How Many Hours Can a Truck Driver Drive

Perhaps many of the new truck drivers have this question, “how many hours can a truck driver drive?”

Although a large number of truck drivers prefer the idea of spending long hours on the run, thinking that they have the chance to earn a lot of money.

Moreover, while driving, they enjoy the sense of freedom and the scenery around them.

In this article, I am going to tell you about all related things including medical and legal issues.

How Many Hours Can a Truck Driver Drive?

I get the answer for you from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the USA.

In short, a truck driver has the ability to drive of about eleven hours, maximum in a day.

Taking a rest should be within this period of time, you can’t spend the whole 11 hours driving.

On the other hand, very serious risks may raise with driving for long hours, it’s a must to take a rest.

According to Ortwerth Law Driver fatigue is the primary contributor to about 30% of truck accidents.

How Many Hours a Week Can a CDL Driver Drive?

A reset must be done if a driver finishes 34 hours off duty, then the new workweek begins and ends at the same time as the reset.

if your workweek begins at one o’clock on Monday, it continues until the same time one o’clock the following Monday.

Each period of duty must start after taking rest of at least 10 hours.

How Many Hours a Day Can a CDL driver Drive?

To ensure the safety of drivers on the roads, let’s know how many hours can a truck driver drive according to what the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration states for this point.

For the safety of drivers, the FMCSA,( Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) states that a truck driver mustn’t drive for a maximum of eleven hours.

This 11-hour limitation is a general rule, applied to prevent drivers from facing problems of fatigue.

The National Sleep Foundation considers people who regularly drive while they are tired, “drowsy driving” as dangerous as drunk drivers.

Because if you don’t sleep enough, it can have similar effects on your body as the same effects of drinking.

Are Truck Drivers Stranded When They Run Out of Hours?

When you think of a man keeping awake for 18 hours of continuous driving,  that’s equal as if you have a blood-alcohol level of 0,05.

Bearing in mind that 0,08 percent is considered a drunk if you continue to drive for a full 24 hour, it’s as if you have a blood-alcohol level of 0,1.

Drowsy driving is very dangerous, especially for someone who drives a truck full of oil or other dangerous products.

It’s a tremendous crisis, that means you have a poor reaction, tunnel vision, and impaired decision making.

These effects are the most important major hazards on the run, they may put your life as well as others’ lives at risk.

That’s why one of the safety fundamentals and very important is to sleep enough and take arrest.

To ensure the highest rate of safety, the FMCSA applied the 11-hour limit as one of its regulations.

What Are The Hours-of-Service Limits?

How many hours can a truck driver drive, there are a few basic rules for the truck driver hours of service limits that outline commercial truck drivers?

In short, there are three maximum duty limits that you must follow at all times, just follow me to know about.

The 14 hour rule limit?

The 14-hour limit specifies the maximum length of your daily work, so you have only a 14-hour driving limit in which you can drive up to 11 hours.

You must rest for 10 hours or more before you have new permission to drive again.

It’s very important to take care that the 14-hour limit starts again once you begin your work, whether you drive or you just do something else.

You have to note that the 14-hour limit continues while you take a break or even if you go for a nap.

This 11 hours limit is the official one that approved for the number of hours a truck driver has the right to drive within 14 hours.

It’s illegal to drive this period of time consecutively, after 8 hours of continuous driving, you have to take a break of about 30 minutes as a minimum.

The 70 hour rule limit?

The 70-hour rule limit is another regulation limit of truck driving, which known as the 60 hour/7 days and the 70 hour/8 day limit.

The 70-hour rule limit is based on a “rolling” 7 or 8-day limit, it can be a little difficult to understand easily, you simply can drive a maximum of 60 hours during 7 days.

You also can drive 70 hours for 8 days, by the law, you have to follow 1 of these 2 limits.

After finishing your 7 or 8 day period, it’s a must you take at least 34 hours off-duty before you allowed to resume driving again.

Do I Have to Comply With These Regulations?

It is a rule you must follow, to comply with the FMCSA’s regulations since you drive a motor vehicle in interstate commerce.

A motor vehicle is specified as a commercial truck or a tractor with a trailer if it weighs 10,001 pounds or more, including the load.

If your truck drives cargos between two or more states, that’s what they call interstate commerce.

Second, when cargos move from the distributor, it known as interstate commerce until they delivered to the other destinations.

So, how many hours can a truck driver drive if your truck meets those weights, moving between more than a state?

You have no choice to comply with the FMCSA hours-of-service regulations.

What Happens When a Truck Driver Runs Out of Hours?

Before you move on, now let’s discuss your daily logs, you have to complete what we call a daily driver’s log.

You must fill it to keep track of your time, your log must cover the whole 24 hours every day, you must leave nothing out.

Inspectors of the government check regularly truck drivers’ logs so as to ensure that they’re operating according to the federal regulations.

Incomplete and falsified logs lead to violations, so that can lead to more troubles such as fines, suspensions, or even your CDL loss.

How Many Hours a Day Can a CDL Driver Allowed to Drive?

Now you come to know, driving trucks isn’t considered as something straightforward as it you hop into a seat and cruise down the road.

Strict regulations related to everything you do must be taken and followed seriously.

To sum up, take care that truck drivers allowed only to drive a maximum of 8 hours straight away.

Is There an Exception?

I can tell you that there may be some exceptions that you should be aware of, it happens only at the time when the weather force drivers to delay.

The Adverse Driving Condition exception permits drivers to extend the period of driving time for an extra two hours.

If there is adverse weather like snow or fog, so as a result of the delay, drivers can continue for two additional hours.

How many hours a day can a CDL driver drive? there are regulations that applied in order to protect you.

Firstly they are for your safety and secondly for the safety of others.

If you fail to comply with, penalties or maybe even something worse, injury or death may come to you or other fellow drivers.