Driving Regulations, the basic version.

Ok, this is a really simplified version of the driving regs in Canada and the USA. I will try to keep the terminoligy straight forward. The pictures above are of a computer program into which you input the hours you have done for the day and all the calculations are done for you. Please remember that some days I do not use all available hours as it may benefit me in the long run and also could be dictated by parking places ect...
Basic Canada
Max driving...13hrs....Sat behind the wheel.
Max shift.....16hrs....From start of the day till you finish
Weekly cycles..70hrs/7days or 120/14days.. I choose to work 70hr in 7 days
Breaks......10hrs. Can be shortened but I like the 10hrs off.
Resetting...36hrs off duty when you hit 70hrs.

Basic USA
Max driving...11hrs
Max shift....14hrs...from start to finish
Weekly cycles...60hrs/7days or 70hrs/8days. I choose 70hr/8days
Breaks....10hrs, can also be shortened.
Resetting....34hrs off duty when you hit 70hrs.

Some explanations.
You must comply with the destination countries laws when you enter it. If you leave Canada after having driven for 13hrs you cannot legally enter the states, but if you are leaving the States and have driven for 11hrs you may continue for another 2hrs (13 total)into Canada. You also need to be careful with the resetting of hours. If you need to reset in the States it requires that you need a 34hr break, however Canada requires 36hrs. If you cross into Canada the Law will park you up for a further 36hrs not 2hr which is the difference in time.
Another oddball is the weekly cycles or shift patterns which is explained with the use of the photos.

Weekly Cycles/Shift Patterns
Ok lets do Canada first. I use 70hrs/7days. Using the computer program I put the daily hours in. Once you input day six the program fills out the following, your last 6 days combined hours, hours available which is 70hrs minus the last 6 days and
the last 7 days totals.
If you look at the 27 Jan you can see that I worked for 11hrs, the total hours from 22 jan to 27 jan inclusive is 49.75 which is your 6 day. Subtract this from 70hrs and it gives you the available hours tomorrow.

Ok, the States now. All the calculations are done the same except that you add up the hours from the previous 7 days instead of 6 to get your available hours for tomorrow. If you look at the pics, on the 27 Jan I had 20.25hrs free for the 28th but because the States go back for the extra day I only have 12.25 as it had calculated for the 8 hours I worked on 21st jan.
Hence you may have a load of hours free when you leave Canada but not so many when you cross into the States and this has to be taken into account when planning your return trip.

Hopefully this has helped a little in understanding the regulations over here, basically just because you are legel in one country doesnt mean you will be legal in the other. Anyone coming over here dont panic as its all explained in depth.

Anyone who would like a copy of the program to play with drop me a line and I will email it to you with instructions how to use it.

Sorry, its a spreadsheet not a program so will need Microsoft Excel or equivalent to use it.

PHEW !!!

Not forgotten you, had no internet

Snow chains not required..
Snow chains required..my arse
Brake check layby on the Coquihalla between Merrit and HopeDont forget to dig your lights out !!

Jeez, its been a hectic week and one tinged with drama.
Got sent across to Langley in British Columbia and had to endure more horrible weather. Take note of the first picture as its relevant for later in the blog. I still have to find a place in BC where you can get the internet, Canada is so far behind with this. Made it across to Langley and dropped the trailer in the yard at Delta and picked up a loaded one for Tracy California,yup the dreaded California again. All was going well until I hit the Oregon/California border and the snow chain lights where flashing. Bugger it I am going to go for it but thought better when I saw the miles of trucks chaining up. My first time at chaining up and to be honest I made the best out of a disaster. We had been advised to check the condition of the chains before the snow set in but I stupidly thought better and didnt bother. What a state they were in, broken links and bent tensioners plus one of them was so thick and heavy I think its previous life was lifting a ships anchor. I was swearing to myself but after a while and with the help of a dozen bungee cords I was fit to go, thinking to myself that it had better be worth the effort, hence the second picture. Not exactly thick snow, no ice, nothing. I was at boiling point. Compared to the picture of BC it was pathetic. Anyway, chains off and rolling again for about 30mins until I was flagged to pull over by another truck, I had a flat tyre. I had run over a broken chain lnk and rammed it through the tread. I had to limp it a few miles down the road and had a repair done but it had cost me a lot of time what with chaining as well.
I arrived at Safeway, Tracy California for a 5am delivery and was told I would be shouted on the CB when they wanted me,great,off to bed. They also shouted everyone else on the CB, all night long. Safeway is no different in the States than the UK. Nobody enjoys working there,it takes hours to unload and they treat you like dogmuck. It also cost me $60 in lumper (hired labour) to split all the pallets down. This is common and H&R refund the cost, I could of had a company cheque issued but its easier to pay cash.
So I am on my way to Port Huemene again for some more bananas and loading tomorrow morning. I havent done the sums yet but I might be able to squeeze some time in at Las Vegas again which seems to be the best part of coming down into California as well as the weather.
Its 60f outside and the sun is shining. Earlier I spoke to dispatch in Lethbridge and they said it was -40 which is seriously cold, bad luck eh !!! thats what you get for sending me where I have to chain up.
I also havent forgotten about writing about the driving hours as again I prefer to let the hours roll over, it suits me better and I am up to day 15 with 24hrs break. It will be posted soon.

Shoppers Paradise. Mall of America

Hi everyone. As it turned out the load from Milwaukee is pizza so its full speed to Calgary as there is not much weight. My hours were running low again and yesterday I managed to get half a day at the "Mall of America". According to the internet its the biggest mall in the USA and to be honest I believe that the Metro Centre is bigger even though statistically the Mall of America is twice the size on paper. I didnt take many pics as its the same as any other mall. One thing I did notice was the lack of cash points (ATM)in the mall which I suppose is a tell tale sign of how the Americans rely on credit cards. The stores inside you can find anywhere and the big designers have kept themselves away, Las Vegas is the place for them.
I did have a go on a Nascar simulator and was terrible on the 11 lap race coming 19th out of 20. It threw me about so much while crashing at 200mph that I felt a bit sick when I came out and had to sit down for a while. Not sure if I would recommend going out of your way to see the Mall, its not even that impressive to look at from the outside.
Last night was really cold and the temp gauge in the truck said it was -12f (-24c)outside. You cannot really appreciate these temperatures until you witness them, within minutes the pain is terrible in your ears and hands. Oh yes I fell over last night on the ice when walking back to the truck from the Mall and gave my head a good crack, luckily nobody saw me.
I am going to have a think of how I can easily explain the driving hours over here and why some days I only have a few hours available to drive but the next I might have 12hrs.
At the minute I am at Fargo North Dakota and under 1000 miles from Calgary. Going to put a fresh brew of coffee on and then punch out another 6hrs driving.
Think thats it for now, bit boring as not much has happened but thats the way things go.

All refreshed and been to Omaha Nebraska

Hi all. Two days of snow and subzero temperatures but all is well and I made it past a mass of accidents to arrive in safely in Omaha. I was woken this morning at 6 even though the load was booked for 8am and am now empty and planning my next route.
The load is frozen meat from Milwaukee Wisconsin and that is going to Calgary.
Nothing really exciting has happened over the last few days, had a cracking sleep the other night, went 12hrs straight through.
Stopped for lunch yesterday at a place called "Als Oasis". Its on the I-90 in South Dakota I think at mile 260. Its a cool place, a very good restaraunt and also a mini mart which is stocked with all you might need. I had a Buffalo burger with fries and a coffee for $7. It sells the cheapest coffee I have seen at 5cents a mug, bargain !
I have to apologize for the colour,or lack of it in the pictures. There is nothing I can do and hopefully spring will be on its way soon.

I am so tired.

Hi all, the pic is a beauty to be supersized, its like a rollercoaster.
Got back to Lethbridge after 2 really hard days. Have slept really badly the last few nights and its catching up on me. The weather took a turn for the worst and I had to drive through some of the worst snow since I have been here, luckily it was pretty shortlived and there was only the powder being kicked up on the roads.
I dropped the trailer last night and this morning there was another waiting for me to take to Omaha in Nebraska. I have made it down to Great Falls in Montana and called it a day. I plan for a real early night and then get up ready for the 2 further days drive that it will take me to get to the customer. Las Vegas has really took it out of me.
Anyway,its 7.30pm and I am going for some food then bed. Its quite cold outside and trying to snow but once I am wrapped up in bed I couldnt care less.

Been there,done that.....Las Vegas

I woke this morning and I feel like I have been beaten by a gang. I cannot remember the last time I walked so much,even my back hurts from standing up all day and night.
I drove past "The Strip" and went for a shower at the Flying J then ran the 8 or so miles back and parked in the grounds of the Wild Wild West casino. After getting changed it was a quick 10min walk onto Las Vegas Boulevard, affectionately known as The Strip. Nothing could of prepared me for the sheer size of the casinos, first up was Excalibur and after a quick look in I was off over to MGM. These places are huge and at first I forget that the ground floor was just the beginning as they are on attractions on many of the levels. I continued up the strip and popped into every Casino until I hit The Venetian and then crossed the road. The highlight I suppose was Caesars Palace and The Bellagio just for the magnitude of them,its amazing to look at.
All in all I spent $200. That includes all drinks,food,souveniers and gambling so it wasnt too bad and I consider it money well spent.
My advice to anyone going to Vegas is to take enough cash for 2 weeks but only go for 2 days and blow the lot. Stay in 1 or 2 casinos and see the shows, live like money doesnt matter.
Back on the road now and having to make up for lost time. Have driven for 11hrs today flat out and am really tired. Should be in Lethbridge tomorrow teatime amd will drop the trailer hopefully ready to spin around and hit the States again.

Viva Las Vegas !!!

Where I parked last night.
I bet there is some stuff here you haven't tried.
The run into the Port. Blue skies and palm trees, heaven
This was taken Just outside the Port. Think he has some explaining to do

Hi all, things are good and the weather is glorious.
I got loaded yesterday with no hiccups,in and out within an hour and even the axles didnt need sliding. I think it was a different story for the lad who dropped the trailer on its knees.
The drive yesterday was very enjoyable, passing places I have only ever heard of. I was really,really tempted to leave the Port and follow the coast road south and go through Malibu but better judgement got the better of me.
Last night I parked on the California/Nevada border at a casino called Whisky Petes.Its an awesome place and cheap to eat there. I had T-Bone steak,2 eggs,hash browns,toast and coffee and the bill was $6,bargain.
I have been on the road now for 18 days without a break and my hours are catching up with me. Today I have 6hrs available and 5hrs tomorrow so what better than to park up today in Las Vegas and have some time off. Nothing is lost as I will have 11hr for tomorrow so I am no worse off.
At the minute I am parked at the Flying J and just about to go for a shower,then its off down the strip for some sightseeing and gambling. Last night I won $50 on the bandits so my luck may be in,fingers crossed.
Will update with photos as soon as possible. Got to go as good times are calling.

Confirmed.........its bananas !

Hi,black is the outward load,red is empty miles and blue is the homeward leg of the trip
Its been confirmed. I need to load bananas out of Port Hueneme CA. So far its been a great run down, shoes off,feet up, cruise control and music on. On a few occasions I have even found myself smiling for no reason. The run down has taken me past San Fransisco,through sacremento and I am bound for the Port which is just slightly North West of Los Angeles. I should load tomorrow morning and fingers crossed have the night off in Las Vegas Whoo-hoo! I will need to get some directions for parking as I know that you can park just off the main strip but I dont want to take a wrong turn. So far this trip has covered the following :
Idaho.....Boise
Oregon...Pendleton,Biggs,Bend,Klamath Falls.
California..Weed,Redding,Sacremento,Bakersfield,Ventura,Port Hueneme.
The return leg is :
California.....Santa Clarita,Palmdale,Victorville.
Nevada.........Las Vegas,Mesquite
Utah..........Cedar city,Salt Lake City
Idaho.........Idaho Falls
Montana.......Butte,Great Falls,Sweetgrass.
Alberta.......Calgary,Edmonton.

Change of plan...California...Oh No !!!!

Well all was going well, had driven 300 miles north heading for Portland Oregon when the satellite beeped and I was asked to call the office asap. The load had been cancelled and would I mind driving the 800 miles south to California for a load of oranges. I couldnt say no so here I am with 300 miles to go. The satellite has just beeped again and now I might be loading bananas which means I am 525 miles short of my destination if they choose this option. Its all good as empty miles pay the same as loaded.
The photos above are of a railway bridge which is over 100yrs old and spans a gorge which is 300ft deep. Its a pretty awesome sight and I spent a while just sat there and looking at it. Now I look back at the pics, what the hell was I doing balancing on a wet rock right at the edge of a 300ft fall ?
Anyway, the weather is great today,its 10am local and its 65f so the day looks like its going to be a warm one. I am at the flying j Corning and am about to get a shower and some food. I plan on parking somewhere south of Fresno California tonight and if all goes well that should be about 6pm.

If you loose control on some of the hills you have this option, personally hitting this at runaway speed is more scary than taking my chances and carrying on down the slope !!
Thats all for now. Speak soon

Calgary - Nampa Idaho, Snow and USDA

What a few days I have had. I should be furious but feel pretty good in myself.
After waiting in Calgary for the trailer I got the ok that it was loaded but I had to wait until 6pm to get the paperwork. I collected both then was told that the document that gets us across the border (Ace manifest)had to be collected from Lethbridge the following morning. I parked at the yard and picked up the papers then set off, had a bloke with loads of problems in front of me at the desk in US customs but got the ok to go to meat inspection. My load had been selected for a full inspect so 6hrs later I was free to go less 9 boxes of beef that had been "Denied Access" to the states for not having the correct labels on. Denied Access, that made me giggle a bit!
The run down through Montana was good and I was making good time until I was about 30 mins from Idaho and the weather turned for the worst. The pics above show the amount of snow that collected on the back and underneath the truck. Visibility when following another truck was next to zero due to the powdery snow being kicked up. The lad in front must of been papping himself and had slowed to 20mph so a quick word on the CB that I was coming past and I was away with a clear view of the road ahead. It was late when I parked so it was late when I left this morning. No dramas at the delivery point and I am now running 450 miles empty to Portland Oregon for a load of prepacked salads.
I have loaded at the place in Oregon before and I should get some cracking photos on the run back to Edmonton.
Speak to you then.
Route was Calgary,Lethbridge.
Montana...Great Falls, Butte
Idaho.....Pocatello, Boise, Nampa.

Grey,Bleak and Miserable

Pleased I didn't hold my breath waiting for the trailer. It arrived at 3pm, the weather was crap and the snow was starting to settle on top of the already compacted snow.
I fueled 3929 and we set off into the gloom. I am not keen on driving the mountains at night for a few reasons, the first is I dont know the roads and the second is that there is very little parking so if you need to stop its tough luck.
As it was the roads were in good nick and the only things holding me up was the heavy load I had on and other trucks just pottering along without a care in the world. I arrived at Calgary and dropped the trailer. It took 9hrs to drive 400 mile which isnt bad going I suppose.
While I remember all the pictures on the right hand side of the page can be supersized so you can see the detail better.
Waiting to be despatched at the minute, I did have a preplan that would take me to Nampa Idaho but we will have to see if that still stands.

Another Quick trip to British Columbia

Hi all. Got back into Calgary and had the night heater fixed which is brill.
Got despatched to collect a trailer and run it across to BC, no probs until I couldnt find the trailer. 3hrs later I found it in some obscure yard but the paperwork was missing for the load. 1hr later I was ready to roll and set off.
The run over to BC is a good one with some magnificent views and the roads were clear so good progress was made and I parked at the first customer about 2130 last night. I unloaded this morning and had another 2 drops to do. All went well and I was in the yard at Kelowna at 1300hr. And here I am still 2hrs later. The main customer who we work for over here is on strike so the loads are just dribbling out.
The trailer is being loaded (apparentley) and should be with me very soon. I wont hold my breath !!!
Route taken was:
Alberta.....Calgary,Banff.
BC.....Lake louise,Golden,Sicamous,Vernon,Kelowna,Westbank

Quick trip to British Columbia.

Hi all, just finished a quick trip to Creston BC with a load of Budweiser. The weather wasnt too bad and the snow pretty much held off. The night heater on the truck gave up(again) and thankfully it was pretty mild outside. The heater is getting fixed or replaced today.
I tipped and loaded out of the same warehouse which in theory should of been great but wasn't. I unloaded at 10am and was ready to reload. The load wasnt ready but I was assured it would only be an hour. One hour soon became 7 and I pulled out at 18.45. The weather was closing in and on the trip back 2 trucks had lost control,one was laid on its side. I cannot understand how he did it as I could drive at 50-60mph no problem so I think he must of fallen asleep.
After earning next to nothing all day I wrapped it up early as I couldnt be bothered and parked at the Husky truckstop Cranbrook. As I write this I am parked at Calgary.I need to drop the trailer then get to Thermoking and get the heater fixed.
My next trip is possibly across to Toronto (Ontario) which is fun as in previous posts I have called the road there a "bitch". Its not my favourite run and I am not looking forward to it.

High River to Laredo to Saskatoon. The details.

Hi, the outbound leg of the journey is in black, the homeward leg is in red.
12/23/07. Left High river at 1030, ran to the yard and collected some papers.Cleared customs and drove to Moore(MT) where I parked up at 0830. Driving time was 7.5hr and did 625km.
12/24/07. Left at 7am, drove for 6.5hr and fueled up truck. Arrived at Cheyenne(CO) 2000hr. Drove for 10hr,had 3hr off during the day and did 941km
12/25/07. Left 0715, stopped at Amarillo(TX) for fuel and a break then drove for a few more hours. Parked at Lubbock(TX) at 1930. Did 11hr drive and covered 1031km.
12/26/07. Started at 0930 and drove straight to Laredo(TX). Did it in 9hrs with no breaks covering 935km. Was parked up by 1900
12/27/07. Got the knock back by the customer so had the day off.
12/28/07. unloaded at 0800hr then ran to Mission(TX) and did 3 collections. Had to park there as overweight.Finished the day at 1700, drove 454km in 5.5hrs.
12/29/07. Left at 0800,sorted out the load and set off.Fueled at San Antonio and parked at Ardmore(OK)at 2030. Drove 10hrs and covered 961km.
12/30/07. On the road for 0800,fueled at Salina(KS), had a few hours off and stopped 905km later at 2000hr. Driving took 9hrs and parked at Omaha(NE)
12/31/07. left Omaha 0800hr. Put in a lot of miles and parked at Minot(ND)Totals for day are 1130km,11hr drive. Parked at 2100hr.
01/01/08. Ran an hour to Portal(ND)and cleared customs. Drove for 7hrs today and did 624km. With time off through the day I was parked at the customer at 1930hr.
01/02/08. Unloaded at 0600hr. Trip done

Back to the grind. 2008

The pic is of the defrost pipe from the fridge unit which has frozen overnight.
This is going to be short and sweet as really tired and need to be up early.
I suffer from S.A.D. What happened to the 80f heat of a few days ago?
Drove through North Dakota on New years eve and was subjected to a severe weather warning not to go outdoors unless I was wearing clothing to cover all flesh !!!!
With the windchill (40mph winds) the temp was going to drop to -40 to -50C and a serious risk of frostbite was possible. Crikey !!!
Have got problems with the design of the night heaters in the truck as they are rubbish. If they are intaking air at -20 how in gods name are they meant to keep the truck warm ? Woke this morning and the can of Pepsi on the dash was -2.2c, it had bloody ice crystals in it. Now I know that I was nice and warm in bed but at some point I have to get up and put on clothes and shoes at the same temperature.
Probably tomorrow I am going to give all the details of my recent trip such as hours worked,mileages and such like as this has been a decent trip.
I received an abusive comment yesterday calling me a liar (to put it politley) regarding the hours I work, the way the company treats drivers and the wages I earn. The whole purpose of this blog is to give my family and friends a way of keeping up with what I am doing and where I am. It is not intended as an H&R recruitment campaign. Granted I may offer titbits of information that may help others (when and if) they decide to come over to Canada but in no way do I intend to influence anybody. Maybe the person who sent the message should do the same as I did and sell everthing that they have worked for, for the last 23 years, say goodbye to everyone that they love and give it a go instead of moaning about the wages that they are not earning because they are not here. Money is not everything you knob !!!. I work to live, not live to work !!
This is Canada and America. Trust me when I say that over here I am a very wealthy man. !!!!