US rules

My driver took 8 hours off, so why can't they drive in the States?

In the US a driver needs 10 hours off in a row before a new 11 hours of driving and a new 14 hours on duty. A shorter rest does not reset either one.

What drivers say

“8 hours off is a new shift.”

What the rules say

In Canada, yes: 8 hours off in a row ends the work shift. In the States it takes 10. A driver who rests 8 hours and then crosses south is still on the old US shift.

Run a free checkTry this example

How it works

The 10 hours can be off duty, in the sleeper, or both, as long as they are in a row.

BorderHOS does not return this as its own result. When the US driving limit or the US 14 hours stop a run, the fix is 10 hours off, and the result gives the time that rest ends.

The rule

  • A driver may not drive without first taking 10 consecutive hours off duty.

    49 CFR 395.3(a)(1)

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

A worked example

A southbound run that needs a full US rest. The fix on the result is that rest.

Direction
Canada to US
Hours read at
15:00 EDT on Mon Oct 5
Came on duty at
02:00, after 10 h off
This shift so far
8 h driving, 9 h on duty, 3 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 15:00, drives 30 m to the border, then 2 h after it

This is the answer the free check gives for these hours.

NO-GO

Not legal as planned. The run breaks the US 14-hour window.

Why

Binding limit: US 14-hour window (49 CFR 395.3(a)(2)). 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 15:00, then depart at 01:00 EDT on Tue Oct 6 or later. The rest of the run stays the same.

At the border, under US rules

Driving left2 h 30 m
14-hour window left30 m
70-hour cycle left29 h 30 m
Driving before the 30-minute break4 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 15:00 on Mon Oct 5: 8 h driving and 9 h on duty this shift. Hours count under both countries' rules; only the rules change at the border.
  2. Departs 15:00, drives 30 m in Canada, crosses at 15:30, then 2 h in the US.
  3. At the border under US rules: 2 h 30 m of driving left, 30 m of the 14-hour window left, 29 h 30 m of the 70-hour cycle left.
  4. First limit broken: the US 14-hour window at 16:00, in the US.
  5. Earliest legal departure, resting off duty from 15:00: 01:00 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.

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

  • Count 10 hours from when the driver actually goes off duty. BorderHOS counts from the time you read the hours, which is the safe answer.

Related

The rules in full