What are some tips regarding the 14 hour rule?

There's 9 million threads about running a split sleeper you should do a search. With that said you've got the basics of it the 8 hour break must be all in the sleeper and the other break can be either sleeper or off duty. When you count your hours you count back to the end of your last break and subtract those from 11 and 14 and those are the hours you have left until your next break. Don't think of it as an extension of the 14 more as a pause. The two hour break still counts in your 14 tho.

 

The need for allowable variances from the standard HOS rules are a rarity. Leave them for those well learned in maximizing legal hours. Before long you will be in that same group!

Mikeeee

 

Any periiod of at least 8 hours but less than 10 hours spent in the sleeper does not count against your 14 hour clock.

Once you hit 10 hours you reset the 14 hour clock.

This rule comes into play when doing an 8/2 split but is true regardless of whether you take the 2 hour break or not.

Imagine getting tied up at a repair shop for 8 or more hours but needing to make your delivery on time. That's a good time to know this rule.


Another trick for protecting your 14 is to park overnight at the shipper/receiver. That way you don't start your clock until you're actually working rather than starting your clock at the truckstop, driving for an hour to the shipper and waiting another 2 hours to get loaded.

Another thing to consider is the half hour break rule.

You can't drive if 8 or more hours have passed since your last period of at least 30 minutes off duty.

That means you gotta take a half hour break sometime during your shift. If you take it too early (less than 6 hours on duty) you might have to take a second one before you can use the remainder of your 14.

 

Avoid split sleep unless it's an absolute necessity. As a previous poster said, only if it's the only option to make on-time delivery. If you're on paper logs and you screw up then you have a violation. If you're on electronic logs then it will keep up with it for you. Know your company's policy, some companies don't allow split sleeper, believe it or not, even though it's legal.

 

I manage the 14 hour clock by starting over.

 

Good one! I run two qualcomms lol

 

split sleeper does not increase the number of hours of driving time, only changes when you are legal to drive.

It does not increase the 14 hour clock, just suspends it, for the 8 hours, and takes away from the next periods drive time.

If you have used your 11 hours driving, and take an 8 hour sleeper berth, you still have zero hours to drive, until you complete the full 10 hours off duty/sleeper.