The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is an agency of the Department of Transportation (DOT). They regulate the number of hours truck drivers can spend driving per day. The agency also regulates the total number of hours truck drivers can drive in a given week. These are the “hours of service” (HOS) rules.
They are put in place for two reasons.
- to ensure that drivers are well-rested behind the wheel.
- to reduce the risk of fatigue-related trucking accidents on U.S. roadways.
Big Trucks Can Cause Big Accidents
If you’re hauling literally tons of weight, the potential for damage and destruction is huge.
That’s why there’s always a push from outside the transportation industry to limit truckers and how much time they drive without rest breaks. Some truck drivers are notorious for working long hours with not enough rest. This increases their risk of chronic fatigue and drug driving.
Drivers who violate the FMCSA’s strict trucking hours of service regulations may be fined. They also run the risk of being placed on shut down until they have accumulated enough off-duty hours to be back in compliance.
Trucking Hours: Service Regulations
When it comes down to it, trucking HOS regulations can be complicated and confusing. We have discussed the rules with drivers, owner-operators, and fleet managers. Through these discussions, we know that they are concerned about how these regulations affect the trucking industry.
We are here to say that the best way to remain compliant with federal hours of service regulations and avoid incurring harsh penalties is to use software designed specifically for owner-operators and fleet managers. Our trucking management software accurately tracks driving hours with our ELD program. It ensures compliance with trucking hours of service rules and takes the guesswork out of IFTA and IRP reporting and payments.
New federal DOT regulations are having a major impact on the hours of service (HOS) that truckers and long-distance bus drivers are able to work. The chart below is a summary of the new guidelines. The full text is available at this link.
DOT Regulations & What They Mean for You
| Rules for Drivers Carrying Goods | Rules for Drivers Carrying Passengers |
| May only drive a total of 11 hours, and that only after 10 consecutive off-duty hours | Can drive a total of 10 hours, and that only after eight consecutive off-duty hours. |
| Cannot drive after more than 14 consecutive hours on-duty (including time spent in non-driving tasks). May only spend 14 consecutive hours on-duty after 10 consecutive hours off-duty. | May not drive after spending more than 15 hours on duty. Can only spend 15 consecutive hours on-duty after spending eight consecutive hours off-duty. |
| Must stop driving if more than eight hours have passed since last off-duty or sleeper berth break of at least 30 minutes. Certain exemptions exist for short-haul drivers. | Passenger drivers who use a sleeper berth must spend at least eight hours within the berth prior to an eight hour shift. They may split this time up into two sessions, provided that one is at least two hours in length. |
| Driving time is limited by the 60/70 hour limit described to the right. A driver must take at least 34 consecutive off-duty hours before beginning a new 7/8-day duty period. | 60/70-hour limit: driving time is limited to 60 hours within seven consecutive days or to 70 hours within eight consecutive days. |
Needless to say, the new federal DOT regulations have caused quite a stir in the professional driving community. Some welcome the revised standards as a much-needed change, one that will heighten safety for both truckers and drivers of passenger vehicles. Others, however, say the revamped federal DOT regulations are an unwanted, unwelcome intrusion by Uncle Sam into private industry. Far from preventing accidents, these opponents claim that the new standards will only hurt those they are intended to help. Only time will tell which side is right.
TruckingOffice’s Role
TruckingOffice isn’t here to take sides on the new federal DOT regulations or other controversial issues. We provide the above information as a service to the professional driving community. One thing is for sure, though; times are a-changin’, and professional drivers must change with them. This includes using up-to-date software to manage your IFTA reports, dispatch records, invoices, and the countless other forms that are part of the job. Microsoft Office and similar programs are great for all-around use, but they lack the industry-specific, high-powered features truckers need.
With TruckingOffice’s ELD and trucking software working together, you can be confident that you know your records are accurate, that you can present them on demand, and those records contribure to creating accurate IFTA and IRP reports.
Trucking Software to Manage IFTA Reports
We recognized this fact more than 10 years ago. That’s why we invented TruckingOffice. Designed by truckers for truckers, this cutting-edge software arms you with the tools you need to handle all the paperwork of your business. Whether you’re a company president, an owner-operator, or a freight broker, you’ll be amazed at how our product make your work easier. It includes capabilities like these:
- An easy way to track all of your trucks, knowing at a glance who is driving each one, the load that each is carrying, and its destination.
- Route planning and mileage calculation using PC Miler; always know to the penny how many miles your drivers have covered and the exact amount you owe them.
- IFTA functions that make paying your state fuel taxes nearly effortless. And the same data is used for your IRP report as well – so all that work is done too!
Try Our Software Free
We’re so sure that you’ll love TruckingOffice that we’re willing to let you take it for a free test drive. You won’t need to give us your checking account or credit card information during the trial. Once you’ve tried it out, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.
I drive a forklift,can some one tell me how i am paid as a truck driver. I am told that i have to take a 30 min. break after 5.5 hours. I clock out for 30 min. then clock back in for 2 min. then clock out. I do not get overtime until after 55 hours. I am forced to work 12 hours without a break on Sunday nights.
Hello,
You would need to contact the FMCSA for specific regulation requirements.
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/
We are an invoicing system that helps you stay organized. Once you enter your trips into the system, there are 15 reports on the right side of the dashboard page that you can automatically generate from that. For instance, you can generate profit and loss reports, unit revenue, IFTA, driver settlements, create invoices, expenses and maintenance reports, etc.
We also have an ELD solution available if needed. https://www.truckingoffice.com/eld/
Feel free to start a 30 day free trial at https://www.truckingoffice.com/. There’s no obligation!
File a complaint at the wage and hour board you will get all the back pay you deserve plus 10% if its more than year
I am a class 3 driver and am a casual driver with my employer. How many hours in one day am I allowed to drive legally befor I have to rest.
Hello,
You would need to contact the FMCSA for specific regulation requirements.
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/
We are an invoicing system that helps you stay organized. Once you enter your trips into the system, there are 15 reports on the right side of the dashboard page that you can automatically generate from that. For instance, you can generate profit and loss reports, unit revenue, IFTA, driver settlements, create invoices, expenses and maintenance reports, etc.
We also have an ELD solution available if needed. https://www.truckingoffice.com/eld/
Feel free to start a 30 day free trial at https://www.truckingoffice.com/. There’s no obligation!
Do driving hours rules and regulations apply to post office employees. Right now we are forced to drive and deliver between 4 am – 7 pm.
Hello,
You would need to contact the FMCSA for specific regulation requirements.
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/
We are an invoicing system that helps you stay organized. Once you enter your trips into the system, there are 15 reports on the right side of the dashboard page that you can automatically generate from that. For instance, you can generate profit and loss reports, unit revenue, IFTA, driver settlements, create invoices, expenses and maintenance reports, etc.
Feel free to start a 30 day free trial at https://www.truckingoffice.com/. There’s no obligation!
If I drive ten hours in my fourteen hour day and get off from that driving job . And start working my lawn service job that I’m getting paid for. Can I get fined for
that ?
Technically yes.. you’re still on duty
Is it legal for a company giving a 1099 to refuse to pay you for your driving miles after letting you go.
I’m being driven by 6 days continually, 8 hours day,,,I was off 20 hours and started again 6 more days,,,that is legal for DOT rules?? Thanks
When you split your sleeper bearth time what must you do so your not in violation
You can do an 8/2 sleeper birth split and still be in compliance with the ELD regulations. The countdown timers on the TruckingOffice ELD dashboard will keep you from going over the limit and keep you in compliance.
Is it against DOT Regulations to operate a 44 Passenger Bus with a non working horn? Thank you.
What are the hours of service for a transit bus operater. Is a transit bus operater do a lunch break
so if i’m doing dispatching this would be a good tool for me
If you are dispatching for multiple trucking companies then I would recommend one account for each company that you are working with.