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Having a beer

Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
chefdennis said:
Just use your "common sense"....:rolleyes:
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You don't get out and talk to many truck drivers, do you? :D Just because a sense is common, doesn't make it correct.

"Common sense" is what tells people they can't have aftershave or mouthwash in the truck because they contain alcohol.

"Common sense" is what tells people that HAZMAT means something other than "material which requires placarding".

"Common sense" is what tells people that any vehicle which hauls freight is a Commercial Motor Vehicle.

"Common sense" is what tells people they can have a drink with dinner while watching the game over the weekend, even though they are still loaded for a Monday delivery. And that same "common sense" tells them they can then post about it on EO.

"Common sense" is what tells people they can run inverters off their truck batteries until low voltage warnings go off, and then idling the engine for 15 minutes will recharge the batteries.
 
chefdennis

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
LOL, see there, I "Resemble" (yea i know) at least part of that and won't change a bit of it...:D ..Well only 1 of them as i re-read it...But then again, I am pretty sure that is why you added that "one"...:)

Oh and nope, I tend to stay out of the "Truck lot" and the TV room at TS...i do talk to "Expediter vans and ST's that are in the ft lot, but unless i know them, i don't often go out of my way to converse with them....so no I don't talk to many truck drivers...
 
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ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Turtle said:
I don't drink alcohol, ever, so I could care less. But I do know that if you are out here on the road and are Out-of-Service and want to have a dog and a beer at a ballgame or a glass of wine with dinner, there's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't violate the letter or the spirit of the law. And the DOT agrees with me.
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You are not wrong but the reason Diane and I carry it a step further to say no alchohol in our truck ever (including any in our bodies) when we are out on the road, is that circumstances can quickly change in this business.

Say you are at a ball game on a Saturday when you are dispatched to pick up a load on Monday and you have finished one beer (would likely put me over 0.4) half way through the game and intend to drink no more.

The phone could ring to tell you the load canceled but another is available that you can take if you leave now.

Or, you may even be out of service to rest after a strong week or month, but a call comes in saying your help is needed to rescue a load because another driver has fallen ill.

Because we may be called into duty at any time, and because we want to be ready for it, it is for us, no alchohol in our truck (or bodies) ever when we are out on the road.
 
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Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
chefdennis said:
LOL, see there, I "Resemble" (yea i know) at least part of that and won't change a bit of it...:D ..Well only 1 of them as i re-read it...But then again, I am pretty sure that is why you added that "one"...:)
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Exactly. :D

The reason I mentioned it, and did so again further above, is that it really and truly is one of those things that "common sense" tells you would be OK (cause you're not going anywhere for a while regardless). I mentioned it more for those (newbies and others) who might use their "common sense" in the matter, rather than doing what they should. :)
 
Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
ATeam said:
You are not wrong but the reason Diane and I carry it a step further to say no alchohol in our truck ever (including any in our bodies) when we are out on the road, is that circumstances can quickly change in this business.
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I understand what you are saying, but my premise is founded on "OOS and unavailable for dispatch". In that situation, circumstances can't really change very quickly, a you're unavailable for dispatch under any circumstances.

But if you are OOS and in your mind you are still nonetheless available for dispatch should they call, then I'm right there with ya on the "better safe than stupid" approach.

But like I said, for me, as I never drink, on the road or at home, it's a non-issue.
 
ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Turtle said:
I understand what you are saying, but my premise is founded on "OOS and unavailable for dispatch". In that situation, circumstances can't really change very quickly, a you're unavailable for dispatch under any circumstances.

But if you are OOS and in your mind you are still nonetheless available for dispatch should they call, then I'm right there with ya on the "better safe than stupid" approach.
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Not to put too fine of a point on this but let me add that our approach -- no alcohol in our truck or bodies ever when we are out on the road -- goes beyond being available or unavailable for dispatch. The truck is our home and the nation our back yard. Be it for dispatch or personal reasons, we never know when we may have to drive. Thus, no alcohol in our truck or bodies ever when we are out on the road.

Hypothetical examples:

- We are at an RV park, out of service for three days. One of us gets sick and must go to the hospital for more than a day. The other will want to be there too and move the truck to the hospital parking lot.

- We are parked at a relative's house in Ohio and spending nights there, not in the truck, while visiting for several days and resting from the road. Something develops at home -- a family emergency, say -- that requires us to return ASAP, taking the truck because we would not know how long we will be home and the Ohio relative would not want the truck in his yard when we are not there.

For these and many other reasons, no alcohol in the truck or our bodies ever when we are out on the road.

Exception...Expedite Expo! We have only attended once (sorry Lawrence, maybe next year we'll attend again). We are out of service in a hotel. We'll take the risk that an emergency will not develop that would require the truck to be moved. If an emergency did develop, that location provides truck parking and transportation options that may not be available elsewhere.

As professional drivers, the consequences of combining alcohol with our truck are just too severe. We take it a step further than the law requires to eliminate any chance of trouble.
 
scottm4211

scottm4211

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I choose to live my life not through hypotheticals, but by tempering my lust for enjoyment (which the occasional cold beverage adds to this), with the aforementioned common sense.
Amazingly, it works very well.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App
 
Moot

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
ATeam said:
Forget about the letter of the law and focus on the spirit of the law.
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If one were to distill the spirit of the law to it's essence, methanol/ethanol and partook of this mixture while on duty, and lost one's sight because of the high methanol content, would this be considered blind justice?
 
Moot

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
ATeam said:
Not to put too fine of a point on this but let me add that our approach --
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Here's another hypothetical example:

It's a hot muggy Friday afternoon. You and Diane are at home. Your truck is in the shop for work and won't be ready until sometime late Monday. You and Diane have just finished your second cold Summit Pale Ale. You hear the goober next door screaming. You know, the moron with the FedEx CC van. You look out to find his van running with him pinned against a tree by it. The van has flammable placards thus it is a CMV. In a very short time his van will crush him to death. Do you risk breaking a DOT rule by jumping in the driver's seat and putting the van in reverse and saving the dude's life or let him die ridding the expedite world of one more van?

Me, I'd practice the drunk while OOS reaction drill. Did I ever mention the time my late friend Jack and I found a case of Old Crow Bourbon in the back of our truck?
 
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ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Of course I would jump in the van and throw it into reverse. This is the 21st Century. Save the tree!
 
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