Both countries

Do my driver's hours reset when they cross the border?

No. Every hour the driver has driven or worked comes across the border with them. Only the rules change at the line. From the moment of crossing, the same hours are counted against the other country's limits.

What drivers say

“The hours stop at the border. You only have to be legal in the country you're in.”

What the rules say

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.

Run a free checkTry this example

How it works

Going south, hours driven in Canada count toward the US 11 hours of driving, the US 14 hours and the US cycle.

Going north, hours driven in the States count toward Canada's 13 hours of driving, 14 hours on duty, the 16-hour limit and the Canadian cycle.

That is why the free check asks for the hours once, as totals, and never by country.

The rule

Sources: FMCSA guidance on 49 CFR 395.3, Question 5, FMCSA cross-border FAQ001.

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

A worked example

A northbound run where the hours driven in the States carry into Canada's limit.

Direction
US to Canada
Hours read at
13:00 EDT on Mon Oct 5
Came on duty at
02:00, after 10 h off
This shift so far
10 h 30 m driving, 11 h on duty, 4 h driving since the last break
Canadian cycle
Cycle 1 (70 hours in 7 days)
US cycle
70 hours in 8 days
On-duty hours
40 h in the last 7 days, 40 h in the last 8 days
24 hours off in a row in the last 14 days
Yes
The run
Leaves at 13:00, drives 15 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 13-hour driving limit.

Why

Binding limit: Canadian 13-hour driving limit (SOR/2005-313 s. 12(1), SOR/2005-313 s. 13(1)). The daily limit and the work-shift limit run out at the same time. Hours worked on both sides of the border count toward it.

Read how this limit works

What makes this a GO

10 h off duty from 13:00, then depart at 23:00 EDT on Mon Oct 5 or later. The rest of the run stays the same.

At the border, under Canadian rules

Driving left2 h 15 m
On-duty time left2 h 45 m
16-hour window left4 h 45 m
Cycle 1 left29 h 45 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 13:00 on Mon Oct 5: 10 h 30 m driving and 11 h on duty this shift. Hours count under both countries' rules; only the rules change at the border.
  2. Departs 13:00, drives 15 m in the US, crosses at 13:15, then 3 h in Canada.
  3. At the border under Canadian rules: 2 h 15 m of driving left, 2 h 45 m of on-duty time left, 4 h 45 m of the 16-hour window left, 29 h 45 m of Cycle 1 left.
  4. First limit broken: the Canadian 13-hour driving limit at 15:30, in Canada.
  5. Earliest legal departure, resting off duty from 13:00: 23:00 on Mon Oct 5.
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

  • Read the result's table of hours left at the border. It shows the time left under the destination country's rules at the moment of crossing.

Related

The rules in full