Canadian rules

My driver is on Cycle 2. How many cycle hours do they have in Canada?

On Cycle 2, Canada stops all driving after 120 hours on duty in any 14 days. A second limit also applies: no driving after 70 hours on duty without 24 hours off in a row.

What drivers say

“Cycle 2 gives me 120, so I've got plenty.”

What the rules say

Plenty over two weeks, not all at once. The 70-hour limit without a day off can run out first. And the US never uses Cycle 2: the moment the driver crosses south, the US cycle applies.

Run a free checkTry this example

How it works

Cycle 2 only applies in Canada. Going south, the US 60 or 70 takes over at the border.

Cycle 2 starts over only after 72 hours off in a row.

The rule

Rule values checked against the regulations and verified by CVORReady Inc.

A worked example

A northbound run for a Cycle 2 driver close to the two-week limit.

Direction
US to Canada
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 2 (120 hours in 14 days)
US cycle
70 hours in 8 days
On-duty hours
50 h in the last 8 days, 118 h in the last 14 days, 40 h since the last 24 hours off
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.

NO-GO

Not legal as planned. The run breaks the Canadian Cycle 2 limit of 120 hours in 14 days.

Why

Binding limit: Canadian Cycle 2 limit of 120 hours in 14 days (SOR/2005-313 s. 27(a)). Hours worked on both sides of the border count toward it.

What makes this a GO

No departure in the next 48 hours makes this run legal. The driver needs a cycle reset first: 34 hours off for the US, 36 hours for Canadian Cycle 1 or 72 hours for Cycle 2.

At the border, under Canadian rules

Driving left10 h 30 m
On-duty time left11 h 30 m
16-hour window left13 h 30 m
Cycle 2 left1 h 30 m
Left before 24 hours off is needed29 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
  1. 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.
  2. Departs 08:00, drives 30 m in the US, crosses at 08:30, then 3 h in Canada.
  3. At the border under Canadian rules: 10 h 30 m of driving left, 11 h 30 m of on-duty time left, 13 h 30 m of the 16-hour window left, 1 h 30 m of Cycle 2 left.
  4. First limit broken: the Canadian Cycle 2, 120 hours in 14 days at 10:00, in Canada.
  5. No legal departure within 48 hours of rest.
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.
  • Canada requires records of duty status for the current day and the preceding 14 days on board. Confirm before crossing.
  • No legal departure was found within 48 hours. A cycle reset longer than 48 hours may be needed.
  • 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.

Open this example in the free check and change the hours

What fixes it

  • Take 72 hours off in a row. That is longer than BorderHOS searches for a departure time, so the result says a reset is needed instead of giving a time.

Related

The rules in full