49 CFR Part 395 driver guide
Compare the clocks that actually control driving: daily driving time, the duty window, the rolling cycle, and only then a break or exception that applies to the operation.
Use this as a map, not a driving-availability calculation.
An exception can change one clock or recordkeeping method without changing the others. Verify the complete record, operation, cargo, vehicle, jurisdiction, and current federal text before relying on a result.
Reviewed against current FMCSA guidance on .
Property-carrying driver
Selections stay in this browser. Nothing is sent or stored. This guide does not calculate legal driving availability or replace a carrier’s compliance review.
Start with the operation
FMCSA’s summary separates the two columns. A familiar number from one column should not be carried into the other.
| Clock or provision | Property-carrying driver | Passenger-carrying driver |
|---|---|---|
| Required off-duty period | 10 consecutive hours before the ordinary daily limits reset | 8 consecutive hours before the ordinary daily limits reset |
| Driving limit | 11 hours | 10 hours |
| Duty boundary | No driving beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty | No driving after 15 accumulated on-duty hours; off-duty time is excluded |
| 30-minute break | After 8 cumulative driving hours without a 30-minute non-driving interruption | Not listed in the passenger rule; do not substitute the property provision |
| 60/70-hour limit | 60 in 7 days or 70 in 8; 34+ consecutive hours off may restart | 60 in 7 days or 70 in 8; no property-style restart in FMCSA’s passenger summary |
| Sleeper pairing | At least 7 consecutive hours in berth plus at least 2 hours off; total at least 10 | At least 8 hours in berth, split into two periods of at least 2 hours each |
A log can have driving time left and still prohibit more driving because another clock has expired.
Property or passenger rules? Interstate federal rules, an applicable exception, or a stricter state rule?
How much actual driving has accumulated since the required qualifying off-duty period?
Has the 14-consecutive-hour property window or 15-hour passenger on-duty total reached its boundary?
Would more driving cross the applicable 60/70-hour on-duty limit in the rolling 7/8-day period?
Property drivers
After 8 cumulative hours of driving without a 30-minute interruption, the driver needs at least 30 consecutive non-driving minutes. Off duty, sleeper berth, on-duty not driving, or a consecutive combination may satisfy it.
It does not: give back driving hours, restart the 14-hour window, or clear the rolling 60/70-hour total.
Property drivers
At least 34 consecutive hours off duty can restart the applicable property-carrier 7/8-day calculation. A carrier may also use the rolling total without taking a restart.
It does not: replace the daily 10 consecutive hours off or authorize driving beyond an exhausted 11-hour or 14-hour limit.
Split sleeper berth
For the ordinary property rule, one qualifying period includes at least 7 consecutive hours in the berth and the other includes at least 2 hours off duty in or out of the berth. Together they must reach at least 10 hours. Common qualifying pairs are 7+3 and 8+2.
Passenger sleeper rules are different: FMCSA’s summary requires at least 8 hours in the berth and permits two periods only when neither is less than 2 hours.
Open current 49 CFR Part 395Short haul
The federal short-haul path requires staying within 150 air miles of the normal reporting location and reporting and returning there within 14 consecutive hours. The carrier keeps the specified report, release, and total-time records.
Adverse conditions
A qualifying adverse driving condition can extend the applicable property or passenger driving and duty boundary by up to 2 hours. The condition must not have been reasonably apparent from information available when the run began.
Use the current duty record and federal rule for availability. Use USDOTData to match the carrier and continue into the public inspection, safety, and New Entrant context.
For a property-carrying driver, 10 consecutive hours off duty can be followed by up to 11 driving hours, but driving may not continue beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty. Off-duty time during the shift does not ordinarily extend that 14-hour window.
No. For property-carrying drivers, a qualifying 30-minute non-driving period interrupts the counter that reaches 8 cumulative driving hours. It does not restart the 11-hour driving limit, 14-hour window, or 60/70-hour cycle.
No. The federal short-haul exception changes the ordinary record-of-duty-status and ELD method when every condition is met. It does not create unlimited driving or on-duty time, and the carrier must keep the required time records.
No. FMCSA describes 6+4 and 5+5 as limited 2026 pilot options for approved participants. The general property-driver split still requires one sleeper period of at least 7 consecutive hours, another off-duty period of at least 2 hours, and a pairing totaling at least 10 hours.
FMCSA lists the 34-hour restart in its property-carrying summary, while the passenger-carrying summary retains the 60/70-hour limit without that restart. Do not transfer a property rule to a passenger operation without a controlling exception.
Not merely because it causes delay. The condition must meet the federal definition and not have been reasonably apparent when the run began. Known congestion, planning failures, loading delays, and mechanical problems do not become adverse driving conditions.
Use the regulation for controlling text and FMCSA’s resources for operational explanation. Check again when a rule, exception, or pilot status could have changed.
Connect the carrier identity, safety program, inspection, crash, and out-of-service context before making a decision.
