Split sleeper birth!

Fret not, I’ve been driving 20 years and couldn’t begin to explain it, so I never use it.

 

If you start your day with a full clock(11 hr drive, 14 hours on 14 hour clock). Ignore any time for pre-trip, fueling, bathroom break, etc for simplicity. You drive 7 hours. Now you'll have 4 hours left on 11 hour clock, 7 hours on 14 hour clock.

You stop for at least two hours off-duty or sleeper(which stops your clock but that's something else, and is also useful). You drive another hour to your destination and shut down for the night IN SLEEPER.

It isn't important how much time it shows on your clocks, it's the amount of elapsed time between the end of your short break (minimum 2+ hours off-duty or sleeper) and the beginning of your sleeper break(10 hours minus the amount of time of your short break i.e. 2 hours off-duty/sleeper requires an 8-hour sleeper break. 2 1/2 requires 7 1/2 sleeper. 3 hours, 7 hours sleeper. But it must be minimum 7 hours sleeper. So 4 or 5 hours off-duty still requires 7 hours in the sleeper).

Since you drove one hour between breaks, you would subtract one hour from your 11 and 14-hour clocks and wake up with 10 hours on your 11 and 13 hours on your 14. If between your breaks you stopped for fuel, food, or bathroom break, all of that time would be subtracted from your 14 hour clock also.

Be aware that going off duty after your sleeper break starts your 14 hour clock again so you need to pay attention to that if it might be a problem.

There are so many nuances to it, it's difficult to describe in one post. Yesterday, I ran low on time on my 70 with 30 minutes left and stopped at 1800 until 2230. Started driving again, recapped hours at 2300, drove an hour to delivery, went into sleeper berth for 8 hours, and woke up with plenty of time on my clock.

It can be extremely useful once you learn how to use it well.

 

An alternative way to use it without taking the short break first is to shut down and go into sleeper berth. After seven hours minimum you will wake up with whatever time was left on your clocks when you stopped. This is useful if taking a full 10 hour break will make you late for an appointment. After you're finished loading or unloading, you can finish your break by spending 2 hours off duty if you took a 8 hour sleeper break, 2 1/2 for 7 1/2 , 3 for 7, etc.

Edit: make sure there is somewhere closeby to park at shipper/receiver to complete split break if you know you're going to be low on time. If they take the amount of time to load/unload you that you need to complete split break at the dock that's even better.

 

When you are splitting sleeper add your work periods before & after your sleeper #1. Those work periods (driving or on-duty) must not exceed 14. Your driving periods, before & after your first sleeper or rest period, must not add to more than 11 hours.

Using example 2, you go into 1st Sleeper period with 10:45 of your 14 available (15 min PTI + 2 hours driving). After 8 hours in sleeper you drive 5. That reduces you to 5:45/14 On-Dutyand 3/11 Driving remaining.

Go in sleeper for 8 (more than needed to complete Split Break). 8 Sleeper + 8 Sleeper, more than 10 hours gives you a new 14 On-Duty and a new 11 Driving.

That's how I see it. I avoided Split Break like a rattlesnake. It's easy for me to get confused and get what they call an Egregious HOS Violation, where messing up a rest period by 5 minutes gets you a violation of several hours of illegal driving, for example.

 

Drivers that don't Split Break often usually mess up by using up almost all of their 14 or 11 clocks before deciding to use split break. To benefit from Split Break you need to anticipate using it and stop several hours BEFORE you use up your 14 or 11. There is nothing to help you if you drive away all of your 11. Your only option is now 10 hour break. So, for example, drive 4, 5, or 6 hours, Sleeper for 7, then drive 6, 5, or 4 hours, Sleeper 3 hours.

 

For the OP it is sometimes done for a driver to Split Break for a few days and then when schedule allows end your days of Split Break with a full continuous 10 hour break.

 

#1 Yes. You have it right. Just a small detail. You would have to take a 30 minute break sometime before 8 hours of driving so you wouldn't be able to start with 13:30 but you have the general idea.

#2 not really sure what you're saying but thirteen hours in sleeper is more than enough to complete a ten hour break and would give you all of your time back. The two hour break before is irrelevant.