What is the 14 hour rule?

A driver may not drive after a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Off-duty time does not extend the window once it starts. (49 CFR 395.3(a)(2).)

How does the 34 hour restart work?

Any period of 7 or 8 consecutive days may end with the beginning of an off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours, which restarts the 60- or 70-hour calculation. (49 CFR 395.3(c).)

What is the split sleeper berth rule?

A driver may accumulate the equivalent of at least 10 consecutive hours off duty by taking not more than two periods of sleeper-berth time, or a combination of off-duty and sleeper-berth time, if neither rest period is shorter than 2 consecutive hours, one rest period is at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, the two periods total at least 10 hours, and the driving time before and after each rest period, added together, stays within the 11-hour limit and does not violate the 14-hour window. When a driver splits rest under this provision, the 14-hour driving window does not include the qualifying rest periods, and the limits are recalculated from the end of the first of the two periods.

Does the 30 minute break have to be off duty?

Except for drivers who qualify for either short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1) or (2), driving is not permitted if more than 8 hours of driving time have passed without at least a consecutive 30-minute interruption in driving status. Off-duty, sleeper-berth, or on-duty not-driving time, or any combination of them, satisfies the break. (49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii).)

Can I drive longer in bad weather?

A driver who encounters adverse driving conditions, as defined in 49 CFR 395.2, and cannot safely complete the run within the normal maximum driving time may drive for not more than 2 additional hours beyond the maximum to complete the run or reach a place offering safety and security. (49 CFR 395.1(b)(1).)

Federal compliance

Hours of service rules

Federal hours of service rules cap how long a property-carrying driver can drive and stay on duty each day and each week: a daily driving limit inside a duty window, a required break, weekly on-duty ceilings, and a restart. Every limit on this page is quoted from 49 CFR part 395 and carries its citation.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 22, 2026

The limits, in one table

These are the working limits for property-carrying drivers. Passenger carriers run under a separate section of the rule, and the exceptions further down can stretch or replace individual rows.

Rule	Limit	What it says
10 consecutive hours off duty49 CFR 395.3(a)(1)	10 hours minimum	A driver may not drive without first taking 10 consecutive hours off duty.
14-hour driving window49 CFR 395.3(a)(2)	14 consecutive hours	A driver may not drive after a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Off-duty time does not extend the window once it starts.
11-hour driving limit49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(i)	11 hours total	A driver may drive a total of 11 hours during the 14-hour window.
30-minute driving break49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii)	30 consecutive minutes after 8 cumulative driving hours	Except for drivers who qualify for either short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1) or (2), driving is not permitted if more than 8 hours of driving time have passed without at least a consecutive 30-minute interruption in driving status. Off-duty, sleeper-berth, or on-duty not-driving time, or any combination of them, satisfies the break.
60-hour limit (6-day carriers)49 CFR 395.3(b)(1)	60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days	A driver may not drive after having been on duty 60 hours in any period of 7 consecutive days if the employing carrier does not operate commercial motor vehicles every day of the week.
70-hour limit (7-day carriers)49 CFR 395.3(b)(2)	70 hours on duty in 8 consecutive days	A driver may not drive after having been on duty 70 hours in any period of 8 consecutive days if the employing carrier operates commercial motor vehicles every day of the week.
34-hour restart49 CFR 395.3(c)	34 or more consecutive hours off duty	Any period of 7 or 8 consecutive days may end with the beginning of an off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours, which restarts the 60- or 70-hour calculation.

The daily clocks reset together: once the required off-duty block is complete, a new duty window opens with a fresh driving allowance. The weekly cycle keeps counting across days until a restart clears it. A driver can run out of any clock first, and the earliest one to expire is the one that parks the truck.

The split sleeper berth (49 CFR 395.1(g)(1))

A driver using a sleeper berth to get the required off-duty time may take the 10 hours in one block (all off duty, all sleeper berth, or a consecutive combination), pair at least 7 consecutive sleeper-berth hours with up to 3 hours riding in the passenger seat immediately before or after it, or split the time into two qualifying periods.

The split itself: A driver may accumulate the equivalent of at least 10 consecutive hours off duty by taking not more than two periods of sleeper-berth time, or a combination of off-duty and sleeper-berth time, if neither rest period is shorter than 2 consecutive hours, one rest period is at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, the two periods total at least 10 hours, and the driving time before and after each rest period, added together, stays within the 11-hour limit and does not violate the 14-hour window.
Why drivers use it: When a driver splits rest under this provision, the 14-hour driving window does not include the qualifying rest periods, and the limits are recalculated from the end of the first of the two periods.

In practice the split is how a driver sits out a long detention or a dock delay without burning the duty window. It is also the easiest rule on this page to log wrong, which matters because your logs are exactly what FMCSA reads when it checks HOS records in the new entrant audit.

The stretch rules: adverse conditions and the 16-hour day

Adverse driving conditions (49 CFR 395.1(b)(1)): A driver who encounters adverse driving conditions, as defined in 49 CFR 395.2, and cannot safely complete the run within the normal maximum driving time may drive for not more than 2 additional hours beyond the maximum to complete the run or reach a place offering safety and security.
The once-a-cycle long day (49 CFR 395.1(o)): Once per cycle, a property-carrying driver is exempt from the 14-hour window rule if the driver returned to the normal work reporting location and was released there for the previous five duty tours, is released within 16 hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off, and has not used this exemption in the previous 6 consecutive days (unless a 34-hour restart began a new period). The 11-hour driving limit still applies.

Short-haul drivers and who logs at all

Drivers who qualify under the 150 air-mile short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e) are exempt from keeping records of duty status entirely; the carrier keeps time records instead. The full exception, and how it interacts with the ELD mandate, is documented in eld-mandate.json.

Whether you log on paper, on a device, or not at all is a separate question from the limits themselves: the driving and duty caps above apply either way. The recording side, including every exemption, is covered in the ELD mandate. The non-CDL branch of the short-haul rule turns on what your truck requires, so start with whether your vehicle needs a CDL at all. New carriers should have this settled before the first dispatched load, alongside the rest of the first 30 days with new authority.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 14 hour rule?: A driver may not drive after a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Off-duty time does not extend the window once it starts. (49 CFR 395.3(a)(2).)
How does the 34 hour restart work?: Any period of 7 or 8 consecutive days may end with the beginning of an off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours, which restarts the 60- or 70-hour calculation. (49 CFR 395.3(c).)
What is the split sleeper berth rule?: A driver may accumulate the equivalent of at least 10 consecutive hours off duty by taking not more than two periods of sleeper-berth time, or a combination of off-duty and sleeper-berth time, if neither rest period is shorter than 2 consecutive hours, one rest period is at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, the two periods total at least 10 hours, and the driving time before and after each rest period, added together, stays within the 11-hour limit and does not violate the 14-hour window. When a driver splits rest under this provision, the 14-hour driving window does not include the qualifying rest periods, and the limits are recalculated from the end of the first of the two periods.
Does the 30 minute break have to be off duty?: Except for drivers who qualify for either short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1) or (2), driving is not permitted if more than 8 hours of driving time have passed without at least a consecutive 30-minute interruption in driving status. Off-duty, sleeper-berth, or on-duty not-driving time, or any combination of them, satisfies the break. (49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii).)
Can I drive longer in bad weather?: A driver who encounters adverse driving conditions, as defined in 49 CFR 395.2, and cannot safely complete the run within the normal maximum driving time may drive for not more than 2 additional hours beyond the maximum to complete the run or reach a place offering safety and security. (49 CFR 395.1(b)(1).)

Sources

Primary statutes and official agency pages this guide relies on. Laws and fees change, so confirm against the current source before you act.

49 CFR 395.3 - Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles · eCFR (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)
49 CFR 395.1 - Scope of rules; exceptions (adverse conditions, sleeper berths, 16-hour exception) · eCFR (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)

Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.