Advanced logging - Split sleeper berth explained

Unless things changed from when I stopped running US, in the numbers you gave above, kc, you would need to show 10 hours off. 2 as off duty, and 8 in sleeper, or 10 in sleeper, would do it. So, no, you couldn't legally make it there.

But, as I said, things may have changed. Although, if you look at what powder joints posted, it supports what I said.

 

Ok, where do I start. It seems from the posts that most are confused. It fairly simple. Locate your last good 10 hour break. If you are splitting the sleeper you need to locate your 8 straight hours of sleeper period and then locate your 2 hour break (either off dury, sleeper or combination of the two). Let's tackle the split sleeper first. Let's say yesterday you were in the sleeper from 0000 hours until 1000 hours. Your 14 hour time starts from this point. All time less than 10 hours off duty counts toward your 14 hour clock, all time less than 8 hours sleeper berth count toward your 14 hours, all time spent on driving and on duty not driving count toward the 14 hour clock.

You drive from 1000 hours until 1700 hours (7 hours) then you go on duty not driving (line 4) for 2 hours (1700-1900 hours) At this point you are at 9 hours on your 14. Then you go to Line 1 off duty for 1 hour. (1900-2000 hours). Now at 10 hours. So you decide to hit the sleeper for 8 consecutive hours (2000-0400) Your 14 hour clock stops during this 8 consecutive hour sleeper period. At 0400-0415 hour on duty not driving. At 0400 hours your 14 hour and 11 clock resume where they were. You start driving again at 0415 hours, and you already have 10.25 hours on your 14 hour window. You now drive from 0415 hours until 0800 hours. The 14 hour window is up at 0800 hours. The driver would have to take a 2 hour sleeper berth break or a 2 hour off duty period, or any combination of of 2 hours either sleeper/off duty.

At that point the 14 hour clock starts back at the end of the 8 consecutive hour sleeper period (2000-0400 hours) The time would then start at 0400 hours. So for simplicity, when the 2 hour sleeper or off duty break from 0800-1000 hours is up, driver starts again with 6 hours already on his 14 hour clock. So the driver now has to shut it back down by 1800 hours and take either a straight 10 hour sleeper or a 8 hour sleeper period to comply with the 14 hour rule. It is very confusing and I see a lot of driver's that do not understand the split sleeper provision. The easiest way to do it is 10 straight sleeper or off duty.


I'm sure I just confused a bunch of you with my explanation. It's easier if I had a log and I could draw it out so you can see it. FMCSA has log book examples that show logs that are close to what I explained. The link is posted below:

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos/hos-logbook-examples.htm#_Toc201555002

 

Take just 8 hours off and you will have only 2.5 hours available for on duty driving at the beginning of your next 14. Then at that point you'd have to finish the 10 by taking a 2 hour break-- now you could drive 8.5 hours again within that 14 you started after the 8 hour sleeper break.

Forgot to mention- well my company wants to see 15 minutes of pretrip and post trip beginning and end of each split break. They also want to see 15 minutes beginning and end of 8 hour split break Off Duty because they are concerned we aren't using the facilities.

 

So you are saying that after one uses their 14, they would then do the split and go in the sleeper for eight finish out driving with 2.5 hrs at the beginning of the next 14, and then a two hr break?

Question: After one spends their entire 14 hrs, when does their next 14 hr period start? See the flaw yet?

Best regards

 

No. 8 hours in the bunk does not reset anything.

Here's how it works:

You place yourself on duty at 0700, two hour break at noon with 3 hours of driving and a half hour on duty between. At 1400, you drive another 6 hours , take a half hour break and then go on duty for a half hour. It is now 2100. You are required to do something before you drive again. You choose to pull 8 in the sleeper.

When you get up at 0500, you subtract whatever time from the minute you either started driving or went on duty at 1400, until you stopped for your 8, from your 14. This is your total amount of available time in which to complete 5 hours (6 subtracted from 11) driving time. Since you started driving at 1400 and went off duty at 2100, you burned 7 of your 14.

Therefore, you have 7 hours on your 14 in which to complete 5 hours of 11 driving time.

Your 8 does not reset anything. All it does is push it out. The time between that two and your eight count against both clocks. It works the same for the two, except you count that two against your 14.

It's really not all that complicated. It's just not easy to explain.

The only thing that will completely reset an 11 or 14 is a 10 hour break.

 

Dibstr: if you have burned your entire 14 without either a two hour break or eight in the sleeper, you can only drive after a ten.

Split sleeper never resets that 14. That's where so many people get confused with it.

Use the same type of math with that 14 as you do for your 11. The only thing to remember is the two counts against the 14 when it falls in the middle of the 14. After your eight, the end of the two hour break is the beginning of the 14 you are now working in...minus the 8 you just spent in the sleeper.

 

I understand how you are explaining it but I would still get confused trying to keep up with being legal that way! I just do my straight 10 so there is no confusion on my part

 

That was what I was trying to get scottied67 to see by asking him if he saw the flaw yet. Was I being too subtle?

That's correct, it merely extends the 14. scottied67 was suggesting that after one's 14 was spent then they could extend (or reset it), which can never be regardless of how many driving hrs remained.

Best regards