Hours of service - California

Motor carriers and drivers engaged in interstate commerce and the intrastate driver of a vehicle transporting hazardous substances or hazardous waste, as defined in 49 CFR 171.8, must comply with the federal driver hours-of-service regulations contained in 49 CFR 395, as those regulations now exist or are hereafter amended.

The following types of trucks are subject to California's intrastate hours-of-service regulations:

1. Motortrucks of three or more axles which are more than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating;
2. Truck tractors;
3. Any other two axle motortruck not specified above that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, Department of Motor Vehicles, or the United States Secretary of the Department of Transportation (This includes a vehicle or combination of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 10,001 pounds or more);
4. Trailers and semitrailers, pole or pipe dollies, auxiliary dollies, and logging dollies used in combination with vehicles listed above;
5. Any combination of a motortruck and any vehicle or vehicles set forth above that exceeds 40 feet in length when coupled together;
6. Any vehicle or combination of vehicles transporting hazardous materials;
7. Manufactured homes that, when moved on the highway are required to be moved under a specified permit;
8. Any commercial motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more; and
9. Any commercial motor vehicle of any gross vehicle weight rating towing any trailer, semitrailer, pole or pipe dolly, auxiliary dolly or logging dolly with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds.

An intrastate truck driver shall not drive more than 12 cumulative hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty or for any period after the end of the 16th hour after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty.

An intrastate driver of a tank vehicle with a capacity of more than 500 gallons transporting flammable liquid shall not drive for more than 10 hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty or for any period after the end of the 16th hour after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty.

No motor carrier shall permit or require a driver to drive, nor shall any driver drive, for any period after having been on duty for 80 hours in any consecutive eight days. Any period of eight consecutive days may end with the beginning of any off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours.

Exception — A driver of a commercial motor vehicle providing transportation of property to or from a theatrical or television motion picture production site within a 100 air-mile radius of his/her normal work-reporting location may not drive more than 12 hours following 8 consecutive hours off duty or for any period after having been on duty for 15 hours following 8 consecutive hours off duty.

Exception — A driver employed by a local publicly owned electrical utility or an electrical, gas, telephone, or water corporation as defined in the Public Utilities Code, or a public water district as defined in the Water Code is exempt from all hours-of-service regulations while operating a utility service vehicle.

There are also exceptions to the hours-of-service requirements for drivers transporting certain farm products, firefighters involved in emergency operations, and law enforcement.

A driver’s log, in duplicate, shall be kept by each driver and each co-driver while driving, on duty not driving, off duty, or resting in a sleeper berth. The log shall be presented for inspection immediately upon request by any authorized employee of the California Highway Patrol, police officer or deputy sheriff. The driver must retain the current day’s log and a duplicate copy of each log for the previous seven consecutive days. The motor carrier must retain the original copy of the driver’s log with any supporting documents for 6 months. The driver’s log and all supporting documents must be made available for inspection immediately upon request by an authorized employee of the California Highway Patrol,police officer, or deputy sheriff. Records and supporting documents not readily available or accessible must be made available within 3 business days.

Exemption — Logs are not required of drivers who operate within a 100 air-mile radius of their normal work reporting location, report to and are released from their normal work reporting location within 12 consecutive hours, and have at least 10 consecutive hours off duty separating each work period.

Drivers who meet these requirements must record the time they report to and are released from duty each day and the total number of hours on duty each day. These records must be maintained by the motor carrier for six months.

NOTE: Drivers of vehicles subject to and in compliance with the log requirements of 49 CFR 395.8 or 49 CFR 395.15 shall be deemed in compliance with this section.