DOT compliance is an important part of being a commercial truck driver and also a dependable motor carrier. It is a joint responsibility to make sure both the motor carrier and the driver are both in compliance of all of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. This article will answer the questions you may have on the 60-hour/7-day limit. This rule only pertains to you if your motor carrier does not operate its trucks 7 days a week.

Under the federal hours-of-service rules, the driver of a commercial motor vehicle may not drive after having been on duty for 60 hours in any 7 consecutive days. A driver who has reached this limit must take time off before getting back behind the wheel. A driver can do non-driving work after reaching the limit and not be in violation, but those hours must be added to the total.

A company that does not operate commercial motor vehicles every day of the week must usethe 60-hour/7-day schedule. A company that operates vehicles every day of the week may use the 60-hour/7-day schedule or 70-hour/8-day schedule.

The 7 consecutive days does not mean a week (Sunday through Saturday), it means any 7-consecutive-day period. Thus, a driver doesn't ever really "start over" counting total hours (unless the driver can take advantage of one of the "restart" options described below). The oldest day's hours just drop out of consideration as each new day's hours are added. "JJ Keller Online - EZ Explanations"