CDL Practice Tests: Logbook Rules
Choose A Section:
Go!A driver must have a set of instructions for their particular Electronic Logging Device called a:
- DOT Card
- Logging Card
- Inspection Card
- Cab Card
The split sleeper berth rule extends your 14-hour clock. If you start your day at 6:00 am, your 14-hour clock would run out at 8:00 pm. If you take a three-hour nap as your first break, what time would your 14-hour clock run out?
- 2 am
- 5 pm
- Midnight
- 11 pm
A driver with too many logbook violations may receive what type of punishment from their company?
- Disciplinary action
- A warning
- Termination
- All these are correct
Which of the following is NOT true about taking a required 30-minute break?
- 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
- You can complete the 30 minute break using any combination of on-duty, off-duty, or driving time
- 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.
If your company operates vehicles every day of the week, which logbook schedule will you use?
- Either the 60-hour / 7 day or the 70 hour / 8 day schedule
- 70-hour / 8-day schedule.
- 60-hour / 7 day schedule
- All these are correct
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?
- All these are correct
- 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
- 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.
Circumstances may arise that cause a driver to violate one or more logbook rules. What is the best way to avoid those circumstances?
- Avoid highly congested areas during rush hour
- Proper trip planning and execution of those plans
- Sending preliminary log entries to the state
- Using a paper logbook instead of an electronic logbook
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
- Determine when and how long you are allowed to drive a commercial motor vehicle
- Place specific limits on the number of hours you can drive or be considered on duty
- All these are correct
What do they consider on duty time to be for the logbook?
- All the time you are on the clock for your current employer
- Any time spent in the truck, whether driving or not
- All the time you are in the truck or on the dock
- All the time you are working or are required to be ready to work, for any employer.
What is the purpose of the Hours Of Service Regulations?
- To reduce accidents caused by driver fatigue
- To prevent drivers from pushing themselves too hard
- All these are correct
- 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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