How Many Hours Can a Trucker Drive?

Commercial truck drivers drive an average of 500 to 600 miles per day and they do it day in and day out. This can lead to fatigue behind the wheel and create dangerous situations on the road if drivers are not well rested. Hours of Service are an important aspect of the trucking industry and are enforced to help keep the roads safe and prevent drivers from getting behind the wheel when they are tired. This makes it even more critical to track hours of service and many people want to know — how many hours can a trucker drive? We are here to help answer your trucking questions at TenTrucks.

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What Are the Hours of Service for Truck Drivers?

Hours of Service is defined by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) as the maximum amount of time drivers are permitted to be on duty including driving time. The regulations that pertain to hours of service in the trucking industry were enacted in 1937 by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and have been adjusted many times since their inception. These regulations influence driving time and specify the number and length of rest periods to ensure that commercial drivers are alert when they get behind the wheel.

Hours of Service Regulations

If you own and operate a trucking company or you are an independent owner-operator, you are most likely familiar with the hours of service regulations that are in place — but here is a refresher for cargo-carrying drivers.

11-Hour Driving Limit: Drivers can drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
14-Hour On-Duty Limit: Drivers may not drive more than 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty, after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
30-Minute Driving Breaks: Drivers must take a 30-minute driving break after they have driven for a period of 8 cumulative hours without a minimum 30-minute interruption. This break can be any non-driving period.
60-Hour Driving Limit: Drivers are not allowed to drive after being on duty for 60 consecutive hours over 7 consecutive days.
70-Hour Driving Limit: Drivers are not allowed to drive after being on duty for 70 consecutive hours over 8 consecutive days.
34-Hour Limit: Drivers may restart a 7-8 consecutive day period only after 34 consecutive hours or more off duty.
Adverse Driving Conditions Provision: Drivers may extend the 11-hour maximum driving limit or the 14-hour on-duty limit by up to 2 hours when adverse driving and weather conditions are encountered.

How Does a TMS Help Track Hours of Service?

Are you looking for tools to help you track driver hours of service? Truck drivers that exceed their hours of service can be faced with fines, can have their commercial driver’s license suspended, can receive a negative carrier safety rating, and can be shut down. A Transportation Management System provides innovative solutions with Electronic Logging Device (ELD) integrations, used to help track hours of service and avoid negative repercussions.

Electronic Logging Devices are innovative tools that can be integrated with your Transportation Management System to automatically record driver activity.
ELDs track and collect important data in real-time. Data that includes driving time, rest breaks, and more.
These ELD integrations will automatically update driver hours and logs via the Transportation Management System to avoid manual paperwork.

Do you have questions about how many hours a trucker can drive? This overview of commercial driver hours of service created by the TenTrucks Team may answer many of your questions, including how a Transportation Management System can help you track hours of service.

Contact TenTrucks today to learn more about our TenTrucks TMS platform and dispatching services!