Hours of Service explained: the 11, 14, 30-minute, and 34-hour rules
Property-carrying drivers get an 11-hour driving limit inside a 14-hour window, a 30-minute break after 8 hours, and a 60/70-hour cap a 34-hour restart resets.
Hours of Service (HOS) rules decide how long you can legally drive, and the most expensive mistakes come from confusing the clocks. For property-carrying drivers, the core limits are simple: up to 11 hours of driving inside a 14-hour window, a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, and a 60/70-hour weekly cap that a 34-hour restart resets. Here is how each one works and where drivers get burned. For the full regulation, see FMCSA Hours of Service.
The four core limits
| Rule | Limit | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 11-hour driving | 11 hours | Max driving after 10 consecutive hours off duty |
| 14-hour window | 14 hours | No driving after the 14th hour from your start; breaks do not pause it |
| 30-minute break | 30 min | Required after 8 cumulative hours of driving |
| 60/70-hour | 60 in 7 days / 70 in 8 days | On-duty cap; reset with a 34-hour restart |
The 11 vs 14 confusion that costs drivers
This is the one that trips people up. The 11-hour clock counts only driving. The 14-hour clock counts everything from the moment you come on duty – fueling, loading, a 2-hour wait at a dock, lunch – and it does not stop. Sit at a shipper for three hours of detention and you have burned three hours of your driving window with the truck parked. You can still have driving hours left on the 11 and be out of window on the 14.
The 30-minute break and the restart
After 8 cumulative hours of driving you must take at least a 30-minute break (off duty, sleeper, or on-duty-not-driving). Separately, the 60/70-hour limit caps how much on-duty time you can accumulate across 7 or 8 days; a 34-hour restart – 34 consecutive hours off duty – sets that weekly clock back to zero.
Sleeper berth and exemptions
The sleeper-berth provision lets you split the required 10 hours off into a 7/3 or 8/2 pairing, which can buy flexibility on long runs. Some operations qualify for short-haul exemptions with different rules. Because exemptions and edge cases get technical, confirm your situation against the FMCSA regulation rather than relying on shop talk.
HOS, ELDs, and your CSA score
Your ELD records all of this automatically, which is exactly why HOS violations are easy for enforcement to catch and why they hit your CSA score. Clean logs are not just about a roadside inspection – they follow your safety record.
The bottom line
Drive the 11, but manage the 14 – the window, not the driving hours, is what strands most drivers. Build detention and dock time into your day, take the 30 on time, and use the restart to reset the week. Run the clocks instead of letting them run you.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours can a truck driver drive?
Up to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty - but only within a 14-hour on-duty window that starts when you come on duty and does not stop for breaks.
What is the difference between the 11-hour and 14-hour rule?
The 11-hour rule limits actual driving. The 14-hour rule limits the window you can drive in: once 14 hours pass from your start, you cannot drive again until you take 10 hours off, even if you have not used all 11 driving hours.
How does the 34-hour restart work?
Taking 34 consecutive hours off duty resets your 60- or 70-hour weekly clock back to zero, so you can start a fresh week of on-duty time.
How does the split sleeper berth work?
You can split your required 10 hours off into two qualifying periods - 7 and 3, or 8 and 2 - using the sleeper berth, and neither period counts against your 14-hour window when paired correctly.
More like this.
Real equipment analysis, rate moves, and regulatory updates — without the press release padding.
