Basic hours-of-service rules for commercial bus drivers

After 8 hours off duty, the driver of a passenger-carrying vehicle may drive for up to 10 hours within the first 15 on-duty hours of the day, and must stop driving after accumulating 60 or 70 on-duty hours in 7 or 8 days.

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What Are the Hours-of-Service Limits?

 

The hours-of-service regulations focus on when and how long your driver is allowed to drive by placing specific limits on the amount of time they can drive a commercial motor vehicle and how many total hours they can work before you are no longer permitted to drive. Drivers must follow three maximum duty limits at all times. They are the 15-hour on-duty limit, 10-hour driving limit, and 60/70-hour duty limit.

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15-Hour On-Duty Limit The first limit is the 15-hour on-duty limit. Following 8 consecutive hours off duty, Drivers must not drive a commercial motor vehicle after being on duty 15 hours. They may do other work after being on duty 15 hours, but may not drive. Off-duty time taken during the day, such as a lunch break or nap, does not count toward this 15-hour limit. 

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Example: If  a driver had 8 continuous hours off and come to work at 6:00 a.m. work for 7 hours, take one hour off for lunch, and work another 8 hours until 10:00 p.m., for a total of 15 on-duty hours, the driver must not drive a commercial motor vehicle after 10:00 p.m. that evening. The driver may do other work after 10:00 p.m., but you can not do any more driving until they have taken another 8 consecutive hours off.

 

10- Hours Driving Limit Drivers are allowed 10 hours of driving time after 8 consecutive hours off duty. There is no limit on how many of those hours they are allowed to drive at one time — drivers may drive for as little as a few minutes or as much as 10 hours in a row. Once they have driven a total of 10 hours, they have reached the driving limit and must be off duty for another 8 consecutive hours before driving a commercial motor vehicle again. The 8 consecutive hours may consist of off duty, sleeper berth, or any combination of the two. There must be no on-duty or driving time during those 8 hours.

 

Example: Driver have had 8 consecutive hours off. Come to work at 7:00 a.m. and drive from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., must not drive again until you have at least 8 consecutive hours off.

The driver may do other work after 6:00 p.m., but you can not do any more driving of a commercial motor vehicle.

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Things to consider when finalizing your itinerary

1. Will your group need local service once you arrive at your destination? Remember driving time to your destination counts towards the time your driver has to provide local service once you have arrived at your destination. 

2. Relay drivers may be used to ensure you reach your destination safely. 

3. Single day charters with one driver must be completed within 15 hours from the time the driver leaves the depot to the time they arrive back. If the itinerary is longer than the 15 hours (including drive time to pick up group), a second driver will be required and additional charges will be applied. 

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