Hours of service calculator

How the calculator works

Federal hours-of-service rules for property-carrying drivers set several limits at once Source: eCFR, 202649 CFR 395.3 Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicleseCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2026. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source. Each one runs on its own clock, and whichever runs out first decides when you have to stop driving.

1. 11-hour driving limit. Up to 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off. Hours left = 11 minus hours driven this shift.
2. 14-hour window. No driving after the 14th hour since you came on duty. Hours left = 14 minus hours since the shift started. The calculator also shows the clock time the window closes.
3. 60 or 70-hour cycle. No driving after 60 on-duty hours in 7 days, or 70 in 8 days. Hours left = the cap minus your on-duty hours in that period.
4. 30-minute break. Due after 8 hours of driving without a 30-minute interruption.

Drive time left is the smallest of the first three. The card names that limit, so you know what's really stopping you.

A worked example

A driver came on duty at 6:00 AM after 10 hours off. It's now 7.5 hours later. They've driven 6 hours, with no break yet, and they've worked 52 on-duty hours in the last 8 days on the 70-hour cycle.

If a 3-hour wait at the next dock comes up, the picture changes: the 14-hour window would have only 3 hours 30 minutes left at departure, and it would stop the driver before the 11-hour limit. That's why dock time matters so much.

What the result means

• The 11-hour limit is first. You've driven a lot today. The time left is pure driving time, as long as the window stays open.
• The 14-hour window is first. Waiting and other work have eaten your day. Shorter dock times or an earlier start help most.
• The cycle is first. You've worked a heavy week. Plan your days off or a 34-hour restart before you take long loads.

This tool doesn't model the sleeper berth split, which lets you divide the 10 hours off into two periods Source: eCFR, 202649 CFR 395.1(g)(1) Sleeper berths, property-carrying vehicleseCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2026. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source, or the adverse driving conditions and short-haul exceptions. For those, check the rules and your ELD.

Common hours mistakes

• Treating a break as a pause. Off-duty time inside the shift doesn't stop the 14-hour window. A long lunch still shortens your driving day.
• Forgetting on-duty work in the cycle. Fueling, inspections, loading and paperwork all count toward 60 or 70 hours, even though they don't count toward the 11.
• Starting the clock early. Logging on duty to do a quick task before your real start time opens the 14-hour window early.
• Counting on a dock to be quick. Accept loads with room for the wait you'd expect at that shipper, not the best case.

Planning a day around the clocks

Good trip planning works backward from the clocks. Know when your window closes before you accept a load, add time for fuel, inspections and the dock, and find parking before the last hour, not during it. A load that needs more hours than you have isn't a good load, whatever it pays.

Our guide to the truck driver schedule explains how these rules shape a working week, and the guide to truck driver apps covers tools for logs, parking and route planning. If your ELD is down, the paper log book grid generator prints a backup log. Planning to haul hazmat? The hazmat endorsement cost and timeline calculator shows the steps.

Two drivers, more miles

Team drivers share one truck and take turns driving while the other rests, so the truck keeps moving while each driver stays legal. If that's your setup, team driver dispatch covers how loads get planned around two clocks instead of one.

Sources: eCFR, 49 CFR 395.3 Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles (2026); eCFR, 49 CFR 395.1(g)(1) Sleeper berths, property-carrying vehicles (2026).