Since I am not the one driving the truck, I can’t speak to all your points. However, I am fully aware of the team driving aspect and my guy’s company do not have that option.
The biggest issue he runs into regarding delivery time vs mandatory non-driving times, is the freakin unions!
Case in point, he has been sitting at a site ALL morning waiting to be unloaded, steel, when it’s his turn the union crew announce it’s lunch time and off they go.
The expected arrival time for his next appointment will not be met, so do tell, how does a driver accommodate this without monkeying with the books?!!
I dealt with unions when I was in a truck. The worst of them. The auto workers..
I know the feeling.
Here is what I told dispatchers when the next drop was going to be late.
“your yelling at the wrong guy. Call the dock master. He’s the one holding up the show”
It’s not the drivers fault he got stuck at a drop because the union did this, or someone did that. It is DISPATCHES responsibility to take in to account delivery delays and route/plan accordingly.
But it’s much easier for them to just blame it on the driver. This I understand.