Canadian vs US hours of service, every difference
Canadian and US hours of service (HOS) rules count the same hours but set different limits. Canada allows 13 hours of driving in a shift; the US allows 11. The US requires a 30-minute break; Canada does not. Nothing resets at the border. When the truck crosses, the other country's limits apply to the same hours.
Canadian and US limits, side by side
| Rule | US rules | Canadian rules |
|---|---|---|
| Driving | 11 hours after 10 hours off in a row49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(i), 49 CFR 395.3(a)(1) | 13 hours in a work shift and 13 in a daySOR/2005-313 s. 13(1), SOR/2005-313 s. 12(1) |
| Work on duty | No cap on work hours. Driving stops when the 14 hours end.49 CFR 395.3(a)(2) | 14 hours in a work shift and 14 in a daySOR/2005-313 s. 13(2), SOR/2005-313 s. 12(2) |
| Time from the start of the shift | No driving after 14 hours from coming on duty49 CFR 395.3(a)(2) | No driving after 16 hours from the end of the last restSOR/2005-313 s. 13(3) |
| Rest that starts a new shift | 10 hours off in a row49 CFR 395.3(a)(1) | 8 hours off in a rowSOR/2005-313 s. 13(1), (2) |
| Time off each day | No daily rule. The limits count from coming on duty.49 CFR 395.3(a)(2) | 10 hours, with at least 2 outside the 8 hours in a rowSOR/2005-313 s. 14(1), SOR/2005-313 s. 14(3) |
| Break | 30 minutes in a row after 8 hours of driving49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii) | No break rule |
| Cycle | 60 hours in 7 days, or 70 in 8 if the carrier runs every day49 CFR 395.3(b)(1), 49 CFR 395.3(b)(2) | Cycle 1: 70 hours in 7 days. Cycle 2: 120 in 14, and no more than 70 without 24 hours off.SOR/2005-313 s. 26, SOR/2005-313 s. 27(a), SOR/2005-313 s. 27(b) |
| Cycle starts over after | 34 hours off in a row49 CFR 395.3(c) | 36 hours off in a row on Cycle 1, 72 on Cycle 2SOR/2005-313 s. 28(1)(a), SOR/2005-313 s. 28(1)(b) |
| A day off | No rule | 24 hours off in a row in the last 14 days, or no drivingSOR/2005-313 s. 25 |
What drivers say, and what the rules say
“The hours stop at the border. You only have to be legal in the country you're in.”
Half right. The rules switch at the crossing. Today's driving and on-duty time, and the cycle hours, carry across. The rule changes. The clock does not reset.
“I can drive 13 in Canada.”
True per shift, but the day counts too. Canada also caps driving at 13 hours in a day, counted from the hour the carrier's day starts. And the US hours come with the driver: a driver who drove 11 in the States has only what is left of the 13 after crossing.
“I took my 10, so I've got a fresh 13.”
A fresh shift, yes. A fresh day, no. Driving done earlier the same day still counts toward the day's 13. The day only starts over at the carrier's day start, usually midnight.
“I'm under 70, so I'm legal.”
Legal in Canada, maybe not in the States. Canada's Cycle 1 allows 70 hours in 7 days. In the US the carrier runs either 60 in 7 or 70 in 8. On 60, every on-duty hour above 60 is over the limit in the US.
“You need a 36 to go into Canada.”
Wrong as stated. A reset is only needed when the driver is out of cycle hours, or will be before the run ends. And a US 34-hour restart is not a Canadian reset: a driver who needs one in Canada needs the full 36 or 72.
“There's no half-hour break in Canada, so I don't need one.”
Right about Canada, wrong once you cross. Canada has no break rule. The US does, and it looks back at all the driving since the last break, including the miles before the border.
“If I was legal when I crossed, I'm legal.”
Only under the rules you crossed out of. The two countries set different limits on the same hours. Canada allows 13 hours of driving in a shift; the US allows 11. Canada's Cycle 1 is 70 hours; a US carrier may run 60.
“I can drive 13 in Canada, so I still have hours when I cross.”
True in Canada, not in the States. The hours cross the border with the driver. Only the rules change. At the line, the US limit of 11 applies to every hour driven since the last 10 hours off, on both sides.
On a cross-border run this means
On a cross-border run the driver must stay inside both sets of limits: the origin country's for the miles before the line, and the destination's for the miles after it. Every hour counts on both sides.
A southbound run for a driver who is legal on Canada's Cycle 1, with a carrier on the shorter US cycle.
- Direction
- Canada to US
- Hours read at
- 08:00 EDT on Mon Oct 5
- Came on duty at
- 06:00, after 10 h off
- This shift so far
- 2 h driving, 2 h on duty, 2 h driving since the last break
- Canadian cycle
- Cycle 1 (70 hours in 7 days)
- US cycle
- 60 hours in 7 days
- On-duty hours
- 65 h in the last 7 days
- 24 hours off in a row in the last 14 days
- Yes
- The run
- Leaves at 08:00, drives 30 m to the border, then 3 h after it
This is the answer the free check gives for these hours.
Not legal as planned. The run breaks the US 60-hour, 7-day cycle.
Why
Binding limit: US 60-hour, 7-day cycle (49 CFR 395.3(b)(1)). Hours worked on both sides of the border count toward it.
What makes this a GO
34 h off duty from 08:00, then depart at 18:00 EDT on Tue Oct 6 or later. The rest of the run stays the same.
At the border, under US rules
| Driving left | 8 h 30 m |
|---|---|
| 14-hour window left | 11 h 30 m |
| 60-hour cycle left | 0 m |
| Driving before the 30-minute break | 5 h 30 m |
Where the hours came from
Hours entered by hand.
BorderHOS is a planning aid. It does not replace your ELD, the driver's judgment, or the regulations. Results depend on the hours used.
How this was worked out
- Hours read at 08:00 on Mon Oct 5: 2 h driving and 2 h on duty this shift. Hours count under both countries' rules; only the rules change at the border.
- Departs 08:00, drives 30 m in Canada, crosses at 08:30, then 3 h in the US.
- At the border under US rules: 8 h 30 m of driving left, 11 h 30 m of the 14-hour window left, 0 m of the 60-hour cycle left.
- First limit broken: the US 60 hours in 7 days at 08:30, in the US.
- Earliest legal departure, resting off duty from 08:00: 18:00 on Tue Oct 6.
What this check does not cover
- Sleeper-berth splits are not modeled.
- Canadian deferral of daily off-duty time is not modeled.
- Adverse driving conditions are not modeled.
- Team drivers, north of 60, oil-well permits and short-haul exemptions are not modeled.
- Border wait is not added. Time waiting in line counts as on duty.
- The date of the driver's last 24 hours off was not given. It is assumed to fall within the last 14 days for the whole run.
- Cycle hours are entered as totals, so hours that drop off day by day are not counted. With the driver's daily log the earliest time may be sooner.
Engine 1.0.1. Rule values 1.1.0, verified by CVORReady Inc.
Check it
Open the example in the free check with the hours filled in, then change them to match your driver.
Pick the time the driver went off duty and see when the US 34-hour restart and the Canadian 36 and 72-hour resets end.
Questions
Which rules apply when a Canadian driver enters the US?
US rules, from the moment of crossing. The hours already driven and worked in Canada count toward the US limits: 11 hours of driving, the 14 hours from coming on duty, the 30-minute break and the US cycle.
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 day, 14 on duty, the 16-hour limit and the Canadian cycle.
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.
Does a 34-hour restart count in Canada?
No. A US restart clears the US cycle only. In Canada, Cycle 1 starts over after 36 hours off in a row and Cycle 2 after 72.
When the check says NO-GO
- Do my driver's hours reset when they cross the border?
Hours carry across the border
- I thought my driver could drive 13 in Canada. Why the NO-GO?
Canadian 13-hour driving limit
- I took my 10, so why am I still over for the day in Canada?
Canadian 10 hours off in a day
- My driver is under 70 in Canada, so why can't they cross?
US 60 hours in 7 days
- Does my driver need a 36 to go into Canada?
Canadian 36-hour reset
- There's no half-hour break in Canada, so why does my driver need one in the States?
US 30-minute break
- My ELD switched at the border and flagged my driver. Why?
Legal on one side, over on the other
- Why is my driver out of hours as soon as they cross into the US?
US 11-hour driving limit
More rules
- US rules for Canadian drivers
What changes the moment a Canadian driver enters the US: 11 hours, the 30-minute break, the 34-hour restart, and what does not reset.
- Canadian rules for US drivers
What a US driver must follow in Canada: 13 hours driving, 10 hours off, Cycle 1 and 2, and why your 34-hour restart does not count.
- Do your hours reset at the border?
No. Your hours keep accumulating. Here is what changes, what carries over, and how to plan a run that clears both countries.
Sources
- Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations, SOR/2005-313 (Justice Canada)
- 49 CFR 395.3, Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles (eCFR)
- FMCSA, Hours of service requirements for cross-border drivers
Values verified by CVORReady Inc. Last verified 25 Oct 2026. Sources: SOR/2005-313 s. 13(1), 49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(i), 49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii), 49 CFR 395.3(a)(2), SOR/2005-313 s. 12(1), SOR/2005-313 s. 12(2), SOR/2005-313 s. 13(3), 49 CFR 395.3(c), SOR/2005-313 s. 28(1)(a), SOR/2005-313 s. 28(1)(b), 49 CFR 395.3(a)(1), SOR/2005-313 s. 13(2), SOR/2005-313 s. 13(1), (2), SOR/2005-313 s. 14(1), SOR/2005-313 s. 14(3), 49 CFR 395.3(b)(1), 49 CFR 395.3(b)(2), SOR/2005-313 s. 26, SOR/2005-313 s. 27(a), SOR/2005-313 s. 27(b), SOR/2005-313 s. 25.