CDL Practice Tests: Logbook Rules
Choose A Section:
Go!When can a driver record time operating a CMV for personal conveyance as off-duty
- When the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work by the motor carrier
- When the company wants the driver to begin driving toward a customer even though the driver does not have the load information yet
- When the driver is driving a tractor without the trailer attached
- When the driver is out of driving hours but has less than 100 miles to go to the destination
Besides the obvious reason of knowing when you can legally drive or not, having a solid understanding of the logbook regulations will help a driver in what way?
- It will have a positive impact on your paycheck
- The more you understand these rules, the more miles you'll be able to drive; which means more money in your pocket
- You can find little tricks and ways to maximize your legal driving and working hours
- All these are correct
While you are not required to take a written exam over the Hours of Service (HOS) Regulations to obtain your CDL, the regulations are still very important to understand. Besides the obvious reason of knowing when you can legally drive or not, having a solid understanding of the regulations will have a positive impact on your paycheck. By being informed about the regulations, you can find little tricks and ways to maximize your legal driving and working hours. The more you understand these rules, the more miles you'll be able to drive; which means more money in your pocket. Put in a little work now and it will literally pay off for the rest of your career.
What is the major difference between the adverse driving conditions logbook exception and the 16-hour exception?
- The adverse driving conditions exception allows for the extension of both the 11 and 14-hour clocks. The 16-hour exception only allows for the extension of the 14-hour clock
- You can use the adverse driving conditions exception for both expected and unexpected events. You can only use the 16-hour exception for unexpected events
- The 16-hour exception allows you to extend the 14-hour clock by 4 hours, the adverse driving conditions exception allows you to extend the 14-hour clock by only two hours
- The 16-hour exception allows for the extension of both the 11 and 14-hour clocks. The adverse driving conditions exception only allows for the extension of the 14-hour clock
Adverse Driving Conditions Exception
When unexpected adverse driving conditions slow you down, you may drive up to 2 additional hours to complete what could have been driven in normal conditions. This means you could drive for up to 13 hours, which is 2 hours more than allowed under normal conditions. You may also extend your on-duty (14-hour) time limit by 2 hours.
The 16-hour Exception
The 16-hour rule is a special exception allowing certain drivers to occasionally extend their 14 hour clock to 16 hours. It does not extend the allowed 11 hours per day of driving.
Why must we keep a copy of paper logs on the truck if we're using electronic logs?
- We can run two logbooks to make the use of our time more efficient
- All of these are correct
- One of the DOT's requirements is that we keep a paper logbook on our truck as a backup if needed.
- Paper logs need to be filled out so we can hand dispatch a hard copy of our logbook
Which of the following is NOT true about taking a required 30-minute break?
- The 30-minute break can be taken as an off-duty break or it can also be satisfied during a time period of performing on-duty tasks.
- You can complete the 30 minute break using any combination of on-duty, off-duty, or driving time
- If you drive 8 consecutive hours with no breaks, you may not drive a CMV until a 30-minute break is taken
- After 8 consecutive hours of driving, you may perform other on-duty tasks, but you cannot drive
Which of the following conditions are NOT required for a driver using the 150-mile air radius logbook exception?
- Must start work within 10 hours of finishing the previous shift
- Must remain within a 150-air-mile radius from their starting point.
- Must return to their original starting point
- Must be done working within 14 consecutive hours
Drivers using this exception:
- Must be done working within 14 consecutive hours
- Must return to their original starting point
- Must remain within a 150-air-mile radius from their starting point.
Which of the following is NOT correct when describing the 14-hour rule?
- You can take care of other on-duty tasks beyond the 14-hour limit, but you must limit your driving time to this 14-hour window.
- The 14-consecutive-hour, on-duty period begins when you start any kind of reportable work (doing your pre-trip inspection, performing vehicle maintenance, loading / unloading cargo, fueling, driving, etc.)
- The 14-consecutive-hour, on-duty period only begins when you start driving. It does not begin when you go on-duty.
- You are allowed a window of 14 consecutive hours of on-duty time after being off duty for 10 or more consecutive hours
The 14-hour on-duty limit is usually thought of as a daily limit, even though it is not based on a 24-hour period. You are allowed a window of 14 consecutive hours of on-duty time after being off duty for 10 or more consecutive hours. The 14-consecutive-hour, on-duty period begins when you start any kind of reportable work (doing your pre-trip inspection, performing vehicle maintenance, loading / unloading cargo, fueling, driving, etc.). Once you have reached the end of this 14-consecutive-hour period, you cannot drive again until you have been off duty for 10 consecutive hours.
Your opportunity for driving is limited to the 14 consecutive hours from the time you started your day. You can take care of other on-duty tasks beyond the 14-hour limit, but you must limit your driving time to this 14-hour window. This is a rule which has a few exceptions. There are some ways to extend this 14-hour period, but we will get into that later. For now, just think of it as an important limit. We are going to tackle this in little bites. We need to learn each of these rules as they are introduced to us. As we master them we will begin to learn more about them as we progress through this study material.
A driver with too many logbook violations may receive what type of punishment from their company?
- Termination
- A warning
- All these are correct
- Disciplinary action
Which clock is reset after taking 10 consecutive hours off duty?
- No clocks are reset by 10 consecutive hours off duty
- Only the 11 hour clock
- Only the 14 hour clock
- Both the 11 hour and 14 hour clocks
What happens after you take 10 consecutive hours either off duty, in the sleeper berth, or a combination of the two?
- Your 11-hour limit will completely reset, but the 14-hour limit will not
- Your 14-hour limit will completely reset, but the 11-hour limit will not
- Neither the 11-hour nor the 14-hour limits will completely reset
- Your 11-hour and 14-hour limits will completely reset
About The Logbook Rules For Truck Drivers
Truck drivers must use a logbook to record all of their time. The amount of time a driver can spend driving is regulated by the federal government. You must know the logbook rules.
What Are The Hours Of Service Regulations?
HOS regulations are rules issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a division within the Department of Transportation. These regulations limit the number of daily and weekly hours you can spend driving and working. They also regulate the minimum time drivers must spend resting between driving shifts.
Drivers must keep a current log showing all of their working and resting hours. You must keep these logs on an electronic logging device that meets DOT regulations as laid out in the FMCSA guidebook. You can find this information in the ELD rule section 395.22. The ELD rule applies to most motor carriers and drivers currently required to maintain Records Of Duty Status (RODS) per part 395, 49 CFR 395.8 (a). The rule applies to commercial buses, trucks, and Canada and Mexico domiciled drivers.
Why Do Hos Regulations Exist?
The purpose of HOS regulations is to reduce accidents caused by driver fatigue. Many drivers don't like being told when they can and can not drive. Still, studies have proven there are more accidents amongst fatigued drivers. The risk of an accident is directly related to how many hours a driver has been behind the wheel. The DOT designed the HOS regulations to prevent drivers from pushing themselves too hard and to keep carriers from forcing drivers to drive beyond their limits.
The following chart illustrates how driver fatigue increases the likelihood of an accident in a CMV.
Who Enforces Logbook Regulations?
Generally, DOT officers are the ones who enforce HOS rules, although any police officer may inspect a driver’s electronic logs. Individual states maintain weigh stations where they pull drivers in for random vehicle and logbook inspections. Police officers and DOT officers may also pull drivers over for random vehicle checks and log inspections.
13.3 Determining On-duty And Off-duty Time
Four Types Of Duty Status
There are four types of duty status you can log in your logbook:
- Off Duty
- Sleeper Berth
- On Duty (not driving)
- Driving
The hours of service rules will determine when you can drive based upon the amount of time you have spent either on duty or driving versus sleeper berth or off duty. First, let's talk about on-duty time.
What Is Considered On-duty Time?
The 60 / 70-hour limit is based on how many hours you work over a 7 or 8-day period. Just what kind of work is considered on-duty time? It includes all time you are working or are required to be ready to work for any employer.
Here are some specific activities that are considered to be on-duty time:
- All time spent at a plant, shipping / receiving facility, terminal, or other facility of a motor carrier, unless you are in your sleeper berth or have been relieved of all work-related responsibilities.
- All driving time.
- All time loading, unloading, supervising, or attending your truck; or handling paperwork for shipments.
- All time spent doing any other work for a motor carrier, including giving or receiving training and driving a company car.
- All time inspecting or servicing your truck, including fueling it and washing it.
- All other time in a truck unless you are resting in a sleeper berth.
- All time spent providing a breath, saliva, hair, or urine sample for drug / alcohol testing, including travel to and from the collection site.
- All time spent doing paid work for anyone who is not a motor carrier, such as a part-time job at a local restaurant.
The bottom line is that on-duty time includes:
- All time you are working for a motor carrier, whether paid or not
- All time you are doing paid work for anyone employer.
- All the time you are required to be ready to work for any employer (on-call)
What Is Considered Off-duty Time?
By understanding the definition of on-duty time, you will get a good idea of what they consider off-duty time. For time to be considered off duty, you must be relieved of all responsibility for performing work and be free to pursue activities of your own choosing.
If you are not doing any work (paid or unpaid) for a motor carrier, and you are not doing any paid work for anyone else, you may record the time as off-duty time.
Personal Use Of A Commercial Motor Vehicle
Occasionally, you may use a truck for personal reasons and not for commerce. You may move your personal belongings to a new house or, as a hobby, you may take your horses to a horse show. As long as the activity does not support a business, you are not operating in commerce. If you are not operating your truck in commerce, you are not subject to the hours of service regulations.
Hours Of Service Limitations
HOS regulations determine when and how long you are allowed to drive a commercial motor vehicle (CMV). This is accomplished by placing specific limits on the number of hours you can drive or be considered on duty. The rules also specify how much time you must remain off duty before you can legally resume any driving duties. And finally, the regulations dictate when breaks are required during your workday.
There are three limits and one break requirement which must be followed at all times. They are:
- The 14-hour, on-duty limit
- The 11-hour-driving limit
- The 60/70-hour, on-duty limit
- The 30-minute break
THE 34-HOUR RESTART
The regulations allow you to restart your 60 or 70-hour clock calculations after having at least 34 consecutive hours off duty. In other words, after you have taken at least 34 consecutive hours off duty, you have the full 60 or 70 hours available again.
A driver may take a 34-hour reset at any time, as often as they like. You don’t have to be at home to take a 34-hour break. You can take it on the road. One nice thing about taking a 34-hour break on the road is that it gives you a chance to see something in the area that might interest you. When taking a 34-hour break, you may log it all as off duty, or you can mix in some sleeper berth time if you want. The main thing is that you don’t interrupt your break with any on-duty or drive time.
The 34-hour reset is not a mandatory requirement. It is an option that gives a driver more flexibility in their schedule.
If you choose not to take a 34-hour reset and you're near the limit of your 70 hours, you may find the time you have available each day equals the hours that became available after the 8th day drops off the calculation. They commonly refer to this as “running on re-caps.”
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