Sleeping in your hotshot truck vs. hotel is a great topic and remember we all do things our own way. Here is my take on it, I have been refining my techniques for choosing how and where I sleep.
Hotshot Truck Safety:
I will only sleep in my hotshot truck if I feel safe and that is usually in numbers, like a truck stop or rest area. I like to nestle in between the Semi trucks. What I consider before staying in a hotel- can I find adequate parking that I can maneuver in and out? Is my rig in a highly visible parking spot…Not one of those behind the hotel in a muddy lot where it is open to break-ins. Is it early enough to make it worthwhile to even stay in a hotel? If I pull into a town at 10-12 pm it doesn’t make sense to pay for a room but if it is 5-8 pm, has parking, close to my drop or I am empty, and it is reasonably priced, I will book it.
Here is the main reason I will sleep in my truck, when I am on the road, and in BATTLE MODE. I coined that term in my book and in my posts, it means I am out there, working point A to point B, waking up hitting it, and driving till I can’t drive no more. Getting to my destination, making my drops and on to the next. Focused on just getting it done. I prepare with food and drink packed, only stop for fuel, stretch my legs, check my load, and use the bathroom. Tunnel vision. Trying to get that next load. So I try to drive AS CLOSE to my drop location as possible.
Some towns don’t have truck stops, rest areas, or hotels that we can park in. I have slept in the parking lot of the drop customer or a Walmart close by just to be there first thing in the morning. That is the key to me. Make sure the Walmart has other RV or Semis parked there because some are not cool with it.
Things To Consider When Sleeping In Your Hotshot Truck
In some truck stops there are problems with ppl stealing your equipment or tarps. I sleep in the front seat because I like to be able to see what is going on around me. Also, to turn on the AC or Heat when I need it. I have a portable twin 12-volt fan for the summer and a 12-volt Electric Blanket (does not get hot but warm) that I use under a thick sleeping blanket. I turn on the heat only when it gets cold and do not idle, advance the idling.
Same for the AC. Leaving your diesel engine idling can damage your truck, YouTube it or ask a Diesel tech. I pretty much have my go-to places in most bigger cities and areas such as West Texas and South. There are some big cities that as many times that I have stayed there, I still don’t have a good sleep place or one that I would feel comfortable in. Houston and San Antonio are good examples. I do have Hotels in Houston that have great parking and cater to Truckers. Anyone that does not understand why we sleep in our trucks is not a part of the Hotshot Life. It is much more than a job, a career, it’s a way of life.
Before I leave the subject of hotels, one of the main reasons I do stay in a Hotel at least a couple of times a week is for a good hot shower, good nights sleep, work on my projects and to eat a good dinner delivered to my room. Basically, to pamper myself. Truck stops offer showers and many use them. They are clean and a safe place to shower. I know some would hesitate to do so. I for one have not. Not for any particular reason but to unpack all my gear, clothes and toiletries, carry them into the building and then back out is a chore. When I get to where I am at the truck stop, I am ready to relax, plan my next day, and get some sleep.
Can you find good hotels with truck parking? There are a few sites such as Allstays.com, Hotels4Truckers.com and Truckerspath.com that all have search capabilities to find hotels with truck parking. They are not the best and I have always had trouble using them. I understand that some of the Truckers apps like Truckstop.com can help too.
Is it Legal to sleep in your hotshot truck?
It’s absolutely not illegal, it just doesn’t meet USDOTA regulations for a qualified sleeper berth break. A sleeper berth has many regulations that cover it, and nothing you do, short of placing a USDOT qualified sleeper berth compartment on the truck, will make it a regulation approved vehicle for sleeper berth use.
So, if you log sleeper berth on your ELD or paper logbook for your hours-of-service record of duty status, you have now falsified your logs. That is illegal, and you can be ticketed for it.
So how do most handle sleep in their trucks? By logging OFF DUTY and not Sleeper berth. Is this legal, most would say yes but as complicated as the FMCSA laws are I would never give advice that could get you in hot legal water. I found this on the Internet:
the (unmodified) cab of a light or medium duty truck, up to class 6, generally, does NOT meet the requirements of a “sleeper berth”. Therefore you CANNOT use the status “sleeper berth” while sleeping off duty in a light or medium duty truck*
- The log status “off duty” is defined in regulations as “performing non work functions, including sleeping, while AWAY from the truck or terminals”
therefore, sleeping in your hotshot truck while In off duty status is also technically against DOT.
so no, it is not legal to sleeping in your hotshot truck while you have a load or trailer.
I’m going to continue sleeping in your hotshot truck and log OFF DUTY. I have never heard or seen anyone get in trouble, nor have I ever seen a post in any of the groups I manage say that they have. You do you.
What are the legal requirements for a FMCSA Sleeper Berth?
There are several after-market companies that manufacture and market them. I have added a few pictures of them and we get posts from time to time from them.
What qualifies as a sleeper?
In accordance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations section 393.76, to be legal a sleeper berth must:
- Be a minimum of 75 inches long.
- Be a minimum of 24 inches wide.
- Be at least 24 inches from the top of the mattress to the ceiling.
- Have easy access to and from the drivers compartment.
- Be compartmentalized away from the freight area.
- Be generally rectangular in shape.
- Be adequately equipped for sleeping (mattress, blankies, etc.)
- Be isolated from exhaust fumes and adequately ventilated.
FMCSA Mattress requirements:
- 393.77 49 CFR Ch. III (10–1–05 Edition)
(ii) An innerspring mattress; or (iii) A cellular rubber or flexible foam mattress at least four inches thick; or
(iv) A mattress filled with a fluid and of sufficient thickness when filled to prevent ‘‘bottoming-out’’ when occupied while the vehicle is in motion.
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