Dear Marc,
I am starting work for a new motor carrier. What is the best way to present my prior 7 days records of duty status?
Dear Reader,
A driver who is starting to work for a new motor carrier may present their prior 7 days’ records of duty status to the new carrier in a few different ways. To begin, section 395.8(j)(2) of Part 395 provides that a motor carrier, when using a driver for the first time or intermittently, shall obtain from the driver a signed statement giving the total time on duty during the immediately preceding 7 days, and the time at which the driver was last relieved from duty prior to beginning work for the new motor carrier.
A driver can also :
- Print out their hours-of-service from the other motor carrier;
- If operating with compatible devices the ELD data can be transferred between the motor carriers with the driver’s approval, or
- Manually add the hours of service while operating for that motor carrier into the current ELD using the editing and annotation functions of the ELD.
Finally, in order to ensure compliance at roadside, the driver should have these records in his/her possession to readily to surrender to DOT upon request. In the event of an audit, the motor carrier must retain these records for the previous 6 months.
