US rules

My driver is under 70 in Canada, so why can't they cross?

If the carrier does not run every day of the week, US rules stop all driving after 60 hours on duty in 7 days. A driver who is legal on Canada's Cycle 1 can be over the US limit the moment they cross.

What drivers say

“I'm under 70, so I'm legal.”

What the rules say

Legal in Canada, maybe not in the States. Canada's Cycle 1 allows 70 hours in 7 days. In the US the carrier runs either 60 in 7 or 70 in 8. On 60, every on-duty hour above 60 is over the limit in the US.

Run a free checkTry this example

How it works

The cycle counts all on-duty time, not just driving: loading, fueling, inspections and border waits.

The carrier picks the US cycle, not the driver. Carriers that run trucks every day of the week may use 70 in 8.

Both countries' cycles are checked on every run, which is why the free check asks for both.

The rule

  • No driving after 60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days, if the carrier does not operate every day of the week.

    49 CFR 395.3(b)(1)

  • The 60-hour limit counts the last 7 consecutive days.

    49 CFR 395.3(b)(1)

  • 34 or more consecutive hours off duty restarts the 7 or 8-day period.

    49 CFR 395.3(c)

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

A worked example

A southbound run for a driver who is legal on Canada's Cycle 1, with a carrier on the shorter US cycle.

Direction
Canada to US
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 1 (70 hours in 7 days)
US cycle
60 hours in 7 days
On-duty hours
65 h in the last 7 days
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 US 60-hour, 7-day cycle.

Why

Binding limit: US 60-hour, 7-day cycle (49 CFR 395.3(b)(1)). Hours worked on both sides of the border count toward it.

What makes this a GO

34 h off duty from 08:00, then depart at 18:00 EDT on Tue Oct 6 or later. The rest of the run stays the same.

At the border, under US rules

Driving left8 h 30 m
14-hour window left11 h 30 m
60-hour cycle left0 m
Driving before the 30-minute break5 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 Canada, crosses at 08:30, then 3 h in the US.
  3. At the border under US rules: 8 h 30 m of driving left, 11 h 30 m of the 14-hour window left, 0 m of the 60-hour cycle left.
  4. First limit broken: the US 60 hours in 7 days at 08:30, in the US.
  5. Earliest legal departure, resting off duty from 08:00: 18:00 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.
  • Cycle hours are entered as totals, so hours that drop off day by day are not counted. With the driver's daily log the earliest time may be sooner.

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

  • A 34-hour restart, 34 hours off in a row, clears the US cycle.
  • With a day-by-day log, old hours may drop off sooner than a restart ends. BorderHOS works from totals, so it gives the restart time as the safe answer.

Related

The rules in full