Seat Belts in sleeper berth - required to be present by DOT?

Sounds like required equipment to me.

 

only has to be worn if truck is moving such as team driving and the person also must be on the bottom bunk. Not sure where its at in the regs but I know ive seen it in there

 

The company recently put me in a new truck. The restraint for the bunk sure makes a heck of a lump under the mattress. If someone actually was in an accident, they would have a mess trying to unhook them. Thankfully I'm not a team guy.

 

I guess I should put em back in.

 

nothing about only using the bottom bunk in the reg's company policy only, if it was in the reg's then WHY do trucks have bunk restraints for the UPPER bunk...?

 

good point i stad corrected

 

When I ran with a trainer, I couldn't sleep with him driving anyway, so I never used them. That trust issue was tough to get past.

 

If you are not a team you do not need them in the sleeper. I remove the latch that is on the front of the Freightliner bunks as they are a bit painful when sat on! I also remove the webbing and put it under the top bunk mattress and duct tape it down and when it's time for a new truck I'll put it all back together.

I do not do teams. I do not play well with others stuck in a closet or cab. Nope not even with my wife!

But the restraints for the bunks are not needed or even have to be on the bunk if it's not a team operation. If they are needed while parked then it must be some really bad storms going on to keep you from getting thrown out of the bed!

 

The regs don't require you use them do they? But the regs require they be installed. So if you take them out because your drive solo how do you get past the requirement to have them?

Plywood is cheap enough. Buy/cut plywoodbig enough to fit mattress. fold the "seatbelts onto the factory-installed bunk bottom. Put plywood over the lumpy seatbelts, put mattress ob top of smooth plywood.

I'd just stow them where I'm not laying on them, like between the edge of the bunk and the front of the tray/platform the mattress sits in. Convincing yourself is far different than convincing DOT.