Split Breaking Instructions

Ok some are new to the board and are wanting to understand the split breaking. I would like to open up the discussion again with a new thread and I am going to try a little different way to explain how to calculate the 14 hour once you have completed that 2nd break.

To split break you must follow the basic 11 & 14 hour rule first (meaning you must start with a full 10 hour break or longer). I am going to explain the 11 & 14 hour rule.

11 & 14 hour rule: Once you enter lines 3 OR 4 this starts your 14 hour clock (it's just like clocking in at this time). During that 14 hour period you can not DRIVE over 11 hours on line 3. The 14 hour rule is simple you can not DRIVE passed the 14th hour after starting lines 3 or 4.
Example: I start my pre-trip # 7:00 am my 14 hour is going to end # 9:00 pm the same day. Between 7:00 am & 9:00 pm I can not DRIVE (LINE 3) more than 11 hours. Not discussing adverse conditions at this time.
You can be on ON-DUTY (LINE 4) all you want passed your 14th hour.
At the end of your 14th hour (or before is fine) you must take a full 10 hour break. There is 3 ways to accomplish the 10 hour consecutive break
1). 10 hours off duty
2). 10 hours in the sleeper
3). Any combinations of lines 1 & 2 for 10 hours consecutive (no you don't have to sleep 8 hours on your 10 hour consecutive break, that's only in split breaking rules).
There is only one way to drive passed the 14th hour and that is to split break (there is no exception that allows you to DRIVE passed the 14th hour)

Split breaking: FUN FUN BEGINS! Now clear your head and get some log sheets out and play around and ask questions. Keep playing until you get it because once you do you will be like this is the easiest thing in the world to figure out and now I can teach someone (yeah I did the same thing) No Alcohol while learning to split break

To make sure you understand you must come here and give an example of a real day and see if you logged it correctly (hopefully just a pretend example, real one's are great but don't want you in trouble first).

Also you must learn from mistakes don't give up just because you mess it up one time. That's how us humans learn!


Ok here goes: It will be somewhat long winded but it has to be!

Now you undertand the 11 & 14 hour rule, the split breaking is the same start as the 11 & 14.

To split break the basic rule is:

You must have an 8 hour SLEEPER break & a 2 hour break.

The 8 hour break: You can have more than 8 hours in the sleeper
Must be in the SLEEPER (LINE 2)
The 8 hour break will extend the 14 hour clock

If your 8 hour break comes first you simply count over from where your original 14 hour ended by the number of hours you have in the sleeper.

Example: I started # 7:00 am. My 14 hour ended # 9:00 pm (remember). Now I have 8.5 hours in the sleeper. So I count over 8.5 hours from 9:00 pm. This now makes my 14 hour rule from 7:00 am to 5:30 am the following day. Now the driving time from 7:00 am to 5:30 am can not total more than 11 hours of driving. Now # 5:30 am I take a 2 hour break. Below I will explain what you do after you have completed your second break.

The 2 hour break must be 2 hours consecutive. You can take more than 2 hours but no less than 2 (if you want to use it as a split break that is)

1) 2 hours off duty
2) 2 hours in the sleeper
3) a combination of lines 1 & 2 for 2 hours consecutive (eat, shower, relax)

The 2 hour break will NOT extend (or stop the clock as some like to say).

So lets say we start our 14 hour clock # 7:00 am again! Now within my 14 hour I stop to load and I get held up 4 hours but log 3 hours in the sleeper.
This did not extend my 14 hour, however # the end of my 14 hour clock I only HAVE to take the 8 hour sleeper break (hence helps make up for the 4 hour hold up earlier). Now for the fun stuff where most usually get lost!
See below for steps to follow after you have completed the split break (8 & 2)

As stated above both situations I showed the 2nd break: What you need to do after you have completed that 2nd break and any break after (talking 8 & 2 hour breaks only, ignore your little 1.75 hour breaks or less in my calculations.

Once you completed that 2nd break you will ALWAYS go to the end of the PREVIOUS 8 or 2 hour break (assuming you only took the minimum)


The easiest way to put this is: (my new way)

If you just come off your 2 hour break you will:::
GO to the END of your 8 hour break (previous break) and count over 14 hours. That's when your new 14 hour ends.

If you just come off your 8 hour break you will::::
Go to the end of your 2 hour break and count over 14 (this is what you are allowed to work + 8 (you get to extend the 14 hour because you have 8 hours in the sleeper) so you will always count over # least 22 hours from the end of your 2 hour break (as longs as you have that 8 hours sleeper)

Now if you had 8.5 hours in the sleeper you would count over from the end of your 2 hour break by 14 + 8.5 = 22.5 hours.

Now to figure out driving time you ALWAYS! Count the # of driving hours BETWEEN the 8 & 2 hour break and subtract that from 11, that answer is how many hours you have available to drive.


Lets walk through my steps with example one of the DOT examples. Keep in mind figuring out these steps all you have to focus on is what I am saying the 14 hour rule and line 3 time. The 14 hour look at the clock on the top of your log.

Started the 14 hour clock # 10:00 am, which made the 14 hour end # 12:00 am. She drove 9 hours and slept for 8 hours. By her taking that 8 hour sleeper break it will extend her 14 hour clock by 8 hours. So it makes the 14 hour clock now end # 8:00 am. She drove 2 hours and shut down for her 2 hour break. Notice she did not drive passed 8:00 am and the driving time didn't total more than 11 hours before and after the 8 hour break.

Now she has her 2 hour break: The 14 hour is going to restart from the end of the PREVIOUS break. So since she just came off the 2 hour break she will count over 14 hours from the end of the 8 hour break. That will now make her 14 hour end # 9:00 pm that day. She has 9 hours of driving time available. Of course she isn't using all her driving time available but it's to get the point across here .

Do keep in mind you can not split break if you have driving 11 hours already.
The driving time prior and after your break can not total more than 11 hours.


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


Ok I hope this made sense and if not please ask questions. This is to learn how to split break, not to discourage from using split breaking. We should all encourage to learn it! You WILL NEED IT & WANT TO USE IT ONE DAY! Use it don't lose it!

Also let me explain one thing! The 2 hour break can come before the 2 hour break (notice example # 4). However keep in mind at the end of your 14 hour you must take a 2 hour break.
Example # 4:

Started at 10:00 am, which means the 14 hour is up at 12:00 am. She stops for 2 hours (got held up that day for loading probably notice onduty time) # 12:00 she shut down for 8 hours in the sleeper. Now after her 8 hour break her "new" 14 hour should of been calculated as below:
Because she just came off her 8 hour break she is going to
go to the end of her 2 hour break and count over 22 hours (hence count over 14 hours and because she has 8 hours in the sleeper she gets to count another 8 hours equaling 22 hours). So from 9:00 pm that makes her 14 hour end at 7:00 pm (the next day) and her driving time she only has available 8 hours (she drove 3 in between her 8 & 2).
Now she is in violation because she drove a total of 13 hours before she got her next break. She violated the 14 hour because she was driving passed 7:00 pm.


From 9:00 pm (previous break)

 

I guess everyone is drinking tonight so they can't study

 

Sounds like you have it! I see you have an example (I will try my brain and play it out).

 

Yes you are very right in your discoveries!

Had she only taken a 2 it would change everything, but maybe she was held up for that long. If You notice it would of changed the "14 hour clock due to the 8 hour previous break, no it would not EXTEND IT, however it still pushes out that clock after the next break) Which would of meant they only took 8 instead of 10. The 14 hour ended on example 5 # 5:00 pm because if you look after 3:00 am there is no 8 hour sleeper break. That means you can not extend (or stop the clock) and must stop 14 hour after 3:00 am (meaning 5:00 pm) she drove from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. However she did NOT violate the 11 hour rule.