US rules

There's no half-hour break in Canada, so why does my driver need one in the States?

In the US a driver must stop for 30 minutes in a row once they have driven 8 hours without one. Driving done in Canada counts toward the 8 hours.

What drivers say

“There's no half-hour break in Canada, so I don't need one.”

What the rules say

Right about Canada, wrong once you cross. Canada has no break rule. The US does, and it looks back at all the driving since the last break, including the miles before the border.

Run a free checkTry this example

How it works

The break can be off duty, in the sleeper, or on duty not driving, in any mix, as long as it is 30 minutes in a row. Two short stops do not add up to one break.

Creeping forward in the line at the bridge is driving, so it does not count toward the break.

This is the one limit BorderHOS treats as a condition, not a NO-GO. If the break fits and the rest of the run is legal, the result is GO WITH CONDITIONS and says where the break must go.

The rule

  • No driving once more than 8 hours of driving have passed without a 30-minute interruption.

    49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii)

  • The interruption must be 30 consecutive minutes of off-duty, sleeper berth or on-duty not driving time, in any combination.

    49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii)

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

A worked example

A southbound run where the break falls due right at the border.

Direction
Canada to US
Hours read at
13:30 EDT on Mon Oct 5
Came on duty at
06:00, after 10 h off
This shift so far
7 h 30 m driving, 7 h 30 m on duty, 7 h 30 m driving since the last break
Canadian cycle
Cycle 1 (70 hours in 7 days)
US cycle
70 hours in 8 days
On-duty hours
30 h in the last 7 days, 30 h in the last 8 days
24 hours off in a row in the last 14 days
Yes
The run
Leaves at 13:30, drives 30 m to the border, then 2 h after it

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

GO WITH CONDITIONS

Legal with one condition: take a 30-minute break before crossing.

Conditions

  • Take a 30-minute break before crossing.

At the border, under US rules

Driving left3 h
14-hour window left6 h
70-hour cycle left39 h 30 m
Driving before the 30-minute break0 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 13:30 on Mon Oct 5: 7 h 30 m driving and 7 h 30 m on duty this shift. Hours count under both countries' rules; only the rules change at the border.
  2. Departs 13:30, drives 30 m in Canada, crosses at 14:00, then 2 h in the US.
  3. At the border under US rules: 3 h of driving left, 6 h of the 14-hour window left, 39 h 30 m of the 70-hour cycle left.
  4. The US 30-minute break falls due at 14:00. With the break the run is legal.
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 the break before crossing, or at the point the result names.
  • If the break pushes the run past another limit, the result is NO-GO and gives the earliest legal departure instead.

Related

The rules in full