DOT hours of service rules, on one chart
BY JEFF BYRD· FACTS CHECKED 2026-10-05· UPDATED October 2026· HOW WE CHECK
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Check your own clocks: hours of service calculator
What HOS means in trucking
HOS stands for hours of service: the federal rules in 49 CFR Part 395 that set how long drivers of commercial motor vehicles may drive and stay on duty, and how much rest they need in between. They apply to drivers of trucks over 10,000 lb in interstate commerce, whether or not the driver needs a CDL, with different numbers for passenger carriers.
Every minute of a driver's day goes into one of four duty statuses on the log: off duty, sleeper berth, driving, and on duty not driving. The rules then count those minutes against a few clocks. Most drivers record them on an electronic logging device (ELD), which is why you'll hear HOS and ELD used together, but the limits are the same on paper or electronic logs.
Who the DOT hours of service rules apply to
The federal rules cover drivers of commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce. For trucks, that generally means a vehicle with a gross weight rating or actual weight over 10,000 lb, which takes in most hotshots and 26 ft box trucks as well as tractor-trailers. A CDL isn't the test; a non-CDL box truck crossing state lines is still under HOS. Drivers who never leave their state follow their state's rules, which mostly mirror the federal ones with some differences. Passenger carriers have their own limits, so this guide covers property carriers only.
EXAMPLE · 49 CFR 395.3 · checked 2026-10-05
The hours of service rules, one by one
These are the limits for a solo driver hauling property. Each card shows the exact rule and its citation. Values come from one rules file on this site, checked against the regulation text.
11hr
11-hour driving limit
You may drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
APPLIES TO: PROPERTY-CARRYING CMV DRIVERS
49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(i) · checked 2026-10-05
14hr
14-hour window
You may not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Off-duty time does not extend the window.
APPLIES TO: PROPERTY-CARRYING CMV DRIVERS
49 CFR 395.3(a)(2) · checked 2026-10-05
30min
30-minute break
After 8 cumulative hours of driving time without at least a 30-minute interruption, you must take a break of at least 30 consecutive minutes before driving again. Any non-driving status qualifies (off duty, sleeper berth, or on duty not driving).
APPLIES TO: PROPERTY-CARRYING CMV DRIVERS
49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii) · checked 2026-10-05
10hr
10 consecutive hours off duty
Before driving again under a fresh 11-hour and 14-hour clock, you need 10 consecutive hours off duty (or equivalent sleeper-berth combinations).
APPLIES TO: PROPERTY-CARRYING CMV DRIVERS
49 CFR 395.3(a)(1) · checked 2026-10-05
70hr
60/70-hour limit
You may not drive after 60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days (if your carrier does not operate every day of the week) or 70 hours on duty in 8 consecutive days (if it does).
APPLIES TO: PROPERTY-CARRYING CMV DRIVERS
49 CFR 395.3(b) · checked 2026-10-05
34hr
34-hour restart
You may restart your 60- or 70-hour cycle after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty.
APPLIES TO: PROPERTY-CARRYING CMV DRIVERS
49 CFR 395.3(c) · checked 2026-10-05
How long truck drivers have to rest
Before a new day of driving, a driver needs 10 consecutive hours off duty. That resets both the 11-hour driving limit and the 14-hour window. The 10 hours can be split in the sleeper berth: one period of at least 7 hours in the berth plus another of at least 2 hours off duty or in the berth, adding up to at least 10. Neither qualifying period counts against the 14-hour window.
During the shift, a 30-minute break is required once you've driven 8 hours without a 30-minute interruption. Since FMCSA's 2020 changes, the break can be any non-driving time of 30 consecutive minutes: off duty, sleeper berth, or on duty not driving, such as a fuel stop or loading. Over the week, a 34-hour restart, 34 or more consecutive hours off, resets the 60 or 70-hour cycle.
One EXAMPLE day under the rules
Here's how the clocks play out on a real shift. The driver comes on duty at 05:00, does a pre-trip, drives 5 hours, loads for an hour, drives 3 more hours, takes a 30-minute break, drives 3 more, then does paperwork at the receiver. That's 11 hours of driving, the maximum, and the window ends at 19:00. The 30-minute break comes before the driver passes 8 hours behind the wheel since the last qualifying break; the hour of loading already counted as one.
Notice the loading hour. It reset the 8-hour break clock because it was 30+ minutes not driving, but it still used window time. Long dock waits are where most drivers lose driving hours, because the 14-hour window keeps running no matter what.
Log book rules: HOS and the ELD
Drivers covered by HOS record every change of duty status on a record of duty status, and most must use an ELD registered with FMCSA to do it (49 CFR 395.8). The ELD records driving automatically from the engine; the driver records the other statuses and adds notes, such as the location of a fuel stop or the reason for an edit. At a roadside inspection you must be able to show the current day and the previous 7 days.
A few drivers may still use paper logs or time records: those who need logs no more than 8 days in any 30-day period, driveaway-towaway drivers delivering the vehicle they drive, vehicles with engines older than model year 2000, and short-haul drivers using time records under the 150 air-mile exception. Whatever the format, the log has to match reality. Fuel receipts, bills of lading and other supporting documents can be compared against it.
49 CFR 395.8(a)(1) · 49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)(iii) · checked 2026-10-05
8 days in 30
Driveaway-towaway
Pre-2000 engine
Short-haul
Before-you-drive checklist
Run through this before you put the truck in gear. Check each item that's true. Any unchecked item tells you which rule to look at before you drive. It's a planning aid; your ELD record decides.
BEFORE YOU DRIVE0 / 6
Look at these rules before you drive:
Why hours of service rules are in place
The rules exist to keep tired drivers off the road. Fatigue slows reaction time and judgment much like alcohol does, and a loaded truck needs far more distance to stop than a car. FMCSA designed the limits so that every driving period follows a real rest period and long weeks are capped. They also protect drivers from being pushed: a shipper or broker can't legally require a load that only works by breaking them.
What happens when you run out of hours
If an officer finds you've driven past a limit, you can be placed out of service until you've had enough off-duty time to drive legally again, which can mean sitting for 10 hours or more wherever you were stopped. Violations also go on your carrier's safety record and feed the hours of service compliance score that inspectors and brokers look at. When your hours run out, the only fix is time off: park, rest, and let a dispatcher move the appointment.
The 14-hour rule: what's actually new
You'll see headlines about a new 14-hour rule. For almost every driver, the 14-hour window works the way it has for years: it starts when you come on duty after 10 hours off, and off-duty time during the day doesn't stop it. The last broad change came with FMCSA's 2020 hours of service rule, which made the 30-minute break apply after 8 hours of driving instead of 8 hours on duty, allowed the 7/3 sleeper split, let adverse conditions extend the window by up to 2 hours, and widened short-haul to 150 air miles and 14 hours.
What's new as of our last check is FMCSA's pilot programs. A limited group of enrolled CDL drivers is testing a single pause of 30 minutes to 3 hours that stops the 14-hour window, and other sleeper-berth splits such as 6/4 and 5/5. If you're not enrolled in a pilot, none of that applies to you, and off-duty time never pauses your 14.
PILOT · ENROLLED DRIVERS ONLY
Flexible Sleeper Berth pilot
FMCSA is piloting 6/4 and 5/5 sleeper-berth splits with a limited group of enrolled CDL drivers, on top of the regular 8/2 and 7/3 options. Unless you are enrolled, only 8/2 and 7/3 apply.
PILOT · ENROLLED DRIVERS ONLY
Split Duty Period pilot
FMCSA is piloting a single pause of 30 minutes to 3 hours that stops the 14-hour window for a limited group of enrolled CDL drivers. Unless you are enrolled, off-duty time never pauses your 14.
Common hours of service mistakes
Treating a break as a pause
Forgetting on-duty time counts
Starting the day short of 10
Logging status wrong
Planning to the minute
Where a dispatcher fits
The rules set the limits; a good dispatcher books loads inside them. Our desk checks your drive time, window and cycle before offering a load, plans pickups so they start after your 10-hour break, and points the week toward a restart at home. We never ask a driver to run over, and every load reaches you as a rate confirmation you can turn down.
General information about federal rules, not legal advice. Your ELD record and the current regulations decide.