In a team, you can be Off Duty (sitting in the passenger seat) for a maximum of 3 hours, immediately before or after a sleeper berth (SB) period, which must last at least 7 hours.
NOTE: The following answers are based on federal DOT regulations and apply to interstate transportation (INTERSTATE).
Your company may have more restrictive internal policies, so always consult your Safety Department or compliance representative to ensure you are following the correct procedures.
No. Using Personal Conveyance (PC) to travel from a loading or unloading location to the terminal is not permitted.
Yes. The 14-hour limit applies only to driving — within this window, driving is allowed.
Once 14 hours have passed since the start of your shift, driving is no longer permitted, but you may perform other work-related tasks.
In this case, the driver should set the status to On Duty in the logbook.
This will not result in a violation.
In a team, you can be Off Duty (sitting in the passenger seat) for a maximum of 3 hours, immediately before or after a sleeper berth (SB) period, which must last at least 7 hours.
No. Adverse Driving Conditions can only be used for unexpected weather or road conditions that occur after you start your trip.
Regular heavy traffic, such as during rush hours, does not qualify.
No. Yard Move may only be used on private property not accessible to the public.
A truck stop is private property but open to the public, so it does not meet the requirement.
No. Driving to a repair shop for maintenance or repairs is considered work-related. It is not a personal matter, so Personal Conveyance (PC) cannot be used.
Yes and no. Regulations do not set a specific limit for Personal Conveyance (PC), either in time or distance.
However, you must remember that driving while fatigued is prohibited.
If an inspector sees that you drove 700 miles for work and then another 700 miles on PC, it could be considered a violation.
Common sense should always guide the use of PC.
The Agricultural Commodities Exemption is an exemption from the requirement to record a driver’s hours of service when transporting unprocessed agricultural products within 150 miles of the source of those products.
It also applies to deadhead trips to the pickup location.
You can find more information about the Agricultural Commodities Exemption here: Agriculture Exemption
Time spent during a weigh station inspection counts as On Duty.
Therefore, your status should be On Duty during the inspection.
Yes, this affects your 34-hour reset.
If the inspection occurs while you are on PC, you must restart the 34-hour reset clock from the moment you are once again Off Duty or on PC.
Yes. If you are driving solo, you can combine Sleeper Berth (SB) and Off Duty time without restrictions to complete your 10-hour break.
If you are driving in a team, you may spend a maximum of 3 hours Off Duty and a minimum of 7 hours in SB.
No. Refusing a DOT inspection is a serious violation and can result in being placed out of service, receiving significant fines, and negatively impacting your carrier’s safety rating. Always comply.
A Level III driver-only inspection can take as little as 15 to 20 minutes. A full Level I inspection can take 45 minutes to over an hour depending on the inspector and what they find.
Hours of service violations and brake system issues consistently rank among the most cited violations nationwide. Keeping your logs current and your brakes properly maintained goes a long way.
Yes. Any violations recorded during an inspection are entered into the FMCSA’s SMS Safety Measurement System and count toward your CSA score. Clean inspections also go on record and can work in your favor.
Yes. Team drivers have two options for completing the 10-hour break. The first — covered in this post — is 7 consecutive hours in the Sleeper Berth plus up to 3 hours OFF DUTY in the passenger seat. The second is the standard split sleeper berth rule: two separate rest periods where neither is shorter than 2 hours and one is at least 7 consecutive hours in the Sleeper Berth. Both are legal under 49 CFR 395.1(g).
All driving time gets recorded under the driver who was last set as active — even if that driver was asleep in the berth. This creates a false record and a potential hours of service violation for both drivers. If it happens, contact your Safety Department or ELD support immediately to request a log edit with the correct explanation.
No. The active driver handles the inspection. The co-driver who is resting does not need to change their log status during a routine stop unless they are required to exit the vehicle and perform duties. If the co-driver stays in the sleeper, the rest period continues uninterrupted.
Yes — but only if you immediately switch to manual paper logs, document the malfunction, and notify your carrier in writing within 24 hours. You cannot continue operating without maintaining a record of your Hours of Service. Driving without any RODS is a serious federal violation.
Until the device is repaired or replaced. Your carrier has 8 days to resolve the issue. If they submit a valid extension request within the 5-day window and it is approved, you continue on paper logs throughout that extended period.
This is a compliance failure that begins the moment you cannot produce records. Blank paper log forms (at least 8) are required equipment for any driver operating under the ELD mandate. If you are caught without them during a malfunction, you are vulnerable to an out-of-service order and fines. Stock your cab now — before anything goes wrong.
No. Under 49 CFR § 395.34(d)(1), your carrier has a legal obligation to repair, replace, or service the device within 8 days. Using paper logs as a permanent workaround to avoid maintaining compliant ELDs is a federal violation and can result in significant penalties during a carrier safety audit.
The officer will expect your manually prepared paper logs covering the current day and the previous 7 days, your daily logs for every day since the malfunction, and ideally a copy of your written notification to your carrier. Having all of this organized and ready shows the officer you are following the law correctly.