I don't understand this passage in FMCSA

You can split your sleeper berth time one time needs to be 8 hours in the sleeper and the next needs to be 2 hours. For it to work you need to have driving time from before you stopped.

If you get up in morning and only drive 3 hours then going to sleeper for 8 hours. I believe you can drive 8 hours. But if you drove say 10 hour then took 8 hours in sleeper you would only have 1 of driving time before you would have to take the 2 hours sleeper time.

You can't drive more then 11 hours untill you get 10 hours off. So it kinda unless if you drive 10 hours but if only drive 3 hours then take 8 in sleeper you could drive more. From my understanding

 

Two 5's in the sleeper [with a gap in between them] does nothing to give you the required 10 to get a new 14 hour clock. A 5 and an 8 would work. Bottom line is, 8 in sleeper OR 10 in the sleeper/off duty (or combination of the two) are critical requirements in today's current HOS world. This may change in the future, though.

 

The "split sleeper option" has only minimal advantages, and only in certain scenarios. Consider split sleeper method as an "advanced user option" to use in rare scenarios.

10 hour breaks is where it's at, and these 10 hours need to be consecutive and can be a mix of off duty and/or sleeper

 

When pushed for time, I do what I refer to as split log leap frog. After a normal break, I drive 5, take a 2, drive 5, take an 8 (in the sleeper), drive 5, take a 2, drive 5, take an 8 (in the sleeper). As long as the on duty time on either side of (or between) the 8's doesn't exceed 11/14 or take you over 70, you're legal. Basically it eliminates a 30 min break for each day you do it that way.

 

But it almost the same to because before you could do it so I think they just need something to talk about

 

If I start my clock in the morning for 2 hours or so, drive to pickup then unfortunately spent most of the day at the shipper (say 6-7 hours) because the place is incredibly slow (example Chicago steel or Alcoa), I will simply sit the remaining 1-2 hours more until 8 sleeper berth hours have finished. I then get those remaining driving hours given back to me. Instead of sitting for an entire 10. Just make sure you always log out to sleeper berth if you might be a long time. Only log to sleeper berth for most everything that's a break unknown in length. Took me almost a year to grasp this concept.

 

The split sleeper is not easy to figure with paper logs. You almost need and ELD to figure it out. I would not try it on paper logs .

 

Check out logbook .com they have some easy software for figuring out how to split break and transfer to your paper logs. I split every chance I get. All it is, is a way to legally split your 10 hour break into two periods that may work better for your sleep patterns and as other have said, to eliminate longer '10's' that come with being held up say 5 hours at a customer, then driving the remainder of your 14/11 out and having to take a full 10 which works out to effectively a 15 hour break.

Instead, log the 5 hours at the customer as Sleeper, sit there an additional 3 hours to make it look like 8 hours in the Sleeper and drive out productively the remainder of your 11. Then take 2 hours off duty or sleeper and continue driving the remainder of your 11 again. Now you can do 8 in the sleeper again or take your full 10 to break the cycle. Used this way, the Split Sleeper Provision may increase your efficiency as a pro driver.

FMCSA is currently putting on a pilot program to explore other split sleeper options such as 3/7, 4/6 and 5/5 as ways to split up the 10 hour break. Personally I hope they approve it, it will increase efficiency and proper rest for pro drivers.