DOT vs NON-DOT

Yozh69

Well-Known Member
I was hired as a DOT courier. About a month or two ago I was asked to sign a letter that switched me from DOT to NON-DOT status. Of course I complied.

It meant I could no longer drive the Isuzu cubes or the box trucks. I assume it was to somehow save the station money.

Anyhow, another manager asked me to park a box truck the other day. I told him, sorry, but you guys told me I could no longer drive those. He said, 'c'mon, it's just to park it'. So I did.

No big deal to me but I find it curious that they would 'downgrade' some of us in this manner.
 

Operational needs

Virescit Vulnere Virtus
I was hired as a DOT courier. About a month or two ago I was asked to sign a letter that switched me from DOT to NON-DOT status. Of course I complied.

It meant I could no longer drive the Isuzu cubes or the box trucks. I assume it was to somehow save the station money.

Anyhow, another manager asked me to park a box truck the other day. I told him, sorry, but you guys told me I could no longer drive those. He said, 'c'mon, it's just to park it'. So I did.

No big deal to me but I find it curious that they would 'downgrade' some of us in this manner.

I would have refused, period.
 

It will be fine

Well-Known Member
I thought they started this before last peak so they could make people work 7 days straight. If you're on private property you can drive anything.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
I thought they started this before last peak so they could make people work 7 days straight. If you're on private property you can drive anything.

Suppose you are restricted to driving just the smaller vehicles due to a medical condition (diabetes) and you have an accident while "just parking" a vehicle outside of your restrictions. You don't think that they would throw you under the bus?
 

It will be fine

Well-Known Member
Suppose you are restricted to driving just the smaller vehicles due to a medical condition (diabetes) and you have an accident while "just parking" a vehicle outside of your restrictions. You don't think that they would throw you under the bus?
That's not the situation here, but thanks for trolling.
 

hypo hanna

Well-Known Member
It's a legitimate hypothetical scenario that does relate to the OP's story.

How about this one. After getting all of these drivers to change status, fedex decides their pay grade should be lowered? Should he still park those trucks?
 

Operational needs

Virescit Vulnere Virtus
It's a legitimate hypothetical scenario that does relate to the OP's story.

How about this one. After getting all of these drivers to change status, fedex decides their pay grade should be lowered? Should he still park those trucks?

How long do you think before they put that into action?
 

OrioN

double tap o da horn dooshbag
i thought being non-DOT means you don't have to follow the hours-of-service rules... that's the main thing about switching, right?

over at HD, we still have to be DOT compliant since the 700s stepvans are ~14,000 lbs
 

vantexan

Well-Known Member
i thought being non-DOT means you don't have to follow the hours-of-service rules... that's the main thing about switching, right?

over at HD, we still have to be DOT compliant since the 700s stepvans are ~14,000 lbs
Mgr told us we still have to follow 14 hr rule, just no more physicals, can't drive anything over 10,000 lbs.
 

OrioN

double tap o da horn dooshbag
i've seen a few at HD that work that long, they just don't input it in their scanners... only the ones that are 1.5-2 hours from the hub to their first stop:surprised:

so you can't drive those nifty isuzu reach stepvans? they're 12,000 lbs

and stepvan configuration is way better than those cargovans from freightliner/ dodge/ nissan/ ford/ gmc /etc

roomy cabin with sliding pocket doors and the pass-thru partition door is so much more efficient
 

vantexan

Well-Known Member
i've seen a few at HD that work that long, they just don't input it in their scanners... only the ones that are 1.5-2 hours from the hub to their first stop:surprised:

so you can't drive those nifty isuzu reach stepvans? they're 12,000 lbs

and stepvan configuration is way better than those cargovans from freightliner/ dodge/ nissan/ ford/ gmc /etc

roomy cabin with sliding pocket doors and the pass-thru partition door is so much more efficient
I drove those a few times before switching to Non-DOT. They have terrible suspensions, you feel every bump. And are really loud driving down the highway. I'll take a Mercedes any day.
 

Purplepackage

Well-Known Member
I drove those a few times before switching to Non-DOT. They have terrible suspensions, you feel every bump. And are really loud driving down the highway. I'll take a Mercedes any day.

Yeah I don't know I drove a grummlin for years and frankly you can't beat the sliding side door that the Mercedes have, I have a much better flow passing through the bulk head out of the side door than trying to move a big box out of the side of a step van
 

FedexCares

Well-Known Member
I thought they started this before last peak so they could make people work 7 days straight. If you're on private property you can drive anything.
^^This. Expect to work 7 days straight during peak and well over the 70 hour cap. They told us at our station they were doing this to save money on physicals. I think some people actually bought it. If you are non-dot fedex can get away with a lot more, so I expect them to take full advantage of it this peak.
 

Operational needs

Virescit Vulnere Virtus
^^This. Expect to work 7 days straight during peak and over the 70 hour cap. They told us at our station they were doing this to save money on physicals. I think some people actually bought it. If you are non-dot fedex can get away with a lot more, so I expect them to take full advantage of it this peak.

They took advantage of it at my station last peak. I had to work 10 days in a row.
 

59 Dano

I just want to make friends!
I was hired as a DOT courier. About a month or two ago I was asked to sign a letter that switched me from DOT to NON-DOT status. Of course I complied.

It meant I could no longer drive the Isuzu cubes or the box trucks. I assume it was to somehow save the station money.

Anyhow, another manager asked me to park a box truck the other day. I told him, sorry, but you guys told me I could no longer drive those. He said, 'c'mon, it's just to park it'. So I did.

Be wary. You could be dinged for driving a vehicle that you're not qualified to drive if you run into something. If you don't think the manager would put the screws to you for that in such a scenario, don't do it. If he wouldn't, then do it.
 

MassWineGuy

Well-Known Member
There's no way that I'm going to switch to non-DOT. That's what I was hired as, so unless they declassify all of us I think I'll be on solid ground. Even if not, I'd probably quit.
 
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