Hi there, Rick with Smart Drive Test talking to you today about calculating the work cycle
for your logbook. Regardless of whether you're in Canada or the United States, the principles
for calculating how many hours you’ve worked in a logbook cycle are the same. I'm going
to go over that today because if you get pulled into a scale, get pulled over by authorities,
the first thing they’re going to do is check your work cycle and make sure that you have
not exceeded the hours for that cycle in which you're working. If you exceed the hours for
the work cycle, you're going to get a fine, you’re going to work the day for free! We’ll
be right back to talk to you about that.
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Hi there, Rick welcome back. Today, talking to you about calculating the number of hours you've worked in a work cycle.
Regardless of whether you’re working in Canada or the United States the principles for calculating
the work cycle are the same. In Canada there are two work cycles; Cycle #1 - 70 hours and
7 days; Cycle #2 - a hundred and twenty hours in 14 days. As I insist, as I tell people—
do not work on cycle #2 in Canada! There is no point because in cycle #1, it’s a rolling
cycle and in order to reset cycle 1, you have to take 36 hours off. In cycle #2, you have
to take 24 hours off before obtaining 70 hours in 7 days, so you might as well take another
12 off and reset cycle one. There's no point running Cycle #2 in Canada; however, the principles
for calculating 120 hours in 14 days are the same. In the States: 60 hours in 7 days; 70
hours in 8 days. Those are the cycles in the United States and as I said, the principles
for calculating any one of those four cycles is the same. So, we’re going show you how
to do that. Log books that you buy
in the truck stop or are given to you by your company have enough sheets for one month.
As you can see with this calculator of calculating how many hours you work in the last 7 days,
there’s space for 31 days. You take the 6 days from the preceding month and put them
in the slots here right at the top – so the last 6 days. So in column ‘A’ you
put the six numbers in, you figure out how many hours you worked in the last six days.
Column B, subtract that number—Column A—from 70 hours, and that will tell you how many
hours you have available to work tomorrow. The hours you work tomorrow go in slot #1
– 12 hours. You calculate the hours for the last 6 days and put it in Column ‘A’.
So the hours drop off, so you have 62 hours for the last 6 days. And then you subtract
62 from 70 will give you 8 hours you can work tomorrow. And the total hours for the last
7 days is 70 hours. The next day you work 8 hours on Day #2. Calculate out the last
6 days…which give you 60 hours. Subtract 60 from 70 and you have 10 hours to work tomorrow.
And then calculate the last 7 days, which gives you 70 hours.
Now what you're going to notice as we go through this and do more numbers
and add more numbers to the column that this is a rolling 7 days… rolling 7 days. You
don't go to 7 days and then have to take 36 hours off to reset cycle #1. As many people
in the trucking industry believe. They believe that when you get to 70 hours in 7 days, you
have to take 36 hours off to reset Cycle #1. It doesn't work like that. Its a rolling 7
days, so every time you put another day on, you scratch the number off from eight days
ago…put another number on, scratch the number off. So the cycle keeps rolling. So this is
the reason why I tell you that not to work in cycle #2. There's no advantage to working
the cycle #2, because before you accumulate 70 hours in Cycle #2, you how to take 24 hours
off. Well, if you’re going to take 24 hours off, you might as well take another 12 off
and reset Cycle #1 and carry on. The other thing about Cycle #1 is is that if you work
13 hours over a 5-day period, that's 65 to 70 hours. It works out well for long-haul
truck driving that they work you hard for 5 days, send you home for the weekend, reset
the cycle and send you hard for another 5 days. So it’s a rolling 7-day cycle. Fill
out exactly what the formula is on the calculator — on the sheet on the inside of your logbook.
Stay safe -keep within that 70 hours in 7 days.
So in conclusion figuring out the the number of hours that you've worked in a work cycle.
70 hours in 7 days in Canada, 120 hours in 14 days.
In the United States, 60 hours in 7 days, or 70 hours in 8 days.
It is important to know how many hours you worked in your work cycle so you don't violate hours
of service regulations - don't get a fine, and don't end up working for free.
As well, the other way the other way to keep yourself making money according to log books,
you have to know how many hours you have available to work, in your work cycle so you can keep dispatch
informed. And dispatch can match you up with loads that are appropriate to the number
And keep you moving down the road.
Also important for bus drivers, so that you can meet your schedules.
Work cycles, hours of service regulations - don't get a violation, this is one of the most common ways that
drivers get a violation according to hours of service regulations.
They exceed the number of hour that're available to work in their work cycle.
Keep track of it, figure it out, keep yourself moving up and down the road according to hours of
service regulations. Keep yourself safe.
So, thanks for watching. If you like what you saw here, the complete course is over
at my website.
All of the videos, rules for log books written down, exercises on calculating work cycle.
True/false questions, multiple choice questions - all of that related to the exercises,
to reinforce the lessons and objectives with the lessons. At the end of the course you’ll
get a certificate of completion. All of that for less than $25. I’m Rick with Smart Drive.
If you like the channel, subscribe below! Hit that like button… over there, also hit
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one. Have fun, click away… just subscribe. Thanks for watching, I’m Rick with Smart
Drive Test. Have a great day, bye now!
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