Questions dispatchers ask
Short answers to the questions asked most about hours of service at the Canada-US border. Each one links to the page that covers it in full.
Crossing the border
Do my hours reset when I cross the border?
No. Every hour driven and worked comes across with the driver. Only the rules change: from the moment of crossing, the same hours count against the other country's limits.
What rules apply when a Canadian truck driver enters the US?
US rules, from the moment of crossing: 11 hours of driving, no driving after 14 hours from coming on duty, a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, and the US cycle. Hours worked in Canada count.
Does a US driver have to follow Canadian rules in Canada?
Yes. In Canada the driver is on Canadian rules, with every hour worked in the States counted: 13 hours of driving in a shift and 13 in a day, 14 on duty, and the Canadian cycle.
My ELD switched rules at the border and flagged my driver. Why?
The ELD starts checking the same hours against the other country's limits once the truck crosses. A driver who was legal a minute before the line can be over a limit a minute after it.
Does waiting at the border count?
Yes. Time in line at the border is on-duty time, and creeping forward in the line is driving. Both count on the side the truck is on, and both carry across.
Driving limits
Can I drive 13 hours in the US if I am a Canadian driver?
No. In the US the limit is 11 hours of driving after 10 hours off in a row, and the driving done in Canada that shift counts toward it.
Can I drive 13 hours in Canada if I started my day in the US?
Only what is left of the 13. Canada counts the day's driving on both sides of the border, and a rest in the middle of the day does not start a new day.
Is the 30-minute break required in Canada?
No. Canada has no break rule. The US break applies as soon as the driver crosses south, and it counts the driving done in Canada since the last break.
Cycles and resets
What is the difference between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 in Canada?
Cycle 1 allows 70 hours on duty in 7 days. Cycle 2 allows 120 in 14 days, with no more than 70 hours without 24 hours off in a row.
I'm under 70 on Cycle 1. Can I cross into the US?
Only if the driver is also under the US cycle. A carrier that does not run every day of the week is on 60 hours in 7 days, so a driver legal in Canada can be over the US limit the moment they cross.
Does a 34-hour restart count in Canada?
Not as a Canadian reset. Cycle 1 starts over after 36 hours off in a row and Cycle 2 after 72. A reset is only needed when the driver is out of cycle hours.
When does my driver's reset end?
Pick the time the driver went off duty in the reset calculator. It gives the end of the US 34-hour restart and the Canadian 36 and 72-hour resets in your time zone.
Do US drivers need 24 hours off in 14 days to drive in Canada?
Yes. No driving in Canada unless the driver has taken at least 24 hours off in a row in the last 14 days, however many cycle hours are left.
Using BorderHOS
How do I know if my driver can legally make the run?
Run the free check. Enter the driver's hours and the run, and BorderHOS checks every minute under both countries' rules. It gives GO, NO-GO or GO WITH CONDITIONS and the earliest time the run is legal.
Does the carrier have enough hours to make the trip?
Ask the carrier for the driver's hours and run the free check. It works the same for a broker or shipper as for a dispatcher.
Is BorderHOS an ELD?
No. BorderHOS checks the plan before the truck leaves. It does not log hours, and it does not replace the ELD, the driver's judgment or the regulations.
Where do the rule numbers come from?
From the regulations: SOR/2005-313 in Canada and 49 CFR 395.3 in the US. Every value is checked against the text, verified by CVORReady Inc. and dated.