How many hours can a truck driver be on the road in a 24-hour period?
Because driver fatigue and drowsiness have caused so many fatal accidents, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in 2003, overhauled a 1939 law that allowed much more generous hours on the road. Limitations vary according to whether the commercial motor vehicle carries property or passengers. Property carrying truck drivers must take 10 consecutive hours off duty before they can drive again. Then they are allowed to drive a maximum of 11 hours. They have to stop driving when the clock says it has been 14 hours since they first clocked in, then they must take another 10 hours off. Even if the truck has a sleeper booth, a driver must take 10 hours of sleep/break consecutively before they get behind the wheel again.
Related Questions
- If the driver is not going to be driving a heavy truck on a public road at any time, then there is not a requirement to keep a driving hours record. What are the current legal working hours for drivers of trucks over 12t GVM?
- Are there trucking regulations governing the number of hours a truck driver can operate in a 24-hour period?
- Are the hours a driver is allowed to operate a large truck limited?
