U.S./Canada HOS comparison

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Both the United States and Canada require commercial vehicle drivers to comply with hours of service regulations. However, there isn’t reciprocity when it comes to these regulations. Carriers and drivers operating across the U.S.-Canada border need to be aware of the differences in the hours of service regulations.

Scope

The U.S. and Canadian hours of service regulations are very different from one another. This side-by-side chart helps to show how key parts of the regulations compare between the U.S. and Canada.

Regulatory citations

49 CFR 395 — Hours of service of drivers
Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (SOR/2005-313)

Key definitions

Commercial motor vehicle (U.S.): A self-propelled or towed vehicle used on a highway to transport property or passengers when the vehicle:
- Has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) or gross combination weight rating (GCWR), or gross vehicle weight (GVW) or gross combination weight (GCW), of 10,001 pounds or more, whichever is greater; or
- Is designed or used to transport more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for compensation; or
- Is designed or used to transport more than 15 passengers (including the driver), and not used to transport passengers for compensation; or
- Is transporting hazardous materials of a type or quantity that requires placarding.
Commercial vehicle (Canada): Trucks, tractors, or trailers, or any combination of them, that have a registered gross vehicle weight exceeding 4,500 kilograms; or buses with a seating capacity of more than 10 persons, including the driver.

Summary of requirements

The following table shows, at a quick glance, some of the primary differences between the Canadian HOS regulations and the U.S. regulations. The Canadian rules shown are for drivers south of the 60^th parallel.

	U.S. Regulations (Property)	Canadian Regulations
Driving time	11 hours after 10 hours off	13 hours per day or workshift after 8 hours off
On-Duty time	No limit specified, but no driving can be done after 14 consecutive hours in the workday/workshift	No driving after 14 on-duty hours per day or workshift after 8 hours off
Off-duty time	10 consecutive hours before driving; 30-minute break from driving required after 8 hours of driving	8 hours before driving, 10 hours per day 24 consecutive hours within past 14 days
Length of workday/workshift	No driving can be done after 14 consecutive hours	No driving can be done after 16 consecutive hours
Duty cycles	60 hours/7 days 70 hours/8 days	70 hours/7 days (Cycle 1) 120 hours/14 days (Cycle 2)
Split sleeper (single driver)	10 hours can be split into two periods of at least 7 consecutive hours in sleeper plus at least 2 additional hours off, adding up to 10	10 hours can be split into two sleeper periods of no less than 2 hours each
Split sleeper (team)	Same as above Up to 3 hours in a moving CMV immediately before or after a 7-hour sleeper period can be logged off-duty	8 hours can be split into two sleeper periods of no less than 4 hours each Each driver in the team still needs 10 hours off duty per day
Reset	34 consecutive hours	36 hours for Cycle 1, 72 hours for Cycle 2
Deferral	Not allowed	Up to 2 off-duty hours can be deferred to 2^nd day if conditions are met
Regional differences	None	Different limits for drivers north of the 60^th parallel
Other employment	All compensated time is “on duty”	Work for non-motor carrier is “off duty”
Personal use of CMV	Allowed if driver is relieved of duty No distance limit specified	Allowed up to 75 km per day Trailer cannot be attached Starting/ending odometer readings and distance must be recorded on log
Routine stops	Can be “off duty” if driver is relieved of duty	Can be “off duty” if driver is relieved of duty
Logging in-vehicle time	Time resting in a parked CMV can be “off duty” All time at driving controls is “driving”	May be logged “off duty” if vehicle is stationary and driver is relieved of all responsibilities, but not to accumulate 8 hours Time at driving controls is “on duty” if vehicle is not moving
Logging short stops	Stops of less than 15 minutes can be flagged Rounding not specifically allowed Multiple on-duty and driving periods in a city can be aggregated	Stops of 8 minutes or more should be logged as 15 minutes Stops of less than 8 minutes should be flagged Multiple on-duty and driving periods in a city can be aggregated
Logs	Must include: grid; date; total miles driving today; truck or tractor and trailer number; name of carrier; driver’s signature/certification; 24 hour period starting time; main office address; remarks; name of co-driver; total hours; shipping document number(s) or name of shipper and commodity; location of each change in duty status	Same, except shipping document number/name of shipper/ commodity NOT required and total miles driving can be total kilometres driving today Also required: cycle; driver’s name printed; start/end odometer readings for both business and personal use; deferral information; home terminal name and address; 14-day recap of on-duty and off-duty hours if no log required yesterday; reason for using adverse conditions or emergency exceptions
Electronic logging devices (ELDs)	ELDs required for most interstate commercial vehicle drivers ELDs are self-certified	ELD enforcement began January 1, 2023 ELDs must be third-party certified
Log retention: driver	Previous 7 days, plus today Submit within 13 days	Previous 14 days, plus today Submit within 20 days
Log retention: carrier	6 months	6 months