Question:
What is the 7 minute rule you ask? Good question. Glad you brought it up.
The 7 minute rule is quite simple. After you finished fueling, or you pull through the fuel island to run in for something you have 7 minutes to do your thing and get back out to your truck and go.
If it is going to take longer than 7 minutes then you go and find somewhere to park it.
(The only two exceptions to this rule are: 1. If you truck refuses to start or 2: You only went in to get your fuel reciept and there is a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGGGGGG line and it takes a while to get proccessed.)
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
[This message was edited by uturn2001 on October 26, 2003 at 5:33.]
Answer:
and who made up this rule?
if the place is DEAD empty,does your,er, this rule still apply?
left lane for large cars

Answer:
Any duty status less than 7 minutes long can be flagged and rounded to zero time on your logs. We call it "zero out".
Log time is divided into 15 minute intervals.
You have to "round" anything that doesn't fall on the exact quarter-hour.
You round it to the nearest quarter hour. Anything more than 7 minutes must be rounded up and occupies that whole 15 minute interval.
Anything less than 7 minutes is round down to 0 minutes.
However......When you stop for fuel it's almost impossible to conduct the fueling start to finish in less than 7 minutes. Not logging at least 15 minutes for most (if not all) fuel stops is generally considered log falsification. It's almost always at least 10 minutes actual time, which should be rounded-up to a full 15 minutes, on-duty not driving, on line-4. Gotta disagree a little with your advice uturn. (it's been a while sorry)
There's hardly any single on-duty activity you can perform in less than 7 minutes. Fueling, VI, loading, unloading....even a trailer drop takes closer to ten actual minutes if you're doing it properly and safely.
Rounding is more practical (and accepted) at the start and end of longer activities - like driving. Log it like you do it. Then do it when it rounds the way you want.

Answer:
Originally posted by NY REDMAN:
and who made up this rule?
if the place is DEAD empty,does your,er, this rule still apply?
left lane for large cars
It is my rule. The one that I go by out of courtesy for other drivers. If you can not do what you need to do in 7 minutes than you should find somewhere else to park your rig, but hey if you want to be a steering wheel holder and park in the fuel island to go in and pig out at the buffett, shower, and spend $50 in quarters on 900 numbers that is your choice. Just dont be suprised if you find your keys or truck missing when you finally come back out.
As far as does or should this still apply if the place is dead. How do you know the place is dead, or will remain dead for very long? Don't know how many times I have pulled in at 3 am and be the only truck in the fuel island, go in to grab a soda and use the restroom and come back out to find every fuel lane full up with drivers getting go juice. So yes. As far as I am concerned it should apply at all times.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
Did you even read my post or did you just go by topic only.
I am talking about parking in the fuel lane and going inside to get your ticket, grab a drink, use the restroom, etc. It should not take you longer than 7 minutes, and if it does you should grab your fuel ticket, if you fueled and go find a parking space.
No where did I bring up logging. I think you got loggin on the brain after your bout with ol' Ziggy.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
You're right I've got logging on the brain. You should call it your "eight minute rule" to eliminate confusion
Oh sheeet....I'm sorry uturn. I read it but was a bit befuddled.....
Pull up into in the holding space in front of the pump. When you walk away you have about 7 minutes before someone who pulled up behind you is ready to take your space.
Yeah...you're right. Seven minutes is about right. It's gonna take them at least that long.
(also-- walk around the back of your truck on your way to the fuel desk, make sure you left enough space for a long-nose to reach the pumps)

Answer:
Good rule.
The third exception should be if the truckstop is so crowded that it would take 45mins to actually find a space and get parked. In this case you (we?) should give them 13 mins.
Examples of truckstops with poor space planning/space management are Bordentown Pilot, for that matter most pilots.

Answer:
Maybe for you we could call it the 7 and 3/4 rule.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Actually I thought about calling it the 10 minute rule but thought if I got into double digits it might cause someone to start rounding up and actually think they have 19 minutes.
Answer:
...give them 13 mins.
That can be aggravating if someone abandons their truck at the fule island and goes inside for 13 minutes. It could mean the next guy sits there 6 minutes waiting for you to move. The whole idea of the 7 minute rule is to leiminate that. What could you HAVE to do that's worth holding-up another driver waiting for you to move, that you can't do in 7 minutes?

Answer:
Gosh I'm so sorry uturn... I screwed-up your thread....no one's coming back...
Could you roll it out again in a week or two - maybe reinvent it as "the nine minute rule" or "the six minute rule" or "the eight minute rule" - and I'll stay away!

Answer:
I guess you're lucky enough not to come to the east coast very often. If you've seen some the sorry excuses we have for truckstops in the N.E. the reasoning behind 13 mins. becomes readily apparent.
Yes, the next soul will have to wait an extra 6 mins., but then those extra 6 mins. will then be afforded to her when she pulls up. If we keep it strictly at 7 mins., then everyone would actually be waiting longer overall and at the fuel desk because it would take 30 mins., just to find a space and park in it.
But I do wholeheartedly agree with the 7 min rule everywhere else. Good rule. Admonish others who don't follow/agree!

Answer:
Chad,
I agree. But give 'em 13 minutes and they'll take 25 .
Yes -- there are exceptions expecially back east, where making someone wait a couple more minutes is best for everyone in the long run -vs- clogging-up the parking lot looking for a space that isn't there...
If I think I may hold-up another driver, I try to take the least dsirable fuel slot - usually the one farthest away from the desk, since that's the last one someone will use if others are free.

Answer:
I vote for 15 minutes.
How can someone fuel, wash windows, check oil, kick tires and throw out their pee bottles in 7 minutes?
**************************************
Sherlock Holmes, proud member of the Happy Dweller Society!
Company driver division
[This message was edited by Sherlock Holmes on October 26, 2003 at 16:15.]

Answer:
How can someone fuel, wash windows, check oil, kick tires and throw out their pee bottles in 7 minutes?
Except for opening the hood, I do it all the time in about 7 minutes. Then I pull forward and sit there another 7 minutes while I go inside. I open the hood and check oil, leaks, belts, water (etc) everytime I come off sleep break -- or again at a fuel stop if trucks aren't lined-up waiting to fuel. But fuel/windows,tires/trash....7 minutes is about right if you don't get hung-up at the card reader.

Answer:
Sherlock you are one heck of a detective. Once again proof drivers can't read.
The gist of the topic is once you have completed fueling, etc and have pulled forward.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.