Truck drivers who drive trucks must comply with federal hours of service regulations. This includes the maximum amount of time a driver is allowed to work and the minimum amount of time a driver must rest before hitting the road again. As a lorry driver, you have a lot of responsibilities while driving on public roads. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) sets standards for the trucking industry, including how many hours a day a truck driver can drive. These standards can help keep truck drivers and others safe by reducing the risk of driver fatigue. In this article, we’ll tell you how many hours a truck driver can actually drive。
How Many Hours Can A Truck Driver Drive?
The General Service Hours Guidelines state that in most cases, truck drivers can drive up to 11 hours a day. Such driving must take place within 14 hours of a break of 10 hours or more. The 14-hour driving window begins when the driving shift begins. In most cases, it will end after 14 hours, regardless of whether or not there is a break in that time to sleep or eat.
For example, if you start your shift at 7 am after 10 hours off work, you can drive the truck until 9 pm. However, during your shift, you must rest for at least three hours. You can perform other tasks after 9 pm, such as writing reports, but all work must be done on the road.
Are There Different Driving Limits for Different Types of Carriers?
Yes, there are different time limits depending on the type of carrier. But first, it’s helpful to understand how the HOS rules separate and categorize operators. According to DOT and FMCSA, there are two types of carriers: property carriers and passenger carriers.
You might think that if your fleet consists of trucks, you’re a property hauling company, or if you operate mostly buses, you’re a passenger company, but the regulations are a little more subtle than that. A vehicle carrying property is any combination of CMVs used to carry property such as food, packaging, or other goods and products. This does not refer to what is in the cab of the vehicle, but what is in the trailer or semi-trailer attached to the tractor. For single-unit trucks, such as pickups or vans, this would refer to the bed or the property transport portion of the vehicle.
A passenger vehicle is any CMV used to transport passengers to and from different locations. As a reminder, according to the CMV definition, these vehicles will be any vehicle used to carry 9 or more people (including the driver) for compensation, or any vehicle that carries 16 or more passengers (including the driver), to obtain no compensation.
How Long Should Truck Drivers Rest?
According to the Service Hours Guidelines, you must take a break of at least 30 minutes after driving for eight consecutive hours. You can use this time to eat, nap, or engage in leisure activities. Drivers who qualify for the short-haul operation exception are exempt from the rest break rule.
How Many Hours A Week Can a Truck Driver Drive?
The FMCSA has set a 60/70 hour limit of 7 or 8 days, which means you can drive up to 60 hours in 7 days, or 70 hours in 8 days. Once you hit one of these limits, you can complete non-driving tasks, such as paperwork or truck unloading, until you’re below the limit for several days in a row.
FMCSA bases this limit on a rolling cycle, not a set time period, which means that once a driver who drives for eight days reaches the ninth day of the cycle, the number of hours from the first day will be reduced, and on the tenth day, the next day will have fewer hours.
You can take a 34-hour or more break and resume activity for seven or eight days. These hours can be off-duty hours, sleeper hours, or a combination of these hours. After a break, your hours of work during that time period will return to zero.
How Do Truck Driver Log Duty Statuses Impact Driving Hours?
Every truck driver is required by law to have a logbook. Most of the time this is done through electronic journals. The log will help everyone keep track of the hours truckers drive, and the hours they don’t. By doing this, truck drivers can know when to take a break and when the last stop is. They also need to keep a paper log on the truck as a backup to ensure there are no complications.
What Are the Penalties for Going Over Trucking Hour Limits?
These regulations may seem difficult to operate and enforce, but the consequences of not following them can be even more unpleasant. Failure to comply with Department of Transportation watchkeeping and driving restrictions may result in:
- Drivers park on the side of the road until they have enough off-duty time to drive again
- Fines from local and state law enforcement
- FMCSA civil penalties for yourself or your driver, ranging from $1,000 to $11,000
- Your security level may be lowered if you are found to have violated multiple times
- Federal criminal penalties if you or your driver are found to knowingly permit or require a violation
The good news is that with an ELD solution, you can easily comply with these HOS driving and duty regulations, so you can avoid these violations entirely.
What is the Adverse Driving Conditions Exception?
If adverse driving conditions slow down the trip, you can drive an additional two hours to safely complete the intended route with the exception of adverse driving conditions. The exception increases the maximum driving time for truck drivers in a day from 11 to 13 hours. Adverse driving conditions are conditions that slow down driving without the driver being aware of it before starting to drive. They include:
- Snow
- Fog
Motor vehicle accidents cause traffic congestion
The Adverse Driving Conditions Exception is designed to help drivers who cannot safely get to a hotel or rest stop and rest for 10 hours. If drivers can safely stop and rest, they should do so rather than continue driving in challenging driving conditions.
Adverse driving conditions do not include predictable driving problems, such as traffic jams during peak driving. When using the adverse driving conditions exception, you must still adhere to the 14-hour driving window and 30-minute rest period.
Conclusion
In most cases, truck drivers can drive up to 11 hours a day. Such driving must take place within 14 hours of a break of 10 hours or more. The 14-hour driving window begins when the driving shift begins. In most cases, it will end after 14 hours, regardless of whether or not there is a break in that time to sleep or eat.