Refresher course for hours of service?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Commuter69, Jun 8, 2023.

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  1. Commuter69

    Commuter69 Road Train Member

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    I think that I've gotten lazy about hours of service lately. Especially with all the things that have changed....

    Does anyone know of any GOOD, LOW / NO cost online hours of service courses that you have used and can recommend?
     
  2. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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  3. Brandt

    Brandt Road Train Member

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    The ELD will show all your hours available. They are 8 11 14 and 70 hours limits.
     
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  4. snowwy

    snowwy Road Train Member

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    Just follow the eld. Except for onduty time
    Cheat on that
     
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  5. ZVar

    ZVar Road Train Member

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    Read part 395, it's not really that long. Everything else is opinion and ultimately the opinion that matters is the officer putting you oos.
     
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  6. Moose1958

    Moose1958 Road Train Member

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    @brian991219
    First off, if you are driving a CMV you should NEVER get lazy when it comes to knowing ALL the rules NOT just the HOS rules.

    I don't have any recommendations other than to look around on the FMCSA website. There should be some material there. I'm also going to echo what @ZVar said as well. When you start chasing after rabbit holes sometimes you can get misinformation. Not all that long ago I heard about a driver that felt like he knew more than the Florida DOT officer after taking some advice from a truck stop attorney that got a law degree from truck stop university. Later the driver found his rig impounded, he was placed OOS and later charged with assault. He has since bailed out and returned home, UNEMPLOYED!

    When it comes to HOS rules the order of importance goes
    1. What the FMCSA says when they use their rule-making authority.
    2. Your Safety Dept
    and




























































































    A truck stop lawyer!
     
  7. mustang190

    mustang190 Road Train Member

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    Line 4 is your enemy. Stay off it as much as possible.
    Keep the left door closed and hammer down.
     
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  8. brian991219

    brian991219 Road Train Member

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    Depending on the segment of the industry you are in there may be some exclusive exemptions or slightly different rules. Example, passenger carriers still use the pre-2004 rules with 8/10/15 limits, while property carriers generally use the 11/40/10 rules. Livestock and insect haulers get some liberal exceptions as do some oil field drivers when exclusively servicing oil fields.

    General hours of service rules have not changed much since 2004 with the exception of eliminating the 2 periods off-duty between 1-5 am and allowing the 30 minute break to be any interruption to drive time, not mandatory to be off-duty.

    I like the videos Brandon Weissman from Trucksafe is putting out. He gives clear explanations from the point of view of a safety professional and attorney that is well versed in the regulations and has a good working relationship with the FMCSA and CVSA. Some of his stuff can be found at
    https://www.youtube.com/@Trucksafe

    Zvar is correct, read Part 395 and it will refresh your memory on what the rules are. You can also read the FMCSA regulatory guidance on hours of service for their interpretation of the rules, and read their educational material on their website.
    Hours of Service (HOS) | FMCSA
    Regulatory Guidance | FMCSA
     
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  9. snowwy

    snowwy Road Train Member

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    Us locals don't worry about hos so we get lazy.

    I needed a refresher from this forum when the economy crashed and I had to hit the road. I had no idea the rules were changed.
     
    88 Alpha Thanks this.
  10. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

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    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hours+of+service
     
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