Interstate Travel And Making Repairs With Commercial Truck Parts Can Impact Driving Logs

Several years ago when truck drivers still regularly used CB radios, a truck driver overheard a conversation between two other drivers who were acquainted with each other. One driver asked the other if he was going to stop in the upcoming town for a break. The other driver replied that he wasn't. Last time he was on this particular route, he'd stopped there, spent too much time enjoying himself off duty, and had to drive 24 hours straight to get his load delivered on time.

With situations like these, the United States government implemented the Hours of Service Regulations program (HOS). HOS may be more commonly known as log book rules. Even small things such as waiting at a truck stop for a commercial truck part to arrive to make a minor repair can have big impact on driving hours.

Hours of service regulations are government rules developed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a branch of the US Department of Transportation. These are federal regulations which every individual is required to comply with in addition to state regulations. If the state regulations are more lenient, then the federal HOS applies at all times. If the state regulations are stricter, then the state HOS must be complied with when in that state. If a driver is crossing between state lines from a more lenient state to a stricter state, the federal guidelines apply when crossing state lines.

For example, a state requires that a driver must only be off duty for eight hours but the bordering state meets federal regulations for ten hours. In that case, the minute the driver crossed the state borders into the second state, he or she must have been off duty for ten consecutive hours rather than the eight prescribed by the first state.

Another big impact on when you can drive comes from a distinction of what classifies as off duty. For example, there is a category labeled on duty but not driving. According to HOS, if you are tied to your truck and expected to be able to move it or work with any of its contents, you are still considered on duty. Making repairs with commercial truck parts at a truck stop may still count as on duty time and may limit your ability to drive. For a detailed list of the regulations and answers to FAQs, you can visit the DOT's website.