Hours of service and logs

By the end of this topic you can

• You can explain the 11-hour, 14-hour and 30-minute break rules for property-carrying drivers.
• You can describe the different daily limits for passenger-carrying drivers.
• You can explain the 60-hour and 70-hour weekly limits and the 34-hour restart.
• You can name the four duty statuses recorded in a log.

What you need to know and understand

• Property-carrying drivers may drive up to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
• They may not drive after the 14th hour since coming on duty, even if they took breaks during that time.
• A 30-minute break from driving is required once you have driven 8 hours without one.
• Passenger-carrying drivers may drive up to 10 hours after 8 consecutive hours off duty, and may not drive after 15 hours on duty.
• The weekly limit is 60 hours on duty in 7 days or 70 hours in 8 days, depending on whether the carrier runs every day.
• Taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty restarts the 7- or 8-day period.
• Most carriers must use an electronic logging device (ELD) to record duty status.

The daily clock, side by side

The 14-hour window keeps running during lunch stops and loading time. Only a qualifying rest period, such as a proper sleeper-berth split, pauses it.

• Property (trucks): 10 hours off, then up to 11 hours driving inside a 14-hour window.
• Passengers (buses): 8 hours off, then up to 10 hours driving, with no driving after 15 hours on duty.
• Property drivers: a 30-minute break from driving after 8 hours of driving.
• Both: up to 2 extra hours of driving if unexpected adverse conditions, such as sudden snow or a crash ahead, stop you finishing a run you could normally complete.

Weekly limits and the restart

Your weekly limit is a rolling total of all on-duty time, not just driving. If your carrier does not run vehicles every day, the limit is 60 hours in any 7 days. If it does, it is 70 hours in any 8 days. Taking at least 34 hours off in a row lets you start a fresh 7- or 8-day period. These weekly limits apply to the total of all your work, even for more than one carrier.

Logs, ELDs and exceptions

Your record of duty status shows four statuses: off duty, sleeper berth, driving, and on duty not driving. Most carriers must use an ELD, which records driving time automatically from the engine. Paper logs are still allowed in limited cases, such as drivers who need logs on no more than 8 days in any 30-day period, or vehicles built before model year 2000.

Short-haul drivers who stay within 150 air miles of their work location and are released within 14 hours may not need a log at all; the carrier keeps time records instead. Sleeper-berth drivers can split their 10 hours off into two periods, one of at least 7 hours in the berth and the other at least 2 hours.

Common mistakes

• Thinking a long lunch stop extends the 14-hour window. It does not.
• Counting only driving time toward the weekly limit. All on-duty time counts, including loading and inspections.
• Applying truck limits to a bus job. Passenger drivers work to 10 and 15 hours, after 8 hours off.
• Forgetting to change duty status on the ELD when you stop driving to load or fuel.

Test yourself: Hours of service and logs

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.