US rules

Why does my driver run out of time in the States with driving hours still left?

In the US no driving is allowed once 14 hours have passed since the driver came on duty after 10 hours off. The clock runs through breaks and border waits. It does not stop at the border.

What drivers say

“I still have driving hours left, so I can keep going.”

What the rules say

Not in the States. The US has two clocks: 11 hours of driving and 14 hours from coming on duty. Whichever runs out first stops the driving. Canada allows 16 hours from the start of the shift, so a driver used to Canadian rules can come up short at the line.

Run a free checkTry this example

How it works

The 14 hours start when the driver first comes on duty after 10 hours off in a row. Breaks, meals, fueling and the wait at the bridge all count. Nothing pauses it.

After the 14 hours end, the driver may still work but may not drive until 10 hours off in a row.

The clock is the same on both sides of the border. Time spent in Canada before crossing uses it up.

The rule

  • No driving after 14 consecutive hours from coming on duty after 10 hours off.

    49 CFR 395.3(a)(2)

  • 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 crosses with driving hours left but only minutes before the US clock runs out.

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.

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

  • Take 10 hours off in a row. That starts a new 14 hours.
  • Or leave earlier in the shift, so the US leg ends inside the 14 hours.

Related

The rules in full