Recaps

What is meant by the term "running on recaps"? I am sure it's not retread tires. I know it refers to HOS , but exactly what?

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.

For example 6/1 2 hrs
6/2 8 hrs
6/3 11 hrs
6/4 10 hrs
6/5 9 hrs
6/6 9 hrs
6/7 9 hrs
6/8 10 hrs

On 6/9 you have the 2 hrs left from your original 70 plus the 2 hrs from 6/1.

It's about as clear as mud lol

Recaps do refer to HOS regulations.

You have 70 "On Duty Hours" in the 8 day cycle (actually - 7 day cycle). When the 8th day expires, you "re-capture" the hours used in that 8th day (hence the term recap).

"Running on recaps, means that you have used so much of the 70 hour rule, that you do not have a full 14 hour clock on the current (or next day). You will "re-capture" some hours from the previous 8th day, when it "falls off" at midnight.

It means that - your 14 hour On Duty Clock (and by inference, your 11 hour drive clock) is limited by the amount of hours remaining on your 70 hour clock.

So if you're on duty (which includes on duty/driving) for 10 hours every day (rough example) - on the 7th day - you will only have 10 hours to drive/be on duty (not 11/14). At midnight, you will "re-capture" the 10 hours that fall off - and will have 10 hour for that day.

Which is why folks go off duty or sleeper, while waiting at a shipper/receiver - to save on that 70. Once you go on duty - the 14 clock starts, and doesn't stop (unless you take the split-sleeper break for 8 hours, which pauses the 14 - something beyond the scope of how recaps work).

In the example above - if you do NOT conserve your clock - you will find yourself without enough hours to legally move your load from point a to point b. At that point - you will be forced to do a 34 hour reset (which companies frown upon). Being off duty for 34 consecutive hours, resets the 70 hour clock back to ZERO.

Yeah - it's confusing to explain - and paper examples only give you a theoretical on how it works. Once you get out on the road for a bit, you will get a better understanding, and work hard to conserve that 70 hour clock.

If your wheels aren't turning - YOU AREN'T EARNING.

Rick

Check out the logs resource here on Trucking Truth for more info on recaps and other HOS rules:

Learn The Logbook Rules (HOS)

I personally don't like to run on recaps very long because I feel it's hard to manage hours as a team that way, but many solo drivers do and have great success with it.

One thing some drivers do is to manage their hours so they can drive nearly every day. Yes the maximum of 70 hours in 8 days seems weird, but it's from the Government. 'Nuff said.

If you go crazy and drive a full 11 hours a day, you can drive seven days like this, (11 x 7 = 77), but on that eighth day you have 3 hours you can drive, and you must stop. However, at midnight, your pumpkin turns back into an 18 wheeler, and you "get back" all 11 hours you used a week ago, on the first day of your run. On Qualcomm Hours of Service, that's the part on the right side of the tab.

The 70 hours and the midnight thing work differently from the 14 hour day and the 11 hour daily limit. So, if your 14 hour day ends at 3am, and you need another 90 minutes to get to your destination, you might could wait till midnight and move on.

I made up a little activity where you can practice this, I called "70 in 8™": 70 Hours on Duty

One thing some drivers do is to manage their hours so they can drive nearly every day. Yes the maximum of 70 hours in 8 days seems weird, but it's from the Government. 'Nuff said.

If you go crazy and drive a full 11 hours a day, you can drive seven days like this, (11 x 7 = 77), but on that eighth day you have 3 hours you can drive, and you must stop. However, at midnight, your pumpkin turns back into an 18 wheeler, and you "get back" all 11 hours you used a week ago, on the first day of your run. On Qualcomm Hours of Service, that's the part on the right side of the tab.

The 70 hours and the midnight thing work differently from the 14 hour day and the 11 hour daily limit. So, if your 14 hour day ends at 3am, and you need another 90 minutes to get to your destination, you might could wait till midnight and move on.

I made up a little activity where you can practice this, I called "70 in 8™": 70 Hours on Duty

not quite, remember on duty not driving time still comes off your 70. You have to add in pre trip time time at a customer and fuel.

Wait Errol I'm confused! How can you drive 77 hours in 7 days? Isn't it 70 hours in 8 days?

Eckoh astutely points out:

not quite, remember on duty not driving time still comes off your 70. You have to add in pre trip time time at a customer and fuel.

If you read the activity instructions, there's:

The 70 counters represent the total hours you get to use in 8 days. BTW, the counters represent both driving and on duty hours - no difference between them.

I did skip that part on this thread. No one can actually drive 11 per day, it's more like 10 to 10-1/2 hours behind the steering wheel. But I think readers can get the point: you have to either divvy up the 70 hours correctly, or sit and wait for midnight to come around.

Wait Errol I'm confused! How can you drive 77 hours in 7 days? Isn't it 70 hours in 8 days?

cause hes bad at math :P Running over 10 hours each day when you add in even the minimum amount of on duty time you will be out of hours on the 6th day and need to rest, doing that you can drive more then 80 hours in the 8 days.

Ugh I hate trying to figure out recaps.

Correct me if I'm wrong. You can only be on duty or driving for 70 hours in an 8 day period. Right?

I'm so glad my Treq figures all this out for me. Just a reason I'm grateful for e-logs! I don't have to hurt my brain...