10 consecutive off hours can be split into two rest periods of 8 and 2 hours according to the split sleeper berth rule.
Purpose
Provides flexibility to the drivers in regards to their shift hours.
Requirements
No more than 2 rest periods.
At least 8 consecutive hours in sleep.
2 consecutive off hours
These two hours can be part of sleeper berth, off duty or both.
Note: The rest period can be taken in any order.
Example: Explaining the split sleep in US:
After the first rest period, 2 consecutive hours off duty (6:00 AM to 8:00 AM), the driver will only get his rest of the unused hours back from his shift hours that started at 12:00 AM. So, in this scenario the driver will have 6 hours of drive time and 8 hours of on-duty.
After completing the second rest period, 8 consecutive hours of sleeper berth (4:00 PM to 12:00 PM), the drivers will not get their full 11/14 hours of drive/on-duty respectively but instead their shift will now start from the end of his first break (8:00 AM). New shift start time – 8:00 AM, 6 hours of driving (between two rest periods) have already used from 11 hours of driving. So, the available driving hours will be 5 hours.
Calculation of available hours after having both rest period:
Driving = (Total drive hours) – (driving hours from the start of new shift)
(11 hours) – (6 hours)
5 hours
On Duty = (Total on-duty hours) – (on-duty hours used from the start of the new shift)
(14 hours) – (6 hours)
8 hours
In Canada
Split sleep in Canada is same as in US. The only difference is that the total of the elapsed times before and after each sleeper berth period should not be more than16 hours.
Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.
To start before 8 hours are completed of on-duty from last off duty
To start before 8 hours are completed of on-duty from last 30 mins break
Example 1:
In this example, the driver was on-duty more than 8 hours by a minute. He is in violation for not taking consecutive 30 mins break. He needs to take break within/after 8 hours of on-duty.
Example 2: In this example, though the driver took the break within 8 hours of on-duty, but that break is of 29 mins not 30 mins. The driver is in violation now for missing the 30 mins break after 8 hours of on-duty.
Example 3: In this example, the driver did take 30 mins break but the 30 mins break rule starts again after the recent 30 mins break. The driver is in violation for being on-duty for more than 8 hours after his recent 30 mins break.
Our ELD, provides proper notification for next break which is every 8 hours of on-duty and gives warnings one hour before occurrence of any such violation.
Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.
Short haul drivers are given special exemption allowing them to remain on-duty for 16 hours instead of 14 hours by FMCSA. Though the allowed driving hours a day remain 11 hours. The exemption is granted to decrease HOS violation as these drivers might speed or drive recklessly in order to reach their homes. The rule ensures that the drivers gets a chance to reach their home safely instead of spending their day/night hours in sleeper berth or hotel.
Must use 16-hour exemption once every 7 consecutive days
Must take 34 consecutive hours off to restart a 7/8 days cycle
Must be released from duty within 16 hours of on –duty
At least 10 consecutive off hours
Note: This exemption does not apply to drivers who qualifies for non – CDL short haul exemption.
For more details on non – CDL short haul exemption please refer to our previous blog on short haul.
Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.
A CDL driver who operates within 100 miles radius of reporting work location are exempted from paper log book and e-log
Conditions
11 hours of driving
12 hours of on-duty
Must return to work location everyday
At least 10 consecutive hours off-duty
No record of duty status
150-mile exception (Non – CDL short haul exception)
A Non-CDL driver who operates within 150 miles radius of reporting work location. Under this exception 14 hour driving window is extended to 16 hours for 2 days in 7 consecutive days. Also, the drivers who qualifies for non-CDL short haul exemption are exempt from the 30 min break rule.
Conditions
Must return to work location everyday
11 hours of driving
At least 10 consecutive hours off-duty
No drive after 14thhour of on duty on five days of any period of seven consecutive days
No drive after the 16thhour of coming on duty on two days of any period of seven consecutive days
Documentation to be maintained by motor carriers for 6 months
The time the driver reports for duty each day
The total number of hours the driver is on duty each day
The time the driver is released from duty each day
The total time for the preceding 7 day for drivers used for the first time or intermittently.
Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.
Electronic logging devices (ELD) record driver’s hours of service (HOS) directly from the truck’s ECM. ELD’s have proved to be a major break through for the transportation industry in North America after mandate enforced by FMCSA since December 2017
Expedited enforcement of ELD in Canada
Currently, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) is finalizing the technical standards of ELDs. There is a good chance that the rule will be published by the end of 2019 for its mandate starting from 2020 with an extended compliance date in 2022. The ELD mandate in Canada is supposedly to be mirrored with the ELD mandate in the U.S. with ELD already mandated in the U.S., majority of fleet companies in Canada have started preparing for the ELD mandate and using them in advance to allow a smooth transition from paper logs to electronic logging devices.
Benefits for Fleet and drivers
More Safety– It is one of the main purposes of using ELD’s. Drivers are constantly reminded about their rest breaks. Hence, fatigue is reduced, and drivers are less prone to accidents. Thus, increases fleet’s overall safety.
Replacement of paper logs– Using Electronic logging devices allows drivers to be hassle free as ELD’s record automatic readings and data can be stored electronically. This saves driver’s time and money.
Compliance with regulations- By using ELD’s drivers remain in constant compliance with the U.S and Canada regulations. The ELD’s make sure the drivers stay in compliance by giving them a foretime warnings and indications of their violations.
Reduction of Errors and Tampering of driver’s hours of service (HOS)- ELD usage has reduced the violations and editing of annotations. Only limited entries are editable, the mistakes by the drivers can be corrected by both the authorized carrier staff and driver with an annotation (note) explaining the reason for their editing. Also, the drivers are not permitted to tamper with the drive time and hours available for driving.
Our ELD, is fully compliant with both Canadian and U.S regulations with additional features such as driver behaviour. Easy to use, automatic switching to US or Canadian regulation when crossing the border, automatic switching from driving to on-duty during traffic. We offer wide range of integrated solutions for transportation industries such as Dispatch Software, Border Crossing, GPS Tracking.
Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.
16 hour rule states that a Work shift can be extended to 16 hours
To understand this rule, first we need to know the meaning of the following terms: –
Elapsed time:
Elapsed time is simply the time between two points. As an example, in below graph, elapsed time between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM is 3 hours
Work shift:
Work shift is the time (Elapsed time) between 2 off-duty periods of at-least 8 consecutive hours
Work shift rules–
Work shift starts from the last period of at-least 8 consecutive hours of off-duty or sleeper berth
Work shift cannot be more than 16 hours. In other words, you must not be on-duty after the 16th hour of Work shift.
16 hours (Work shift) includes on-duty, driving and off-duty hours. These off-duty hours are not part of the mandatory 8 consecutive off hours.
2 hours out of 16 hours of work shift should be accounted as sleeper berth and/or off duty
Maximum driving allowed is 13 hours within a Work shift
Maximum on-duty allowed is 14 hours within a Work shift
At least 8 consecutive off hours must be taken after 16 hours Work shift.
Obiščite casinoslovenija10.com/hell-spin/ in odkrijte vrhunsko igralno izkušnjo, ki jo priporoča ekipa strokovnjakov Casino10 Slovenija.
Example describing the work shift (16 hours)
In the following example: –
After having off-duty/sleeper berth for consecutive 10 hours, a driver came on-duty at 12:00 AM for an hour and started driving at 1:00 AM
After driving for 3 hours, he went off-duty for 30 mins at 4:00 AM and started driving again at 4:30 AM
At 6:30 AM, he went off -duty again for 30 mins followed by 4 hours of driving from 7:00 AM
1 hour of off-duty was taken from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Now, the shift was extended to 16 hours from 14 hours and the driver was on-duty till 4:00 PM instead of 2:00 PM
The 30 mins and 1 hour off-duty periods are not calculated as part of 14-hours shift but are calculated as a part of 2 hours in the 16 hours Work shift. During this whole elapsed time period (12:00 AM to 4:00 PM), the driver still had maximum 14 hours for on-duty and 13 hours for driving
Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.
Considering the safety of the drivers during the extreme weather conditions such as snow, fog, sleet, etc., a relief is provided to the drivers by the government in the form of two additional hours for Driving in the U.S. The driver is able to drive for 13 hours instead of 11 hours by choosing this option. Adverse Driving should not be used for normal traffic congestion. This specialized driving option is elaborated further by FMCSA
Conditions:
No Driving more than 13 hours
No Driving after the 14th hour of On Duty
14 hours of On Duty maximum allowed
Must comply with 30 mins Break rule
DEFERRAL
In Canada, as per O. Reg. 555/06, there is an option of Deferral for Off-Duty status. In this scenario, drivers get additional 2 hours for Driving and On-Duty in a day. The driver can be On-Duty for 16 hours and drive for 15 hours. In other words, deferring the required Off Duty of 10 hours by 2 hours. Hence, Off Duty will be for 8 hours in a day.
Conditions–
Maximum 15 hours of Driving in a day
Maximum 16 hours of On Duty in a day
No Driving after the 16th hour of On Duty
At least 20 hours of Off-Duty in 2 days
No Driving more than 26 hours in 2 days
No On-Duty more than 28 hours in 2 days
No split sleep in 2 days*
*Remark: In this example, 2 days means the current deferral day and the following day.
Note– 10 hours of consecutive Off Duty/ Sleeper Berth is required before the start of next shift. Also, the additional two hours of Adverse or Deferral Driving does not increase the allowed cycle hours. As the Driving conditions exception only applies to 11 or 13 hour rule of Driving and 14 hours rule of On Duty (Canadian Hours of Service). The requirement of cycle must be met by the end of the next day.
Our ELD, provides an option to choose Adverse Driving and Deferral whenever required by the driver. The Driving hours get updated automatically and are displayed for the drivers on the screen. In the Officer view, these chosen options are also visible for the inspecting officers
Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.
All drivers must prepare a driver vehicle inspection report (DVIR) for each vehicle operated by them and must submit these reports as per FMCSA. Submission of these reports does not relieve the Motor Carrier company from any effects on the safety of the Motor vehicle. All drivers must certify their inspection reports. Failure to certify may result in citations. It is also the responsibility of the Motor Carrier to retain the original copies of the reports and certifications for at least 3 months from the date of creation of the report.
Pre-Trip inspection
The daily vehicle inspection that the drivers do before they start their trip is called Pre- trip inspection or full circle check. It is a requirement by the highway traffic Act. In this inspection drivers outline any defects that he/she comes across. When there is a minor defect driver must record the defect and report to the operator. In case of a major defect, drivers are not permitted to drive until it is repaired.
Post- trip inspection
All drivers must make sure that the vehicle is in good condition for the next driver. This is called post trip inspection. In this inspection as well, drivers are required to record major and minor defects.
Inspection every 24 hours
Drivers are required to complete a vehicle inspection every 24-hour period and make sure that the vehicle is in good condition throughout the trip. Drivers must detect any major and minor defects and submit the report to their Motor Carrier on return.
Inspected vehicle’s license plate number and jurisdiction
The drivers must enter the plate number and plate jurisdiction of the vehicle. They might be cited if this information is not displayed on the DVIR. Motor Carriers must record all the vehicle information in their system and must make sure that this information is well displayed in the inspection reports submitted by their drivers.
Operator’s name
It is crucial that the driver’s name should be displayed in the DVIR before it is submitted. It allows the authority to know as to who operated the motor vehicle and certified the DVIR. Our ELD provides individual login credential for each driver along with synchronization between E-log and DVIR applications. This helps drivers to have their name and Motor Carrier company information displayed automatically on each DVIR.
Date, time, location where the inspection was conducted
It is important that this information is accurately entered in the inspection report as it depicts where and when the inspection was done. Drivers can get citations if any of this information is missing. If using our DVIR app this information is automatically generated but also allows the drivers to enter the information manually.
Name of the person who conducted the inspection
If the person who conducted the inspection is different than the driver then the name of that person should be printed on the inspection report. Still, the driver needs to sign the daily inspection report before they start driving the commercial motor vehicle or drawing the trailer.
Odometer of the vehicle
If the driver is operating a commercial motor vehicle, odometer reading of the vehicle must be included in the daily inspection report.
Statement of satisfactory condition of vehicle
If no major or minor defects are found in the motor vehicle during daily inspection report then the driver must sign the statement stating that no major or minor defects were found during inspection. To sum up, the condition of vehicle is satisfactory to drive.
Statement that the vehicle is inspected in accordance with the provincial/ federal regulations
A statement must be signed by the person who conducted the daily inspection stating that the inspection is done in line with the provincial/federal regulations.
Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA/MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.
Any document which directs towards the movement of cargo must be mentioned in driver’s electronic logs as per FMCSA. Examples of such documents are manifests, invoices, trip reports, order numbers, bill of lading etc. These documents are required by FMCSA to verify the on duty not driving time.
Fix: Record one of the shipping document number in ELD/AOBRD system. If you are using AikSphere’s ELD/AOBRD, you can enter multiple manifest numbers throughout your trip.
Failed to certify the accuracy of the information gathered by the ELD
The drivers must certify the correctness of all entries of his record of duty status (RODS) by signing it. His/her signature certifies that all entries made by the driver are true and correct.
Fix: The drivers must certify the ELD in every 24 hours. Our ELD, electronically validates the record of duty status of driver via electronic signature at the time of submission.
Failed to maintain ELD user’s manual and instruction sheet
As per FMCSA, drivers must carry information packet onboard which comprises of
An instructions manual on how to operate the ELD.
An instruction sheet which describes steps to be taken when ELD malfunctions. Reporting requirements and record keeping procedures
Paper log book enough for at least 8 days
Step by step instructions to produce and transfer driver’s hours of service records to an authorized safety official.
These manuals and instruction sheets can also be carried by driver in electronic form.
Fix: Always carry the manuals and instruction sheets compliant with the FMCSA regulations. Contact your ELD vendors for these manuals.
Failed to provide last 14/7 days logs
Drivers must be able to provide previous 14 days logs (in Canada) and 7 days logs (in US) as per the regulations. The previous record of duty status (RODS) can be produced in either paper form (if using paper log) or electronic form (if using ELD). These are the options available for drivers:
Paper logs
Printouts from an ELD
Records available in ELD which can be transferred to Authorized safety officials
Display from a device with logging software and electronic signature capabilities
Fix: Always make sure that previous logs are available in any of the above forms. If you are using AikSphere’s ELD/ AOBRD, you not only can show your previous elogs but can also email them to an onsite inspection officer just by one click.
Portable ELD not mounted in a fixed position
The portable ELD must be mounted to the Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) and it should be fixed at a position from where it is visible to the driver while he/she is seated.
Fix: Install right size truck mounts according to the size of the tablets. We provide heavy duty commercial mounts that are easy to install.
Failed to add Truck and Trailer numbers
The truck and trailer numbers must be recorded on record of duty status form of ELD. The numbers displayed on the ELD must be exact same as the one being operated on.
Fix: Drivers must make sure that they choose the correct truck and trailer number at the start of their shift. If you are using AikSphere’s ELD/AOBRD, apart from choosing/entering the truck and trailer number, you can also switch them during the shift.
Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA/MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.
All ELD’s compliant with FMCSA record some information automatically. These entries in driver’s record of duty status cannot be tampered with or edited. Some of the information automatically generated are:
Date
Time
Location
Engine hours (Engine start up and Shut down)
Driver’s information- Identification, authentication of user
Identification of Motor carrier
Identification of Vehicle (provided details are added by the Motor Carrier in their records)
Vehicle miles
As per FMCSA, ELD’s must also automatically switch to “Driving” state once the commercial motor vehicle moves with a speed greater than five miles per hour. The vehicle will be considered to be stopped once it maintains a speed of zero miles per hour for at least 3 seconds continuously.
Automatic generation of this information saves time for drivers as they do not need to enter it manually. It is crucial for Motor Carriers and Drivers to maintain the integrity of the driver’s record of duty status (RODS)
Following is the link by FMCSA- regulations which further explains this subject
Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA/MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.
AikSphere Exceeder is a top-notch trucking dispatch software for trucking businesses of all sizes. It's fully integrated components improve productivity and operational performance. It's an ideal system for LTL and TL carriers looking to improve their bottom line.
