Hours of service questions and answers

Because after midnight day 1 ( 5.25 hrs ) would fall off and you would gain those hours back and they would be added to the 2.25 that were still available giving you a total of 7.5 hrs available.

 

Now I'm really confused. Please explain how you pick up 8.5 hours at midnight?

 

He is referring to the 70 hour 8 day rule provision.

Once the 8th day becomes the ninth day any hours spent driving (and on duty not driving) come back to be used again.

You never need to take a 34 hour reset.

You can work every day provided you abide by the 70 hour 8 day rule.

 

The 8-day, 70 hour limit is a rotating series of days.

In your example you had 10.75 available, and worked 8.5 of them leaving a ballance of 2.25 hours.

At midnight, the hours worked on the first day of the example (5.25 hours) are freed-up. In effect, they fall off of the back end of the 8-day series. So you have...

1) 8.50
2) 7.75
3) 8.50
4) 8.25
5) 10.00
6) 11.00
7) 8.50

For a total of 62.5 hours used, and 7.5 (2.25 + 5.25) available for the next day.

Its called working your recap - instead of being idled for 34 hours.

 

I think I understand a little better now. So, a 34-hour reset isn't mandatory. It just allows a driver to completely reset their 70-hour. Is that right?

 

Yes.

If a driver's typical workday can be accommodated in the 7-9 hour per day range, then a 34-hour reset is never needed (70 hrs / 8 days = 8.75 hrs per day). If a driver has to drive the full 11 hrs per day plus refueling, loading/unloading, etc., to meet delivery times and so on (making their typical workday the full 14 hrs per day), then the 34-hour should be used (70 hrs / 14 hrs per day = 5 days). Without using a 34-hour reset the driver would have to be parked for three full days before they get any of their 70 "back."

 

Correct.

Let's say I used up my 70 hours in 5 days which I usually will do.

1. 14
2. 14
3. 14
4. 14
5. 14

Now I am out of hours. I would not gain any hours back until I sat till the morning of the 9th day if there was not a 34 hr reset. So I would have 3 wasted days.

But since there is a reset, I take 34 consecutive hours off duty and now I could have a full 70 hrs available again by as early as morning of day 7 depending on when I shut down on day 5.

 

Ok, I understood everything up until the "parked for four days" part. What would be a situation where that would come into play?

 

Ohhh, ok... disregard my last post, I didn't see the one before. Thank you guys very much for all the clarification.

 

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