Hours of Service Guide for CDL Drivers

A plain-language guide to the federal property-carrying hours-of-service limits and the records drivers should protect.

Core property-carrying limits

A driver generally may drive up to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty and may not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty.

Break and weekly limits

A 30-minute interruption is generally required after eight cumulative hours of driving without a qualifying interruption. The 60/70-hour limit depends on whether the carrier operates every day of the week.

Exceptions need exact conditions

Short-haul, adverse-driving, sleeper-berth, and other exceptions have precise conditions. Never assume an exception applies from its name alone; compare the current FMCSA rule and your carrier policy.

Protect your record

Review duty-status changes, shipping documents, location entries, annotations, and edits before certification. Keep supporting documents and report ELD malfunctions under the required procedure.