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60/70-hour rule
  • A driver of a property- or passenger-carrying CMV may not drive after having been on duty 60 hours in any 7 consecutive days or — for companies that operate CMVs 7 days per week — 70 hours in any 8 consecutive days.
  • Drivers of property-carrying CMVs (but not passenger-carrying CMVs) may “reset” the 60/70-hour limit by getting a rest break of at least 34 consecutive hours off.
  • A “recap” and/or monthly summary — often found within a driver’s paper logbook — can be used to keep a running total of hours and verify compliance with the 60/70-hour rule.

The driver of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) — whether carrying property or passengers — may not drive a CMV after having been on duty for 60 hours in any 7 consecutive days. If the motor carrier has CMVs operating on every day of the week, the driver’s limit may be increased to 70 hours in any 8 consecutive days.

A driver who has reached this limit must take time off before getting back behind the wheel. Drivers of property-carrying vehicles (but NOT passenger-carrying vehicles) may “reset” the 60/70-hour limit by getting a rest break of at least 34 consecutive hours off. A driver can do non-driving work after reaching the limit and not be in violation, but those hours must be added to the total.

Definitions

On duty time: See: “What is on-duty and off-duty time?

Key Points

  • Which schedule should a carrier use?
    • A company that does NOT operate CMVs every day of the week must use the 60-hour/7-day schedule.
    • A company that operates at least one CMV every day of the week may use the 60-hour/7-day schedule or assign some or all its drivers to the 70-hour/8-day schedule.
    • The 70-hour/8-day rule is a permissive provision in that a motor carrier with vehicles operating every day of the week has the option — but is not required — to follow the 70-hour rule; the company can choose to use the 60-hour rule instead.
  • How do the 60/70 hours limits work?
    • This rule is not based on a work week, e.g., Sunday through Saturday. Rather, it is based on a running total of 7 or 8 days, with “today” being the 7th or 8th day. The calculation changes as you move into each new day, i.e., the oldest day’s hours drop out of consideration as each new day’s hours are added.
    • Each 24-hour period of time that makes up a “day” is determined by the motor carrier, but it should remain consistent over time to allow for proper computations of hours of service. Normally, most carriers elect to run their 24-hour periods from midnight to midnight, while there are some who prefer a noon-to-noon schedule.
    • Drivers must keep a running total of their on-duty hours for today plus those from the past 6 or 7 consecutive days. Once the limit is reached, the driver must stop driving at least for the rest of the day.
    • Note that off-duty or sleeper-berth time does NOT count into the 60- or 70-hour total. The calculation is based only on driving and on-duty/not driving time.
  • How does a driver determine the number of hours available on any given day?
    • At the end of any given workday, perform the following calculation (as applicable) to determine how many hours you’ll have available tomorrow (the 7th or 8th day) before hitting the 60- or 70-hour limit:
      • For the 60-hour rule: Add together the on-duty time from today plus the prior 5 consecutive days and subtract the total from 60.
      • For the 70-hour rule: Add together the on-duty time from today plus the prior 6 consecutive days and subtract the total from 70.
    • The remainder is how much time can be spent on duty tomorrow before the limit is reached and driving must stop for the day. If the remainder is zero, then there can be no CMV driving tomorrow.

A “recap” and/or monthly summary — often found within a driver’s paper logbook — can be used to keep a running total of hours and verify compliance with the 60/70-hour rule.

Exceptions

A 34-hour “restart” provision exists for drivers of property-carrying vehicles (but NOT passenger-carrying vehicles). In addition, exceptions to the 60/70-hour rule exist for the following:

  • Oilfield operations,
  • Driver-salespeople,
  • Drivers in Alaska,
  • Ground water well drilling operations,
  • Vehicles transporting construction materials and equipment, and
  • Drivers/vehicles that are exempt from the hours-of-service rules, including utility service vehicles, agricultural operations, pipeline welding trucks, and railroad signal employees.