Hi there, Rick with Smart Drive Test talking to you today about American rules for log
books. And for Canadian drivers this is important. If you are running into the States you need
to know the American rules: driving time is less; the off-duty time requirements are different.
So you need to know these. For American drivers it is important to know these, so when you
get pulled into a scale, you get pulled over by authorities you don't get a fine for violating
hours of service regulations. And you don't end up working for free. I'll be right back
to talk to you about that.
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Driving time: you are allowed to drive in
the United States of America is 11 hours. The 11 hours is to occur within a 14-hour
window. No… not that kind of window! A 14-hour window, so if you start driving at 8 o’clock
in the morning you can't drive after 10 o'clock at night. 8 o'clock to 10 o'clock at night
is your 14-hour window. Within that 14-hour window you are allowed to work… or allowed
to drive rather, 11 hours. You can work after the 14-hour window you simply cannot drive.
So, driving time 11 hours. In the driving time you must have a 30-minute break before
the 8-hour mark. So if you start driving at 8 o'clock in the morning, you have to have
a break before or at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. You have a half an hour break, you can drive
another 3 hours, so you can drive until 7:30 at night. Those are the driving requirements.
You have to have 10 hours off-duty consecutively in the United States of America. Driving time
11 hours; off-duty time 10 hours consecutive; one half hour break at or before the 8-hour
mark. As well, the same as it is in Canada, you have to have 14 days of log sheets in
the truck. Again the log books, when you purchase them or get them, come with 31 days in a log
book. So most drivers keep two months in the truck with them. They just keep the preceding
logbook with them in the truck. If you've got loose pages—if that's the way that you're
keeping your log books—then you need to keep 14 days in the truck, so when you get
pulled into the scales you can show them the previous 14 days. As well, you're log sheets
have to be handed into the company every 20 days. Most companies will have a policy that
you simply hand them in at the end of every trip. That way it allows for the company to
do their accounting, get paid, invoice customers and clients and those types of things.
In conclusion, rules in the United States: you're driving period must occur within a
14-hour window. You start driving at 8 o'clock in the morning, you have to be finished by
10 o’clock at night. You cannot drive after 10 o'clock at night. You have to have a 30-minute
break. That 30-minute break has to occur before the 8-hour mark. So if you start driving at
8 o'clock in the morning, you have to have a break at 4 or before 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
So 8 to 4 takes you up to or 4.30 rather—if you include your break—up to the 8-hour
of driving you can drive another 3 hours which will take you to 7:30 at night. After that
point you cannot drive any longer; you can work on-duty, not driving, but you can't drive.
So basic rules in the United States, maximum 11 hours of driving time; you have to have
a 30-minute break before the 8 hour mark; and the 11 hours of driving has to occur within
the 14-hour window. You start work at 8 o'clock in the morning, you have to be finished by
10 o'clock at night. And you cannot drive again until you take 10-consecutive hours
off-duty. Those are the rules in the United States. Make sure that you follow the rules…
You don't want to get a violation in your logbook, you don't want to work the day for
free. If you like everything that you saw here, the complete course is over my website.
You can find the link here. The complete course includes all of the videos, further all the
rules are written down. It cuts through all the technicalities. For the course, you
do not need to know the difference between air miles and statute miles! As I was reading
in one of the publications about American rules: who really needs to know that and air
mile is 6076 feet as opposed to a statute mile which is 5280. Really not relevant to
truck drivers and bus drivers keeping log books. The complete course is at my website.
All of this information, the pertinent information to get you going. Exercises on filling out
log books, quizzes on the exercises that will reinforce the rules that you need to know
to get your log book so it is in compliance with hours of service regulations in the United
States of America. As well, at the end of the course you’ll get a certificate of completion.
All of that for less than $25. Thanks for watching, I’m Rick with Smart Drive Test.
If you like the channel, subscribe below— the button over there…, down in the corner,
hit that button. That one, the red one - down in the corner. The one down in the corner. Hit that one down
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then. Down there…hit that one. Ya! Good…you can do it! Ya, ya, you can do it. K, thanks.
Have a great day, bye now!
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