Embarrased to ask a HOS question at this stage, but....

you are allowed 11 hours total in line 3. Those HAVE to be completed in a 14 hour window though.

That's really the only "time limit" for the day.

ETA....

Other than having a 10 hour break BEFORE starting your 11 hour driving.

 

^^^ yep
Someone correct me if I'm wrong....but technically you could drive 11 hours then go to line 4 for as long as you need to. Just have to have 10 hours off (line 1 and/or 2) before you can drive again.

 

What I did on paper logs was make a small mark at the time I started the clock then counted over 14 hours and made another mark-- cannot drive past this mark nor drive (line 3) more than 11 hours within these marks.

You can be on line 4 as much as you want, even past your 14.

It is very important to keep it legal because a violation may cause you to work your next ten loads for free paying the violation off.

 

No sir, your daily 14 hr clock is a combination of line 3 and 4, not the 11.

Example:

You drive 6 hrs to a shipper and spend 7 hrs loading. After 3 hrs, your 14 hr clock will start eating away at your 11 hr clock. If you drive again after you get loaded, you will get a log violation on your 14 hr clock.

 

Only 11 hrs of driving, and 14 hrs on duty.

 

Only thing to watch out for before driving again, if you use a lot of L4 time is 'The 70'

 

That is correct. You could lump a load for 24 more hours and get paid on line 4 but cannot drive again until you have your 10 hour break.

 

Assuming you are staring fresh off a 10 hour break, once you go "on duty" that starts your 14 hour clock. You can "drive" for a maximum of 11 hours within that 14 hour window. You can no longer drive if you A) are "driving" for 11 hours or B) run out of your 14 hour window, which ever comes FIRST. How much on duty/off duty/sleeper is irrelevant and can be broken up into as many chunks as needed.

So if you go "on duty" at 12:00 noon, you can drive for 11 hours OR 2 am whichever comes first.

Once you are done driving, you can stay "on duty" till the cows come home and work for 48 hours straight...you can just not drive again until you have a 10 hour rest period (splits excluded)

 

You got it.