Recaps And The 34 Hour Rule

OK sorry to ask so many questions but can someone explain what recaps mean. Also can someone explain what the 34 hour rule is and how and when it would apply. Thanks

OK sorry to ask so many questions but can someone explain what recaps mean. Also can someone explain what the 34 hour rule is and how and when it would apply. Thanks

Recaps are the hours you start getting back that you drove 8 days ago. So let's say you are on your 6th day, have 16 hours left on your 70. You drove/on duty for 10 hours 8 days ago. You will get those 10 hours back in 2 days to add to the 16 you have now. Your recap hours look like this, 10, 9 hr 34 min, 8 hr 12 min, 11 hr 5 min, 3 hr 15 min, 12 hr 0 min. So as you use hours of driving/on duty you will get those hours back as the days go by. So the trick is to try and never run your 70 hour clock down to nothing before you start getting recap hours back.

What I try to do is average about 9.5/10 hours a day driving/on duty to minimize running out of hours before I start getting recap hours back.

As for the 34 hour rule, after you have been off duty/sleeper berth for 34+ hours, your 70 hour clock resets back to having all your 70 hours available for your use just like you had never used any of your time.

Hope this helps.

Ernie

Thanks Ernie S. Now is loading and unloading part of your 70 hours or is it 70 of pure driving

Thanks Ernie S. Now is loading and unloading part of your 70 hours or is it 70 of pure driving

Loading/unloading is part of your 70 (on duty time just like pre-trip, fueling etc). Depending on the requirements imposed by the company you are driving for, you can minimize the amount of on duty time spent doing those activities (loading/unloading/pre-trip/fueling) so as to minimize using up your 70 hour clock too soon.

Ernie

Bill, 70 hours is the maximum of ON DUTY time in an 8 day period. Maximum of 11 hours DRIVING in maximum 14 hours ON DUTY in a 24 hour period. It can be a bit confusing. Check out the Logbook section on this site. Spend some time studying it. You won't be tested on it for your Permit but is is probably the most useful thing you will ever learn. I like to call it the MONEY section. Google FMCSA HOS Rules also. Learn IT!

Good Luck!

Bill, 70 hours is the maximum of ON DUTY time in an 8 day period. Maximum of 11 hours DRIVING in maximum 14 hours ON DUTY in a 24 hour period. It can be a bit confusing. Check out the Logbook section on this site. Spend some time studying it. You won't be tested on it for your Permit but is is probably the most useful thing you will ever learn. I like to call it the MONEY section. Google FMCSA HOS Rules also. Learn IT!

Good Luck!

No it is not. You are partially correct. What those maximum numbers mean is that you cannot DRIVE after reaching one of those limits. It does not prevent you from working after reaching those limits, you just cannot drive. You then have to take a 10 or 34 or a split sleeper.

These discussions on hours almost always have a little mis-information in them, and it is understandable since our governing super minds who come up with this gobbledy-gook seem incapable of putting together any proposals which are straight forward and logical.

Pat is correct though, your on duty time is not limited by the seventy hour restriction, but drive time must stop at that point. Conceivably, you could legally be on duty for 95 hours, but if you were to start driving you would then be in violation.

One more thing...

That 14 hour restriction is the same way. You can be on duty longer than the 14 hour period. Once you've reached that 14 hour limit though your drive time is cut off. If you expect to drive 11 hours, you must accomplish that feat within the confines of that 14 hour time slot.

If you only managed to do 5 or 6 hours driving during that 14 hour limit, (which starts when you went on duty to do your pre-trip) you will not be able to drive again until you have taken the appropriate break.

Nothing stops or resets that 14 hour clock except the prescribed breaks.

Nothing stops or resets that 14 hour clock except the prescribed breaks.

But... you can "pause" the 14 hour clock, right... Old School?

Yes, and that would be one of those "prescribed breaks." You accomplish that pause with eight hours on the sleeper berth line.