The federal hours-of-service rules come down to a handful of numbers: 11, 14, 8, 60 and 70, and 34. Most violations come from how a working day uses them: a pre-trip and trailer hook-up that start the 14-hour clock, a two-hour wait at a port that eats into it, a sleeper split that doesn’t pair up. This guide walks through the rules for property-carrying drivers on a single duty day, then the week, the sleeper berth, the exceptions, what roadside inspectors find, and what changed in 2026. It ends with a checklist you can use as a template. To see how FleetRabbit shows driver hours, book a short demo with our team.
DOT hours of service · 2026
One legal driving day, drawn the way an ELD sees it
On duty at 5 a.m. for the pre-trip, 11 hours of driving with a break, unloading and a post-trip, and the 14-hour window closing at 7 p.m.
14-hour window: 05:00 to 19:00
Representative example · sample day, shown in whole hours for clarity
Four numbers on one shift: where the break, the driving limit and the window fall
Every duty day starts after at least 10 consecutive hours off. From the moment the driver goes on duty, three clocks run at once: driving time toward the 8-hour break and the 11-hour limit, and total time toward the end of the 14-hour window.
8 h driving
30-minute break due
11 h driving
Driving limit
14 h on duty
Window closes
16 h
Short-haul exception only
Hours from coming on duty. The 8 and 11-hour marks count driving time; the 14 and 16-hour marks count time since coming on duty.
The 14-hour window is the one that catches fleets out. It doesn’t stop for a meal, a long wait or a breakdown. Only the sleeper berth provision can exclude time from it.
The hours-of-service rules for property-carrying drivers, with the mistakes behind most violations
| Rule | Limit | 49 CFR | Common mistake |
|---|
| 11-hour driving | 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off | 395.3(a)(3) | Counting only time on the highway; yard moves are driving too |
| 14-hour window | No driving after the 14th hour since coming on duty | 395.3(a)(2) | Thinking a lunch stop pauses the clock. It doesn’t. |
| 30-minute break | After 8 cumulative hours of driving without a 30-minute interruption | 395.3(a)(3)(ii) | Assuming it must be off duty; on-duty non-driving time counts |
| 60/70-hour | No driving after 60 hours on duty in 7 days or 70 in 8 | 395.3(b) | Forgetting that loading, fueling and inspections are on-duty time |
| 34-hour restart | 34 or more consecutive hours off resets the 7 or 8-day period | 395.3(c) | Breaking the 34 hours with a short on-duty task |
| Sleeper berth | 10 hours off may be split: at least 7 in the berth plus at least 2 | 395.1(g) | Pairing a 6-hour berth period with a 4-hour break |
The 70-hour week, day by day, and when a 34-hour restart becomes necessary
On the 8-day schedule a driver may not drive after 70 hours on duty in any 8 consecutive days. The total rolls: each day the oldest day drops off. A driver who works long days early in the week can run out of hours before the weekend.
On-duty hours per day, with the running 8-day total above each bar
Representative example · sample week. After day 7 the driver has 70 hours on duty and can’t drive on day 8 without a 34-hour restart.
Remember that the 70 counts all on-duty time, not just driving. Inspections, loading, fueling and time spent waiting on duty all go in.
Sleeper berth splits: which pairings work and which don’t
A driver can split the 10 hours off into two periods, as long as one is at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, the other is at least 2 hours off duty or in the berth, and together they total at least 10. Used together, neither period counts against the 14-hour window.
The second period in each pair can be off duty or in the berth. The 6 + 4 pairing fails because neither period reaches 7 hours in the berth. It still counts as rest, but it doesn’t pause the 14-hour window.
Know which drivers have hours left before you plan the next load
A 20-minute look at HOS availability from your ELD, break reminders, and the inspection records for each tractor, trailer and chassis.
Four exceptions drivers use most, and the conditions attached to each
Exceptions give relief for specific situations. Each has conditions, and each is a common source of violations when the conditions aren’t met.
01
150 air-mile short haul
Records relief, not extra hours
Drivers who stay within 150 air miles of their normal work reporting location and are released within 14 hours don’t need logs or an ELD. Time records are still required.
02
16-hour short haul
Two more hours of window, once a week
A property-carrying driver who returns to the normal work location and is released within 16 hours may drive after the 14th hour. Usable once every seven days, or again after a 34-hour restart. The 11-hour limit still applies.
03
Adverse driving conditions
Up to two extra hours, if it was unforeseeable
Snow, fog or an unexpected road closure the driver and carrier couldn’t have known about at dispatch extends the 11 and 14-hour limits by up to two hours.
04
Personal conveyance
Off-duty movement, within limits
FMCSA guidance allows a driver to log personal movement of the truck as off duty, such as driving to the nearest safe place to rest, as long as it doesn’t advance the load.
Equipment work is on-duty time: inspections, coupling and waiting all count
For truck, trailer and chassis operations, a good share of the 14-hour window goes to work that isn’t driving. All of it is logged as on duty and counts toward the 60/70-hour total.
Pre-trip inspection
On duty, not driving
Coupling a trailer or chassis
On duty, not driving
Fueling and DEF
On duty, not driving
Waiting at a shipper or port
On duty, unless relieved of all duty
Roadside breakdown
On duty while dealing with it
Post-trip and DVIR
On duty, not driving
That’s a reason to make inspections fast and complete, not to skip them. A digital DVIR and DOT inspection app keeps the pre-trip and post-trip short without losing the record, and fewer surprise breakdowns, through preventive maintenance scheduling, means fewer hours lost on the shoulder.
What roadside inspectors found: hours of service in the 2026 Roadcheck
During CVSA’s International Roadcheck in May 2026, 3,184 drivers were placed out of service. Hours of service accounted for 23.4% of those orders, second only to medical certificates, and false logs added another 6.7%, as reported by CCJ.
Share of driver out-of-service orders, International Roadcheck 2026
No commercial license
15.6%
Hours-of-service categories highlighted. Source: CVSA results as reported by CCJ, August 2026.
The 2026 update: two hours-of-service pilots in testing, no change to the rules yet
The rules set in 2020 are still the rules in 2026. What is new is testing. FMCSA’s Flexible Sleeper Berth pilot lets drivers split off-duty time in any combination totalling at least 10 hours, as long as one period is at least 5 hours in the berth. The Split Duty Period pilot tests pausing the 14-hour window for up to three hours a day.
September 2025
Pilots announced
Two hours-of-service pilots launched as part of the Pro Trucker Package.
April to July 2026
Small pre-tests
Nine drivers from three carriers in each pilot, for six weeks.
August 2026
Results under review
FMCSA reviewing the pre-tests to refine both pilots.
2027
Full pilots planned
256 drivers in each pilot, for four months. The current rules stay in force until any change is made.
Only drivers enrolled in a pilot may use its rules. Everyone else follows the current limits.
An hours of service rules checklist you can use as a template
Hours of service: daily and weekly check
Driver and dispatch
Driver started the day after at least 10 consecutive hours off
Pre-trip, coupling and fueling logged as on duty
30-minute break taken before 8 hours of driving
Driving stops at 11 hours, and at the 14th hour on duty
Weekly total checked against 60/70 before accepting a load
34-hour restart taken without on-duty interruptions
Sleeper split pairs at least 7 hours in the berth with at least 2
Any exception used is noted with the reason
ELD unassigned driving time reviewed every day
Logs and supporting documents kept for six months
Keep the results with each driver’s file, and keep repair and inspection records with each unit’s maintenance history, so an audit can see both sides of the day.
What FleetRabbit does for hours of service, line by line
Hours-of-service data from ELD providers
Described
FleetRabbit’s dispatch page lists Motive (formerly KeepTruckin), Samsara, Geotab, Omnitracs and 12 other providers.
HOS availability for dispatch
Described
A real-time view of which drivers have hours left.
Break reminders in the driver app
Described
Alerts to drivers as their status changes.
Digital DVIRs and preventive maintenance
Described
Inspections, defects, repairs and service schedules.
FleetRabbit as a certified ELD
Not claimed
FleetRabbit takes data from ELD providers; confirm your device and provider in a demo.
FleetRabbit for dispatch and compliance
Driver hours and truck records in one place, so loads are planned inside the rules
1
Connect your ELD provider
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2
See hours left by driver
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Plan loads and inspections
What the 20-minute demo covers
HOS availability from your ELD
Break reminders in the driver app
DVIRs and repairs for each unit
The free plan for three vehicles
DOT hours of service questions from drivers and dispatchers
What are the DOT hours of service rules for truck drivers?
Property-carrying drivers may drive 11 hours after 10 hours off, may not drive after the 14th hour on duty, must take a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, and may not drive after 60 hours in 7 days or 70 in 8. A 34-hour break restarts the weekly clock.
Did the hours of service rules change in 2026?
No. The 2020 rules still apply. FMCSA ran small pre-tests in 2026 for a flexible sleeper berth pilot and a split duty period pilot, with full pilots planned for 2027.
Does a pre-trip inspection count against the 14 hours?
Yes. Inspections, coupling, fueling and paperwork are on-duty time, and the 14-hour window runs from the moment the driver comes on duty.
Can the 30-minute break be on duty?
Yes. Since 2020, any 30 consecutive minutes not driving counts, including on-duty time such as fueling or waiting to load.
How long must hours-of-service records be kept?
Six months, including the supporting documents, under 49 CFR 395.8.
Is there an hours of service checklist or template?
Yes. The ten-point checklist on this page can be printed or built as a daily check inside your inspection app.
Is FleetRabbit an ELD?
FleetRabbit’s site describes taking hours-of-service data from ELD providers rather than being an ELD itself. Confirm your provider in a demo.
Plan every load inside the 11, the 14 and the 70
See your drivers’ hours next to your trucks’ records, and stop finding out about violations at the roadside.
October 21, 2026By Sam Parker
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