Due to the impacts of COVID-19, the federal trucking hours of service regulations have been temporarily lifted for product-carrying drivers, but they’re not gone altogether.
Read on to learn more about the federal trucking hours of service regulations.
FMCSA Hours of Service Regulations
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the following are the federal hours of service regulations for truck drivers:
Property-Carrying Drivers
- 11-Hour Driving Limit
- Truck drivers can drive no more than 11 hours after 10 consecutive off-duty hours.
- 14-Hour Limit
- Truckers are not allowed to drive past the 14th consecutive hour after starting to drive, after 10 consecutive off-duty hours. Off-duty time won’t lengthen the 14-hour period.
- Rest Breaks
- Truckers may only drive if no more than 8 hours have passed since the driver’s last sleeper berth or off-duty period no less than 30 minutes. This rule doesn’t apply to truckers who use either of the short-haul exceptions in 395.1(e).
- Sleeper Berth Provision
- Drivers who utilize this provision are required to take no less than 8 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, as well as 2 separate consecutive hours in either the sleeper berth, off duty, or a combination of both.
Passenger-Carrying Drivers
- 10-Hour Driving Limit
- Truck drivers can drive no more than 10 hours after 8 consecutive off-duty hours.
- 15-Hour Limit
- Truckers are not allowed to drive past the 15th consecutive hour after starting to drive. There is no off-duty time incorporated into the 15-hour period.
- 60/70-Hour Limit
- Truckers are not allowed to drive after being on duty for 60/70 hours within 7/8 consecutive days.
- Sleeper Berth Provision
- Drivers who utilize this provision are required to take no less than 8 hours in the sleeper berth. This time may be split into two periods as long as neither is fewer than two hours.
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