time start, time finished, total hours), provided you’re back within 12 hours, and you don’t go beyond 100 air miles from the office.
I work for a company that has a commercial fleet bad we don’t drive 100 miles but we work 12 to 15 hrs a day 6 days a week,are we required to complete a log and are there any violations with the hrs?
How heavy is the vehicle? If it is a CDL vehicle, you should be filling out logs, as you are working more than 12 hours a day. If it’s a non-CDL vehicle, logs are not required. Time sheets are sufficient. As for the hours violations, you get to work 70 hours in any 8 day period. 12 x 6 = 72. 15 x 6 = 90. Yeah, your company is probably violating the 70 hour rule pretty frequently.
Does my driver need to fill out a log book when not working the weekends? This is a driver working for our company that we hired.
Each day should be accounted for. So, if the driver is off the weekends, he should have an off-duty log for Saturday and Sunday. DOT will allow you to put multiple off-duty days on one log, so if a driver is off for 2 weeks, he doesn’t have to fill out 14 different logs saying ‘off-duty’.
I recently received a citation for no log book. I drove a 26′ box company truck 160 miles one way and 160 back. I drove for a total of 9 hours. Was I required to have a log book or can I fight it?
You might be able to fight it. If it was a non-CDL vehicle, which it might have been, you can drive 150 air miles one way, before you need a log. If it was a CDL vehicle, you can only drive 100 air miles, before you need a log. In order to determine for sure if you needed a log, 1) was it a non-CDL vehicle? 2) how many air miles did you travel? 160 road miles is less than 160 air miles. 160 road miles would equal roughly 139 air miles, which would NOT require a log. I would figure out how far out you went, take the number of miles it is, and then figure out what that is in ‘air-miles’. One ‘air mile’ is about .87 road miles.
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have 20 drivers with trucks 1992 – 2015 10 drivers have been keeping logs?? question only 2 drivers drive over 150 one way(line hauls) all other drivers drive within 100 miles of terminal we have cdl trucks, non cd,l box , straight, vans . small ma and pa shop I been put in charge (IT MANAGER) to research the ELD requirements. I currently testing some ELD’s but not really sure I need to install on all trucks above 1999 or if drivers need to maintain logs except for few no driver is on road over 10 hours and punch a timecard everyday
regards
Izzy
ELDs are not required if the vehicle has a pre-2000 engine, or the driver meets the time card exception 22 days out of 30. The time card exception is 100 air miles, back within 12 hours for CDL vehicles, and 150 air miles for non-CDL drivers.
Eric, I’m a cdl driver but generally stay within 100 miles of my shop in a truck that will not have an ELD in it…this truck seldom leaves the city. A couple times a week I drive a different truck that will have an ELD, but only go outside of 100 air miles a few times per month at which time I obviously have to log. I will be using the ELD whenever I’m in the truck that has an ELD whether I’m within 100 miles or not.
Do I need to paper log when I’m driving the truck that has no ELD on the days I’m working within city limits ?
If you stay within 100 air miles of the office, and return there within 12 hours 22 times out of 30, you are not required to have an ELD. When operating in a truck without an ELD, you may keep your time either on a paper log, or on a time sheet, with the time started, time finished, and total number of hours. You must return within 12 hours if you are using the time sheet.
hello I have 15 or so trucks mostly utility truck dodge 2500 with 11 foot utility boxes, I also have 2 peterbuilts 1 is a stake bed and the other a box truck all under 26k I was just told by FMCSA I must have log books and service hours and medical cards but these are technicians not full time drivers. do I need all these regulations? every thing is registered private to so no for hire status.
Generally speaking, yes, the FMCSA is correct. If the vehicles cross State lines, or are otherwise involved in interstate commerce, then anything with a GVWR of 10,001 lbs. or more is subject to the rules, which includes hours of service and medical cards. It doesn’t matter that the driver may only driver once a week, or that you are not operating for hire. Sorry.
Do i start my log book from the time i leave my base or after ive passed threw the 100 mile mark?
I would start it from the time you leave your base, because you have to capture all the time you spend on-duty and driving, not just that which is done outside of the 100 air mile circle. I apologize for the tardy reply.
How does one determine 100 air miles, I have a large map and used the legend to mark out 100 air miles in a circle of the home location
Our company said we need to fill out a daily electronic drive log because are trucks are DOT registered. The truck I drive is a . It’s gross weight is under 10k and I don’t haul trailers. Is it a law to fill out a drive log for this when DOT registered even if under weight limit. I do travel beyond 150 miles.
Assuming everything you said is correct, ie, your truck has a GVWR of under 10,001 lbs., and you do not pull a trailer, you do not have to fill out a logbook, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. However, you employer has the right to make you fill one out, if they want. For example, maybe they are going to have you pull a trailer at some point, and want to make sure you have enough hours available when they ask you to do that.
Gary: sorry for the tardy reply. It’s summertime, and I am not as active via DOT work in the summer. Anyway, your method is ok. There are numerous distance calculators online which are more exact. Google maps has a very good one. Find your home office address. Left-click, and choose ‘measure distance’. That places a fixed point at the home address. Then zoom out, and click on the place on the map where you are going. Google will draw a line, and tell you how many miles it is, in a straight line, which is what you want.
Our owner lives in Minnesota we do our work in Michigan our shop is 30 miles from our plant we work at do we need to fill out a logbook
Sorry for the late reply. You must keep your time in some fashion. Most people in your situation would use a time card, where you must record the time you started work, the time you finished work, and the total number of hours worked that day.
HOW LONG DOES A DRIVER HAVE TO CARY COMPLETED DAILY LOG SHEETS IN HIS POSSESSION ?
8 days.
Hello. I have CDL B License and want to drive a 13 passenger van for limo services. Vehicle GVWR 11,030 pounds. Usually won’t be 100 miles away from office. Vehicle has DOT AND MC # . I go out of state rarely. Maybe twice a year.
Do i need to do log books? In any of this cases ?
Thank you
No, you just need a time sheet with the time started, time finished, and total number of hours worked.