What Is Recapping Hours -- Having Hard Time Understanding

First off: thank you for all the input, encouragement and information while going through the first phase of trucking school and being on the road with a trainer. It has been a long journey just to get to this point, but I am now beginning (first week) as a solo driver with my CDL from Washington state. I realize that I still have a lot to learn about the details of trucking on my own, and there were a lot of things that were never explained to me: one thing that was never explained to me is "recapping" hours.

I understand the 11 hour rule, the 14 hour rule, and the 70 hour rule. The way I understood it, after 70 hours you HAVE to reset for 34 hours. Now I hear about "recapping" hours from 8 days ago, and that was never explained to me. Does anyone know of a resource (printed, YouTube, etc.) for a good explanation on that?

I have already looked at several YouTube videos talking about whether recapping or re-setting is better, but they don't really explain why or how recapping works or is even available if you have to reset after 70 hours? How is 70 hours a rule if you can keep adding to it?

My company fleet manager has offered to let me do short runs (which I've now heard referred to as "crappy" loads) for the holiday season until I get more comfortable. But I am only getting offered 150-200 mile runs, and then deadheading back to the home yard. My first run was on the day before Thanksgiving, and it took 10 hours to go about 350 miles! It was a pretty stressful day because of traffic, backing on my own without my mentor (I miss him!) etc. I thought I had to reset 34 hours after 8 days or 70 hours, but I have seen that is not true, except no one ever explained that to me.

My mentor had a lot of experience (3 million miles), but he did all the Qualcomm issues and would tell me what we were doing without explaining how all that worked. Over all, though, he was a very good guy. So my question is: how to best utilize my clock for the short runs they are offering me? What is recapping? Should I just ask for long haul loads because these short runs mean a lot work for few miles paid, and a lot of waiting around. Any help or comments would be appreciated. Thank you Carlos

Recapping hours is referred to several ways. Recaps, 8th day drop, etc. Let's say you start on Monday with a fresh 70. Day 1: Monday you use 8 hrs 45mins leaves you with 61 hrs 15 mins.

Day 2: Tuesday you use 7 hrs 45mins leaving you with 53 hrs 30 mins.

Day 3: Wednesday you use 9 hrs 30 mins leaving you with 44 hrs.

Day 4: Thursday you use 8 hrs 45 mins leaving you with 35 hrs 15 mins.

Day 5: Friday you use 9 hrs leaving you with 26 hrs 15 mins.

Day 6: Saturday you use 8hrs 30 mins leaving you with 17 hrs 45 mins.

Day 7: Sunday you use 7 hrs 45 mins leaving you with 10 hrs.

Day 8: Monday you use 9 hrs leaving you with 1 hr.

At midnight between Monday/Tuesday you will get back the hours you used that Previous Monday. For Tuesday (Day 9) you will have 9hrs and 45 mins available to you. The 1 hour left from your original 70 plus the 8hrs and 45 mins you get back from your first day out. On Wednesday (Day 10) you will have what ever you didn't use on Tuesday plus 7 hrs 45 mins that you will get back from your second day out which was a Tuesday.

Clear as Mud? I hope this helps some.

I would ask for longer runs. Here's a basic explanation of the recap hours; Recaps are the hours you get back after the 8th day. Basically you have 70 hours to last 8 days after the 8th day you get back the hours you worked on the first.

Carlos, here's a great resource right here on our site...

Learn The Logbook Rules (HOS)

You don't have to do a reset after 70 hours, but you can if you choose to. Sometimes it will makes more sense to do the 34 hour break, and other times it will be more beneficial to run on your re-cap hours. You will need to learn how all this works so that you know how to best handle each situation and manage your time profitably out here. Study that section on the log book rules, it should cover everything you need to know.

The bottom numbers are my recaps. The 0:00 is a 34 hr reset. (My choice) Eight days from today, 11/29/17 I will get back 11 hrs and 4 minutes. The computer does the math.

Recapping hours is referred to several ways. Recaps, 8th day drop, etc. Let's say you start on Monday with a fresh 70. Day 1: Monday you use 8 hrs 45mins leaves you with 61 hrs 15 mins.

Day 2: Tuesday you use 7 hrs 45mins leaving you with 53 hrs 30 mins.

Day 3: Wednesday you use 9 hrs 30 mins leaving you with 44 hrs.

Day 4: Thursday you use 8 hrs 45 mins leaving you with 35 hrs 15 mins.

Day 5: Friday you use 9 hrs leaving you with 26 hrs 15 mins.

Day 6: Saturday you use 8hrs 30 mins leaving you with 17 hrs 45 mins.

Day 7: Sunday you use 7 hrs 45 mins leaving you with 10 hrs.

Day 8: Monday you use 9 hrs leaving you with 1 hr.

At midnight between Monday/Tuesday you will get back the hours you used that Previous Monday. For Tuesday (Day 9) you will have 9hrs and 45 mins available to you. The 1 hour left from your original 70 plus the 8hrs and 45 mins you get back from your first day out. On Wednesday (Day 10) you will have what ever you didn't use on Tuesday plus 7 hrs 45 mins that you will get back from your second day out which was a Tuesday.

Clear as Mud? I hope this helps some.

Thank you for breaking it down like this! Helped me very much!

Carlos, here's a great resource right here on our site...

Learn The Logbook Rules (HOS)

You don't have to do a reset after 70 hours, but you can if you choose to. Sometimes it will makes more sense to do the 34 hour break, and other times it will be more beneficial to run on your re-cap hours. You will need to learn how all this works so that you know how to best handle each situation and manage your time profitably out here. Study that section on the log book rules, it should cover everything you need to know.

Can you give an example for when it’s more favorable to use recap hours & when it’s more wise to use the reset?

Carlos, here's a great resource right here on our site...

Learn The Logbook Rules (HOS)

You don't have to do a reset after 70 hours, but you can if you choose to. Sometimes it will makes more sense to do the 34 hour break, and other times it will be more beneficial to run on your re-cap hours. You will need to learn how all this works so that you know how to best handle each situation and manage your time profitably out here. Study that section on the log book rules, it should cover everything you need to know.

Can you give an example for when it’s more favorable to use recap hours & when it’s more wise to use the reset?

As you gain experience, you will figure out what works best for you. I like running on recaps. If I get to tired and need a break, I tell my FM I'd like to take a 34. He'll usually give me a load with enough time on it to take a 34 in the middle of it. Some people prefer to run hard every day and burn up that 70, then sit for a 34. Agian, this all comes as you learn to use your logs, build a relationship with your FM and learn how your company does things. Even running on recaps 34s happen. You could break down, be stopped by weather, or many other reasons. You are the one in command of your truck. Hope that helps.

Can you give an example for when it’s more favorable to use recap hours & when it’s more wise to use the reset?

Reyn and Carlos, one thing to keep in mind here is that learning how to finesse your logs for success is a process. Every rookie driver struggles with the concepts of time management that the top level drivers take for granted each day. I would get so confused with it at times when I was a rookie driver, but I had really studied those materials about...

Learning The Logbook Rules (HOS)

I can't even begin to tell you how much the concepts that I learned there have helped me be the successful driver I am today. Time management is critical to getting yourself beyond the average performance that most drivers settle into. One thing about using the electronic logs is that you can look at how your re-caps are calculated fairly easily. There will be a place on your screen somewhere that indicates how much time you will be gaining at midnight. Oftentimes it will just be zero, but as you get around to that seventh workday you will begin to see the calculated "re-cap" hours showing up. You can use that number as a reference to help you know how to handle your own situation.

Quite often on the dedicated account that I am on it works out well to just run like crazy and take a 34 hour reset when I return back to the plant that I am dedicated to in Delhi, Louisiana. But here's a recent example that happened to me where I determined it best to run on my re-caps. I had gotten myself back to the SAPA plant in Delhi on a Friday night and they were going to load my next load on Saturday. It went up to Connecticut, and was due to be delivered on Wednesday morning. I could have taken a 34 hour break, and left on Sunday morning and managed to get it delivered on time. But I had sufficient hours returning on my re-caps to go ahead and leave Saturday with the load and deliver it early, on Tuesday morning. There are several advantages to delivering early like that. In my situation, one of those advantages was that I could put that load onto that weeks paycheck, rather than waiting another week to get my money - cash flow! Another advantage of getting it in there early is that it puts me onto another load quicker. Foremost in your approach to this job should be your efforts at being as productive as possible.

Trucking is a performance based business, where the more you can manage to accomplish, the more money you can earn. There is a great disparity among drivers gross pay, while there are usually only small differences in their rates of pay. My dispatcher once told me that I was earning about thirty thousand more dollars per year than some of the other drivers on our fleet who were earning almost the same mileage rate as me. That is a huge difference! Once you know how to manage those logs, and effectively manage your hours for efficiency and productivity, you can really start to make some really good money out here. Don't worry if it isn't coming to you real clear at the beginning, there is just so much to learn as a new driver. But, make it a priority to begin learning those concepts of time management - they will help you set yourself apart from your competition (the other drivers at your company). Yes this is a competition, and you must compete if you are going to win the game.

Is there an app for recaps? I don't drive that much so when I get a volunteer run, recaps are very important. I'd like to be able to keep track of my hours since I don't always have access to an ELD.