Canadian rules

My driver is under 120 on Cycle 2. Why are they out of hours?

On Cycle 2, a driver cannot drive after 70 hours on duty unless they have taken 24 hours off in a row since. This applies even with plenty of the 120 hours left.

What drivers say

“I'm under 120, so I'm legal on Cycle 2.”

What the rules say

Only if the driver has had a day off. Cycle 2 has two limits, and both must be met. The second one counts on-duty hours since the last 24 hours off in a row.

Run a free checkTry this example

How it works

When Cycle 2 is chosen, the free check asks for on-duty hours since the last 24 hours off. That number decides this limit.

Every on-duty hour counts, in either country.

The rule

  • Cycle 2: no driving after 70 hours on duty without having taken at least 24 consecutive hours off.

    SOR/2005-313 s. 27(b)

  • No driving unless the driver has taken at least 24 consecutive hours off in the preceding 14 days.

    SOR/2005-313 s. 25

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

A worked example

A northbound run for a Cycle 2 driver with hours left on the two-week total but no day off for a while.

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, 90 h in the last 14 days, 68 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 70 hours without 24 hours off.

Why

Binding limit: Canadian Cycle 2 limit of 70 hours without 24 hours off (SOR/2005-313 s. 27(b)). Hours worked on both sides of the border count toward it.

What makes this a GO

24 h off duty from 08:00, then depart at 08:00 EDT on Tue Oct 6 or later. The rest of the run stays the same.

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 left29 h 30 m
Left before 24 hours off is needed1 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, 29 h 30 m of Cycle 2 left.
  4. First limit broken: the Canadian Cycle 2, 70 hours without 24 off at 10:00, in Canada.
  5. Earliest legal departure, resting off duty from 08:00: 08:00 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.
  • Canada requires records of duty status for the current day and the preceding 14 days on board. Confirm before crossing.

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 24 hours off in a row. That clears this limit. It does not clear the 120-hour total.

Related

The rules in full