Split Break question

See!!!!

That's what I said!!

 

Your right. If you take the 2 hour break first, it is counting towards your 14 hours. The 8 hour sleeper does not count towards your 14 hour. Let me make it as simple as I can, and I do this with every driver I find in a 14 hour violation. Think of your 14 hour clock like the stopwatch on the TV show "60 Minutes".
Ok, your day starts at midnight (after a 10 hr break, this is just an example), click......the clock is rolling. You have 14 hours to get your 11 hours driving in. If you can't get your 11 hrs driving in within 14 hours, you shut it down, unless you do the split sleeper provision (explained later in the post)

Now any time less than 10 hours off duty (line 1) counts towards your 14 hours.

Any time less than 8 hours sleeper berth, count towards your 14 hour clock.

All time spent driving (line 3) counts towards your 14 hour and towards
your 11 hours.

And all time spent on-duty not driving (line 4) counts towards your 14 hour clock.

Remember, the only way to "extend" your 14 hour clock (in this scenario) beyond 1400 hours (2 p.m. for you non-milatary type) is to take a 8 hr. sleeper berth. You have to remember this does not extend your 11 hours allowed for driving (line 3). If you have already hit your 11 hour shut it down for 10 hrs and restart all your clocks. As many have posted, the sleeper provision is 8 hrs sleeper berth and 2 hours either sleeper, off-duty or a combination of the two.

Sorry it took me so long ridgerunner, was in the camper in the middle of the woods with no WiFi.

 

So you can extend the 14 by 8 hours???


WOW!

I didn't really wanna know that...LOL.

 

Ridgerunner,

Well that depends. Those 8 hours in the sleeper, will not count towards your 14 hour clock.

Let me try to illustrate an example:

Day starts at midnight: I logged driving ( line 3) at midnight. I continue to drive until 6 am (6 hours on duty{line 4} and 6 hours driving {line 3}.

I go to sleeper from 6 a.m. until 1400 hrs (8 hrs) When I come back on duty I have 5 hours available to drive and 8 hours available towards my 14 hour clock. Then I have to either take a 2 hr break or take 10 straight sleeper or off duty to reset my clock.

If I do the 2 hr break, my 14 hour clock then backs up to start including the time from 1400 hours forward.

LB has posted the link to where I usually point drivers to seek guidance. It has examples and shows you how the split sleeper is done correctly and incorrectly. I understand and realize this still confuses alot of drivers. I still see quite a few every day. My advice is this and it's like anything else, it's not worth much, but if you don't understand or get confused, you may want to forget the split sleeper and take 2 extra hours and reset your hours.

 

I understand it now...

But I'm not about to do it...the load will be there whenever I get there with it. In that example you gave I would be a "zombie" if I took that 2 hour break to reset the clock. (Personally...I'd be far better off if I just kept going without stopping to wind down. But I know thats illegal)

I like to get my rest all at once myself...thats one of the many reasons I like where I work. We're not asked or encouraged to split break.

 

My company flat out says no slit logging because it is so easy to screw your self with it. It's not that big a deal to just take 2 more hrs and start out fresh.

As for illegal loads. Just point out the math to the planners. They hate it

780 miles will take you 24+ hrs to do. If you pick up at 1700 and run 11 hrs you will have at lest 100 more to go. Take a 10 and then drive 2 more thats 23. Will need at least 1 for breaks that 24. If the planners want it there at 1100 tomorrow they better put it on a plane.

 

It does not reset the 11/14. Only a 10 will do that.

 

The 2 hour break does nothing when taken first.
The 8 hour break pauses your clock if taken first.
the combination of the 8 and the 2 count as a 10 which then resets your clock.

If the 2 hour break is taken first your next break needed to reset your clock is an 8, and vice versa.

 

After the second break is completed. The 11 and 14 are calculated from the end of the first of the 2 breaks. The time of the 11 minus time used between the breaks 2/8 or 8/2 is what you can drive after the second break. Same for calculating the 14. It does not return you to a fresh 14 and 11. You will run in a constant you will never be able to have a full run of 11 and 14 between breaks. Only a 10 will give you a fresh countdown of 11/14.

 

Tell that to the DOT officers who have done my inspections. I run splits on a regular basis and have YET to have a logging violation. The closest I have came is when the officer was counting my hours, and as it carried over between 2 days I showed him where the split was and after recounting he wrote it as clean. I have many times over the last 6 months ran for 2-3 hours, taken an 8 hour break then ran my remaining hours for my 11. After I finished that I take a 2 hour break (8+2=10) and run another full 11 before taking a full 10 hour break. California is notorious for looking for ways to ticket a driver and even there my logs were fine by a DOT officer at scales.