Hours of service rules, plainly: the limits, the exceptions, and how to plan around them
Steve Woods · Lead Dispatcher, TruckSprint
Steve Woods leads the TruckSprint dispatch desk and reviews every guide we publish. How we research and update guides.
Updated October 2026
Quick answer
Hours of service rules for property-carrying drivers: drive up to 11 hours after 10 hours off duty; don't drive after the 14th hour since coming on duty; take a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving; and stop driving at 60 hours on duty in 7 days or 70 in 8. A 34-hour off-duty period restarts the weekly count.
Source: 49 CFR 395.3, eCFR · checked 2026-10
Hours of service decide how far a truck can go today, and so they decide which loads make sense. I'm Steve, lead dispatcher at TruckSprint. Every load we offer starts with the driver's clock. This guide sticks to what 49 CFR Part 395 actually says, as of the October 2026 edition, and how it plays out on a real day.
The four limits
| Limit | The rule | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Driving | Up to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty | 395.3(a)(1), (a)(3)(i) |
| Duty window | No driving after the 14th hour after coming on duty | 395.3(a)(2) |
| Break | No driving after 8 hours of driving without a 30-minute interruption | 395.3(a)(3)(ii) |
| Cycle | No driving after 60 hours on duty in 7 days, or 70 in 8 days if the carrier runs every day | 395.3(b) |
| Restart | 34 or more consecutive hours off duty starts a new 7- or 8-day period | 395.3(c) |
Check where you stand right now:
How much can I still drive? EXAMPLE values
Driving left: 6h 30m. Take a 30-minute break within the next 3h 30m of driving.
Planning aid only, for property-carrying drivers under 49 CFR 395.3. Exceptions in 395.1 (adverse conditions, sleeper split, short-haul) can change the answer. Your ELD is the record.
The 14-hour rule in practice
The 14-hour window is the one that catches people. It starts when you come on duty and runs straight through, no matter what you do inside it. A four-hour wait at a shipper, a long fuel stop, a nap in the cab that isn't a qualifying sleeper period: all of it uses the window. You can have hours of driving left on the 11 and still be done for the day because the 14 ran out.
That's why detention costs more than the waiting time itself. Waiting at a dock is generally on-duty time, and every hour of it shortens the day you have left to drive. Our detention pay guide covers getting paid for it.
The 30-minute break
After 8 hours of driving, you need a 30-minute interruption before you drive again. The rule says it can be off-duty time, sleeper berth time, on-duty not-driving time, or a mix. A 30-minute fuel stop logged on duty counts. Drivers using either short-haul exception don't need the break (395.3(a)(3)(ii)).
The 60/70-hour cycle and the 34-hour restart
The weekly limit counts all on-duty time, not just driving: loading, fueling, inspections and waiting all add up. If your carrier operates trucks every day of the week, it's 70 hours in 8 days; if not, 60 in 7. Hours come back as old days roll out of the window, or you can take 34 consecutive hours off duty to restart the count from zero.
The sleeper berth split
A driver with a sleeper berth can split the 10-hour off-duty period into two rests, if (395.1(g)(1)(ii)):
- one period is at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth;
- the other is at least 2 consecutive hours, off duty or in the sleeper;
- the two add up to at least 10 hours.
The qualifying rest periods don't count against the 14-hour window, and the driving and window limits are recalculated from the end of the first rest. Splits like 7/3 or 8/2 help drivers wait out a late appointment without losing the day. ELDs handle the math, but plan it before you start the shift.
Exceptions you should know
Adverse driving conditions (395.1(b)(1)): if unexpected conditions such as snow or a road closure, defined in 395.2, mean you can't finish the run within your limits, you may drive up to two extra hours to complete the run or reach a safe place.
150 air-mile short-haul (395.1(e)(1)): drivers who stay within 150 air miles (172.6 statute miles) of their normal reporting location and are released within 14 hours don't need logs or an ELD on those days. The carrier keeps time records for 6 months.
Non-CDL short-haul (395.1(e)(2)): this matters for 26 ft box trucks driven without a CDL. If you stay within 150 air miles and return to your reporting location every day, you're exempt from the 14-hour limit and from logs, but you can't drive after the 14th hour on duty on 5 days of any 7, or after the 16th hour on 2 of those days. The carrier keeps time records for 6 months.
16-hour exception (395.1(o)): a property-carrying driver who returned to the reporting location and was released there for the previous five duty tours can extend the window to 16 hours once in 6 consecutive days (or once after a 34-hour restart), if released from duty at the reporting location within 16 hours.
ELDs, and who's exempt
Carriers must have drivers record duty status on an ELD (395.8(a)(1)(i)), with exceptions. A carrier may let a driver use paper logs instead when the driver:
- needs a record of duty status on no more than 8 days in any 30-day period;
- is in certain driveaway-towaway operations; or
- drives a truck whose engine is older than model year 2000.
Drivers using either short-haul exception don't log those days at all. The auditor in your new entrant safety audit will check your records of duty status, and failing to require them in 51% or more of the records examined is an automatic failure.
Planning loads around the clock
Hours of service turn into dispatch decisions:
- Count the appointment, not the miles. A 500-mile load with a 6 a.m. delivery may not fit the clock you'll have when you pick it up.
- Assume some waiting. Build dock time into the 14-hour plan.
- Plan resets. A 34-hour restart in a strong freight market sets up the next week; one in a dead market wastes it.
- Book the reload with the clock in mind. The best next load is one you can legally reach on time.
None of these involve bending the rules. A load that only works if you run past your hours isn't a load worth taking.