CDL Practice Tests: Logbook Rules
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Go!Circumstances may arise that cause a driver to violate one or more logbook rules. What is the best way to avoid those circumstances?
- Sending preliminary log entries to the state
- Proper trip planning and execution of those plans
- Using a paper logbook instead of an electronic logbook
- Avoid highly congested areas during rush hour
Which of the following is true about getting 10 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth for your 10 hour logbook break?
- Your 11-hour and 14-hour clocks will reset after your 10-hour break
- All these are true
- You must not interrupt your 10 hour break by going into driving status or on-duty status
- You can combine sleeper berth and off-duty time for your 10 hour break
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?
- You can find little tricks and ways to maximize your legal driving and working hours
- All these are correct
- The more you understand these rules, the more miles you'll be able to drive; which means more money in your pocket
- It will have a positive impact on your paycheck
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.
Which of the following is true about the 34-hour reset?
- You can log it as off-duty, sleeper berth, or a combination of both
- It allows you to reset your 60 or 70-hour clock
- You can take it anytime, anywhere
- All these are true
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.
What do the Hours Of Service limitations do?
- Specify how much time you must remain off duty before you can legally resume any driving duties and dictate when breaks are required during your workday
- All these are correct
- Place specific limits on the number of hours you can drive or be considered on duty
- Determine when and how long you are allowed to drive a commercial motor vehicle
Which of the following is NOT true about personal conveyance in a commercial motor vehicle?
- A driver may record time operating a CMV for personal conveyance as off-duty only when the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work by the motor carrier
- The CMV may be used for personal conveyance even if it is laden (loaded)
- Personal conveyance does not reduce a driver’s or motor carrier’s responsibility to operate a CMV safely
- Motor carriers can not make personal conveyance limitations that are more restrictive than the guidance provided by the FMCSA
For the split sleeper berth rule, which of the following is NOT true?
- You may divide your 10-hour break into two separate breaks. One break has to be at least 2 hours long.
- You must log the longer of the two breaks as off duty
- One break must be a minimum of 7 hours long
- You can use any combination of off-duty and sleeper berth time for the shorter of the two breaks
- You may divide your 10-hour break into two separate breaks. One break has to be at least 2 hours long. You can use any combination off-duty and sleeper berth time.
- The other break must be a minimum of 7 hours. The longer of the two breaks must be logged as sleeper berth.
Which of the following conditions will allow for the use of the two-hour adverse driving logbook exception?
- A truck turned over on the Interstate, blocking traffic for several hours
- Your truck broke down and it took two hours to get it fixed
- Your available logbook hours will leave you two hours short of the delivery location.
- A winter storm came through, which was forecast for the area
Which of the following is NOT true about the 16-hour lobgook exception?
- This exception does not extend the allowed 11 hours per day of driving
- This exception allows the driver to extend their 14-hour and 11-hour clocks by two hours once per week
- Allows drivers who have started and stopped their workdays at the same location for the previous five work days to extend their 14 hour clock to 16 hours one per week
- The driver can remain on-duty for an extra 2 hours but must be relieved from duty immediately after the 16th hour
To summarize the 16-hour exception:
- Allows drivers who have started and stopped their workdays at the same location for the previous five work days to extend their 14 hour clock to 16 hours one per week
- The driver can remain on-duty for an extra 2 hours but must be relieved from duty immediately after the 16th hour
- This exception does not extend the allowed 11 hours per day of driving
What is the purpose of the Hours Of Service Regulations?
- All these are correct
- To prevent drivers from pushing themselves too hard
- To reduce accidents caused by driver fatigue
- To keep carriers from forcing drivers to drive beyond their limits
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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