8/2 Sleeper Formula

Other than the required 30 minute break (cannot drive if more than 8 hours on-duty without a 30 minute break; unlike Canada the 30 minutes cannot count toward required rest time), you can go straight through.

Also unlike Canada, as soon as you take your 10 you're good to go. There is no "daily" limit on driving hours.

 

Now that most folks are on ELDs the best way I have found to teach people how to use it and figure out hours available while/after using it is to try it.

Some day when you have several extra hours available to get to where you need to be stop way early and go into SB and sleep. Get up and check what your ELD says you have available after the 8 hours finishes. Then look at the hours you used before the sleeper and figure it all out that way. After doing this a few times you will figure it out.

 

Yes you can do that but you aren't splitting your 10 break. Splitting the 10 hour break isn't a good idea unless you have to and unless you understand it very well. If you make A small mistake trying to split your 10 you can generate an "egregious" HOS violation, like going over your 11 Hour clock by several hours or driving after only a few hours of a 10 or 8 break.

Many sometime split break users think they xan somehow drive 11 hours, take a short break off or in sleeper and then drive some more. Once you use all of your 11 hour clock you only get drive hours after a 10 hour break. The key to split break is stop driving before you use up your 11 Hour clock.

 

The formula is this:

8 hour sleeper stops all clocks.

The second break (8 or 2, whichever comes second) retrieves the hours from before the first break.


Example:

6 hr drive
2 hr break
4 hrs drive
8 hr break

You have now recovered 6 hrs, so only 4 hrs on your 11.

5 hr drive

you now have 9 hrs on your 11.

2 hr break.

You recover the 4 hrs from before your 8 hr break, so 5 hrs on your 11.

ad infinitem.

 

Whew what gymnastics we must go thru thanks to Big Gov. It always turns out 100 times harder than it needs to be.

Moses brought down only ten rules to run the entire world, for Christ's sake (pun intended)

 

You can do either the 2 hours first, or the 8 hrs first. You have keep in mind how many hours driven already.

Example: driver drives for 2 hours, now its 9 hours left on the day. He stops for food and a shower. He was parked for 2 hours. Now he wants get a little farther. Driver drives for 5 hours. That leaves 4 hours on the day. He gets sleepy and needs a nap. After 8 hours, your elog will show 4 hours to drive. You did the 2 hours, plus the 8 and that gives the 10 hour break. You didn't burn up all of your drive time. You only burned 7 hours. That's why you got back 4. Now, this is where it becomes advantageous, and this what shows the real flexibility of HOS that many drivers don't understand: you did the 8 hrs just now and got back the 4 hours. That started a new 10 hr break, except this time, the 8 is on the front end. You got 4 hours back so you decide to drive 3 hours and park at the TA for 2. You'll be down to 1 hour from that previous 4. This 2 hours spent at the TA will create another 10 hour break. You've only driven 3 hours from your 4 that you got back, but once those 2 hours are recorded, you'll get back 8 hours to drive the rest of the day. The idea with the 8 and 2 split is to pace yourself and not burn your whole 11. If there are hours left, on your 11, then 8/2 or 2/8 will always be beneficial. You dont have to kill yourself doing a full 11 everyday if it ain't necessary. Now if you're at the shipper and they finish loading you at 1 hour 45 min, and its early in the day, stay parked for that 15 minutes. You then you can drive a little ways and park for 8 hours to finish that break....worth noting: the 2 hours doesn't have to be sleeper, it can be off duty.

 

You get the same hours back after a split break as you do a regular 10 hour break, Minus the on-duty/driving hours used inbetween the split.

Watch out for recap hours, you can only get back recap at "midnight" yard timezone. You still only get what you could get back from recap minus what you used between the split...

Good luck.

 

I just noticed you mentioned "after the 8 hours" after 8 hours sleeper birth, it has to be sleeper and not off-duty, you will have the same hours you had when you started the 8. It will essentially "pause your clock".