Many drivers choose their jobs because of the amount of independence and solitude they get to enjoy.  No co-workers to deal with all day, and no managers monitoring their every move.  Being alone in a truck all day may sound like torture to some, but to others it’s the perfect job.

However, there are rules of the road that need to be followed — regulations that determine how much time your drivers can spend on the road.  Both drivers and their fleet managers may find these regulations to be very limiting, especially if your fleet is short-staffed or your drivers want to maximize their earning ability.  However, penalties for violations of these regulations can be quite stiff, so it is good to know what your drivers can or cannot do.

Before we discuss the actual regulations, however, remember that these rules are put in place for the safety of your employees and other drivers on the road.  Driving for long periods of time without rest is physically and mentally taxing, and the risk of falling asleep behind the wheel puts your drivers, your business’ property, and the other drivers and passengers on the road in danger.

• Commercial drivers are not allowed to drive for more than 11 hours in a 14-hour period.  This allows three hours for breaks, meals, and other duties such as loading or unloading the truck.  After 14 consecutive on-duty hours are over, the driver MUST have 10 hours off.  This allows them plenty of time to sleep before their next shift.
• Drivers also can’t drive more than 70 hours total in an eight-day period.
• Over-the-road truck drivers must keep detailed logs indicating driving time, non-driving on-duty time, and off-duty time.  On the other hand, if the fleet has electronic on-board recorders (EOBR) in their trucks, driving time is tracked by GPS, and the handwritten logs don’t have to be kept.
• Drivers who stay within a 100-mile radius of “home base” do not need to keep logs, as long as their employers keep track of their driving time to ensure they don’t exceed the limits.

These regulations were put into place because of trucking companies that were making their drivers work long hours, endangering them and others on the road.  However, the law does recognize that there are some times when driving longer hours simply can’t be helped, and there are exceptions written into the law for these circumstances.  For instance, during bad weather the limits don’t apply, recognizing that weather can cause longer than normal times to go the same distance.  Also, short-distance drivers for retail businesses are allowed to exceed the driving limits during the holiday season.

Even with allowances for special circumstances, these regulations can cause some difficulties in scheduling drivers, planning routes, making deliveries, and scheduling fleet service.  In the next post we’ll look at some of these difficulties.