Driving long distances has its advantages—uninterrupted alone time, being on the open road, and seeing the country. That doesn’t mean it won’t come with unwanted side effects like tired eyes, sore body parts and fatigue. The number one priority for drivers on the road is safety. This is why the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration created regulations to put limits on how long a driver can be on the road per day.
Hours of Service Rules for Truck Drivers
The hours-of-service regulations provide rules as to how long truck drivers drive per day. It eliminates a driver’s need to ask if they can keep going, and the carriers ask to the driver to extend the shift. There are many rules, and it takes time to understand the framework of them.
The 11-hour and 14-hour rule
The 11/14 rule signifies how long you can drive in a consecutive period. Within 14 hours, you can only be on the road for 11 hours to ensure breaks are part of the shift. However, if the driver has driven consecutively for 8 hours without a break, continued driving is not permitted. A 30-minute break must be taken before the next three hours are driven to get to the 11-hour rule.
10-hour break, the 60/70-hour limit
Once a shift has ended, an off-duty 10-hour period must be completed before continuing the route. If the truck is equipped with a sleeper-berth, the 10-hour can be completed as rest. Without a sleeper-berth, off-duty is defined by regulation as time not performing any work-related duties with the driver free to pursue personal endeavors. In addition to the daily limits, there are weekly limits of 60 hours in 7 consecutive days or 70 hours in 8 days. The difference is that if the company is operating seven days a week, then it can institute the latter rule.
Local Truck Driver Routes
Local route truck driver jobs don’t follow the same rules because there are short-haul exceptions. At Midwest Carriers, drivers return home after each shift and would qualify for the 16-hour short-haul exception. This rule allows the travel limit to exceed 16 hours once every seven consecutive days.
Guaranteed at-Home Time for All Drivers
With a fixed 2-2-3 schedule and being home after every shift, some drivers prefer the flexibility of the local truck routes. Whereas others prefer the guaranteed minimum weekly pay, higher average earnings of $95,539 and weekly home time of OTR driving. Midwest Carriers local truck drivers can earn an average of $68,300 with additional opportunities for overtime.
Midwest Carriers is Hiring!
We’re always looking for qualified drivers to go on the road for us. At Midwest, we prioritize these rules for the safety of our drivers. If you have a CDL-A with at least one year of driving experience, we’d love to hear from you.