HOSoptima Help & FAQs

Hours of Service are federal safety rules that limit how long certain commercial motor vehicle drivers may drive and work before they must rest. For property-carrying CMVs, the core clocks are 11 hours of driving, a 14-hour window, a 30-minute break, 10 hours off duty, and a 60/70-hour weekly limit.

Federal HOS rules generally apply to drivers operating commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce. Intrastate drivers follow state rules, which often look similar but can differ. Passenger-carrying drivers follow a different pair of daily clocks than property-carrying drivers.

After 10 consecutive hours off duty, a property-carrying driver may drive a maximum of 11 hours. The 11-hour cap is driving time only. Other on-duty work still consumes the 14-hour window and the weekly limit.

A property-carrying driver may not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty, following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Coffee stops, meals, and most off-duty time do not pause this window.

A property-carrying driver may not drive if 8 hours or more have passed since the last off-duty or sleeper-berth period of at least 30 minutes. The break is required before driving beyond that point. It does not pause or extend the 14-hour window.

A driver may not drive after accumulating 60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days, depending on the carrier’s cycle. Carriers that do not operate every day of the week typically use 60 hours in 7 days.

After 34 consecutive hours off duty, a driver may optionally restart the 60- or 70-hour weekly clock. The restart does not add extra driving hours inside a day. The 11-hour and 14-hour limits still apply.

Qualifying sleeper-berth pairs — commonly 7+3 or 8+2 — can pause the 14-hour window when used correctly. Sleeper-berth time is its own duty status. It can also satisfy the 30-minute break.

An exception changes a specific HOS requirement when defined conditions are met — for example short-haul, adverse driving conditions, or personal conveyance. It does not turn the rest of the clocks off. If the conditions are not met, the standard limits still apply.

No. An ELD records duty status. It does not measure whether a driver can apply the clocks on a live workday. HOSoptima exists to measure that understanding, then train and certify it.