newb HOS questions

i can help witht some of that. you have to stop the truck at 5:45 PM
15 min pre trip ( most compoanies require at least one)
30 MIN DOT break( mandated)
for SB lon as you log 10 hrs of OFF duty or SB time its legal, wha tyou do for the 10 hours is up to you
for q2 not sure

 

You have to stop the truck after 11 hours of driving. Time will vary. Say you started driving at 6am but at noon you were broke down, at a truck stop, jerkin off in the sleeper for 2 hours then back on the road. You'd have to stop by 7pm. The main thing to remember is once you start your clock you have 14 hours to get done whatever it is you have to get done. You cannot drive more than 11 hours within a 14 hour window.

 

dope yah i forgot that detail, in his original post he made it sounded like he was just straight driving

 

If you start at 6am, 615 you start driving then 8 hours of any on duty time which would be 1400 you will be required a 30 minute break. That takes you to 1430 which then means your 11 hours of driving have ended. The rules states within 8 hours on duty you must take a 30 minute break. the rule sucks but thanks to all the new drivers getting thrown in trucks so quickly , most of them have never drove long distances, there is a limit to how long you can work.
just like a regular job if you work 8 hours you have to have a 30 minute break, but that depends on you and your empoloyer.

 

Q1 - Incorrect. Your 11 hour drive time is exactly that, drive time. It only runs when you are actually driving. The only real limiting factor to drive time is that is has to occur within your 14 hour window. Technically, if you start driving at 06:00 (6AM), you could drive right up to 20:00 (8PM) as long as you have taken a 30 minute break before 8 hrs of continuous 'on-duty' time (that started at 06:00) and you log some additional off-duty time in there somewhere (3 hrs total to be exact). However you have to take into consideration any on-duty time spent for inspections and fueling or any other on-duty function. Those times keep moving your 11 hour clock closer to your 14 hour limit. So, basically what I'm explaining is that if you start your 14 hour clock at 06:00, the latest you could legally drive is 20:00.

Q2 - Your last seven days includes the current day. So, today, the current day would be one, then count back six more.

Q3 - The advantage to logging time in the sleeper is for using the 8/2 sleeper berth split provision. Other than that, 10 hrs off is 10 hrs off, whether it is Off Duty or in the sleeper or a combination of both. I believe there was recent clarification by FMCSA that stated any time spent resting in a truck (teams have special rules) could be considered off-duty time. I'm sure somebody could probably point us to the exact ruling on FMCSA's website fairly quickly.

 

Once you open your window of time, you have 14 hrs of time ( 6am to 8 pm); 11 hrs of it is for driving within that 14 hr block, the other 3 is for the pre/post trip inspections, 1/2hr mandated break, fuelstop, any off duty time in truck waiting at shipper/recvr.

You can shorten your 14 hr day if needed by putting in the 11hr drive time, 1/2hr mandated break, 1/2hr or less for pre/post inspection and turn it into a 12hr day if you are short on time to get from place a to b.

You have 10hrs off duty in sleeper berth, so you need to be in a truckstop, rest area, Walmart that let's you park there, or other safe spot. Rinse/repeat daily.

There is also the 8/2 split sleeper provision, but that I don't even want to try and explain myself.


The 2 hrs of bad weather, etc provision is to be used only in an emergency situation where you did not know that a bad spell of weather was to be involved, such as a snow spell that turns into a blizzard. It is not to be used unless necessary and I believe the statute says it would be counted as an egrarious violation if used just because you wanted to. Unless an emergency and you called your safety dept, it would ding you with a driving violation if you go over your 11 hr drive time. It is best not to count on this really.

 

I disagree. If he starts driving at 06:15 and stops at 14:00 that puts him at 7 hrs 45 mins drive time. Do a 30 minute break and he still has 3 hrs 15 mins drive time left to work with in his 14 hour window.

 

My math was wrong, no biggie, 8 hours ON DUTY you cannot driver legally beyond that until a 30 minute break. if you work 5 hours and drive 5 hours you cannot do that unless you show the thirty minutes.

 

Now if you are like me and only have 2 hrs and 20 minutes left on your 70. You park it waiting for your 34 hr restart to be completed. Or drive 2 hours and run off recap the rest of the week. Opps hope I didn't confuse you.