Hours of service

The federal HOS rules, in plain English.

Every limit a property-carrying driver lives under, with the citation to 49 CFR 395 if you need it on the side of the road. Six rules, five exceptions, the math the calculator runs against. Bookmark it.

{/* ============ THE SIX RULES ============ */}

The six rules every property-carrying driver runs under.

49 CFR 395.3 · property-carrying CMV

Property-carrying = trucks, not buses. The rules are different for passenger carriers; this page covers freight only. If you're driving anything that crosses a state line and weighs over 10,001 lbs, these apply to you.

Rule 1 · 49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)

11-hour driving limit

You may drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty. Once you hit 11 hours of driving, you cannot drive again until you take another 10 off.

Rule 2 · 49 CFR 395.3(a)(2)

14-hour duty window

You may not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty, following 10 off. This window does not pause for breaks, fueling, or paperwork — once it starts, it runs. (The sleeper-berth split below is the one exception.)

Rule 3 · 49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii)

30-minute break

After 8 cumulative hours of driving without an interruption of at least 30 minutes, you must take a 30-minute non-driving break. The break can be off-duty, sleeper-berth, or on-duty-not-driving — anything that isn't the wheel turning.

Rule 4 · 49 CFR 395.3(a)(1)

10 hours off duty

You must be off duty (or in a sleeper berth, or a qualifying split) for 10 consecutive hours before starting a new shift. Anything less and your 11/14 don't reset.

Rule 5 · 49 CFR 395.3(b)

60/7 or 70/8 — the rolling weekly cap

Your carrier picks one: 60 hours in any 7 consecutive days (if the carrier doesn't operate every day of the week) or 70 hours in any 8 consecutive days (if it does). It's a rolling window — drop off the back as you add to the front.

Rule 6 · 49 CFR 395.3(c)

34-hour restart (optional)

Take 34 consecutive hours off duty and your 60/7 or 70/8 clock resets to zero. There's no required overnight period in the current rule (the 1–5 am provision was suspended). You can take this whenever you want; you don't have to.

{/* ============ SLEEPER BERTH ============ */}

Sleeper berth — splitting the 10.

49 CFR 395.1(g)

The 10 hours off doesn't have to be 10 consecutive hours in your bunk. You can split it two ways. The split is the only legal way to pause the 14-hour clock.

The 8/2 split

8 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, plus a separate 2 consecutive hours in any combination of sleeper, off-duty, or both. Order doesn't matter — 2-then-8 or 8-then-2 both qualify. The 14-hour window pauses during whichever qualifying period you took.

The 7/3 split

7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, plus a separate 3 consecutive hours in sleeper or off-duty (or combination). Same flexibility on order, same 14-hour pause during either qualifying period.

Practical effect: Split sleeper buys you back window time when a long detention or a load you're unloading yourself eats your 14. The 2 or 3 hours you spend in the sleeper doesn't count against the 14. That can be the difference between making delivery legally and parking three hours short.

{/* ============ EXCEPTIONS ============ */}

Exceptions and extras the rules build in.

Adverse driving conditions

49 CFR 395.1(b)(1)

Snow, fog, an unexpected closure — conditions a reasonably prudent driver couldn't have known about when starting the run. You may extend the 11-hour driving limit by up to 2 hours AND extend the 14-hour window by up to 2 hours to complete the trip. You must document the condition. This is not "I left late and traffic was bad" — it has to be unforeseeable.

Short-haul exception (150 air-mile)

49 CFR 395.1(e)(1)

If you operate within a 150 air-mile radius of your normal work-reporting location, return there each day, and don't drive more than 14 hours, you're exempt from the ELD requirement (though the 11/14/60-or-70 limits still apply). Your time records can be a paper time card.

Non-CDL short-haul (150 air-mile)

49 CFR 395.1(e)(2)

If a CDL isn't required for the truck (lighter weight, certain categories), the short-haul exception loosens further. Mostly relevant to light-duty straight trucks. If you're in a Class 8 tractor, this doesn't apply to you.

Personal conveyance

FMCSA guidance under 49 CFR 390.5T

You can use the truck for genuinely personal travel and log it as off-duty — going to a restaurant from the truck stop, home from the terminal at end-of-day, to a motel for sleep when the carrier doesn't have lodging. PC time doesn't count against your 11 or 14.

Don't abuse this. PC has to be genuinely personal, with the truck unloaded or empty (carrying a load = on-duty, period), no advancement of the load, and you have to be relieved of all duty. DOT will pull ELD logs and review PC patterns. The "I drove 200 miles closer to the next pickup on PC" pattern is a violation and will hit your CSA score.

Yard moves

49 CFR 395.8(c)(2)

Moving the truck within a properly designated yard counts as on-duty-not-driving, not driving. That keeps the move off your 11-hour clock. Most ELDs have a yard-move toggle for this.

The 16-hour exception (short-haul only)

49 CFR 395.1(o)

Once every 7 consecutive days, a short-haul property-carrying driver can extend the 14-hour window to 16 hours, provided they return to their work-reporting location, have 5 consecutive previous days of operating under the short-haul rule, and haven't used the exception in the previous 6 days. You still cannot drive more than 11 hours within that 16-hour window.

{/* ============ DRIVER QUESTIONS ============ */}

The questions drivers actually ask.

"Does my 30-minute break stop the 14-hour clock?"

No. The 14-hour duty window keeps running through the 30-minute break. Only a qualifying sleeper-berth split (8/2 or 7/3) pauses the 14.

"Can I drive after my 11 hours if I'm 5 minutes from delivery?"

No. The 11-hour limit is hard. The only legal extensions are the adverse driving conditions exception (which requires unforeseeable conditions) or stopping and taking 10 off. Driving past 11 is a citable violation; "I was almost there" is not a defense.

"What if my dispatcher tells me to drive past my hours?"

49 CFR 392.3 (Coercion Rule) makes it illegal for a carrier or shipper or broker to coerce a driver to violate HOS. Coercion includes implying job loss, withholding loads, or any other adverse action for refusing to drive over hours. Document it. Drivers can file a complaint with FMCSA at 1-888-DOT-SAFT or online — the rule is enforceable, with penalties up to $16,000 per violation against the carrier.

"Can I run with my paper logs after a malfunctioning ELD?"

Yes, for up to 8 days from the date the malfunction occurred. You must note the malfunction on your paper log, notify the carrier within 24 hours, and the carrier has 8 days to repair or replace. After day 8 without resolution, you can't keep operating that truck. (49 CFR 395.34)

"How does detention time count?"

Detention is on-duty-not-driving. It counts against the 14-hour window and the weekly 60/7 or 70/8, but not against the 11-hour driving limit. This is why long detention is so destructive — you burn the 14 sitting still while not getting any closer to delivery.

"What about restart — do I need overnight hours?"

Not currently. The 1-5 am overnight requirement was suspended; the simple 34 consecutive hours off resets your 60/7 or 70/8. You can take it any time of day.

"Does PC count against my 14-hour window?"

No. Personal conveyance is logged off-duty, which means it doesn't burn the 14. But you have to be genuinely off-duty, the truck has to be either empty or in a non-load- advancing situation, and the FMCSA's PC guidance has to be met. Mark it correctly or the auditor will see exactly what you did.

Run your own numbers.

The HOS clock calculator tells you what's left, given what you've already used today and this week.