8-2 split explained in an easy to understand format

It is true that the 2 hours off duty counts against your 14-hour clock and the 8 hours sleeper does not. Still the 8 hours sleeper does not reset your 14-hour clock without the additional break of 2 hours. For the record both the 8 hours and the 2 hours can be sleeper berth.

You must take 8 hours of sleeper berth to stop the 14-hour clock. It is no wonder that many companies don't allow use of this rule. While it is not rocket science, it is far from strait-forward.

If you want to understand this rule, Google "hos-logbook-examples.pdf" and read these sections carefully:

effect of 8-hour sleeper-berth period
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 21
sleeper-berth provision: proper use
10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19
sleeper-berth provision: improper use
11, 13, 15, 20 ​

 

Another reason I use it is to flip my driving hours around to what I like. Say if I'm starting my day late in the morning for an afternoon appointment of say 1300, not gonna want to drive all night looking for spot around midnight. So shut down at 1700-1900 or so, take the 8 then drive the balance of the 11 then take the 2 then drive the balance of the 11 then take a 10 to get back on track.

Another good one is they send you a preplan while you're still under this load but looking at it you see your 14 will be done before the pickup time. Maybe if you hole up now for 8 hours, make your drop then your 14 hour 'umbrella' of time will encompass that other pickup to be doable. In this way you can make more money than the driver who flat out refuses that next load in this scenario.

If you're sitting on the dock for 2 hours, boom your next break after leaving needs only be 8 hours.

I use it also to get further down the road because I'm one of thos e lazy drivers who likes to pull off every couple of hours.But if the schedule is tight, split breaking limits time off between driving to just 10 or so hours. Trying to drive 11 in 14, most of the time I will use the whole 14 so now the 10 hours off is really 13 hours off or more between driving shifts. Splitting, drive 5.5 break, drive 5.5 break, drive 5.5 break= 13.25 hours driving in 24 hour period or slightly less.

 

How picky is your company concerning stuff like that. Can you "disconnect" while at the truck stop and log it then, instead of burning up time on your logs when the other driver shows up?

 

It takes less than 15 minutes to perform a swap. Flag it. This way, you don't jump on line 4 and you can complete the 10 hour break. No harm no foul.

 

I'm so tired of the splits, I have dudes driving over their 11 hours then taking an 8 hour break and driving again.

Well I tried to do a split, these #### eLogs are broken.

Really? They're broken? I fully understand why companies don't allow drivers to split now. I used to think it was a stupid practice, why not take advantage of the regs. I get it now.

 

LOL, another driver was telling me something along these lines earlier at the TA I was at. I just shook my head in disbelief.

 

On second thought, lets pretend I didn't make that comment.

 

Bear in mind that with more and more companies going to E-logs, the systems being used at some companies (like Covenant, for one) will not accept an 8-2 split break, because the software isn't programmed for it. and because Covenant's company policy forbids split breaking, I don't see the software being updated any time soon.

Other companies do indeed forbid split breaking. I don't believe it's because driver's can't understand the rules, personally. Since most of the companies that forbid split breaking are our ever-loved bottom feeder "training" outfits that race through newbies the way a colicy baby races through diapers, I actually think the policies against split breaking aredriven more from a desire to burn out the newbies and veteran drivers so they can be replaced quicker with cheaper drivers...but that's just a personal observation.

 

I appreciate your point of view, but being on the other side of thing I would have to disagree with you. A increasing percentage of drivers have no clue how the HOS work. The split calculates on People Net eLogs and my problem children just assume the computer is broken and continue to drive in violation.