How Long Can You Legally Drive in a Day

One thing to keep in mind is that team riders don`t make non-stop driving an option. They are still limited by FMCSA guidelines. Keep in mind that each driver can drive 11 hours in a 24-hour period – so we`re looking at a maximum driving time of 22 hours. While those of us here at ATS consider them superheroes, truckers are not invincible. They, too, need a break in the delivery of the world`s goods from time to time. If you operate a fleet that uses any number of commercial vehicles on your operation, you must meet the hours limits set by the FMCSA for truck drivers. If you want to drive 9 hours over a long distance, it is very important that you leave early in the day. Traveling with children or pets is another factor that can affect the distance you can travel in a day. It can be difficult for drivers to meet time and break requirements, especially if they are under pressure to get loads to their destination on time. Many find the 14-hour rule particularly difficult when break times are taken into account. For this reason, some legislators believe that changes to DOT hours of service are necessary.

A bill, called the REST Act, is currently being proposed to change the regulation of breaks that count within the 14-hour limit. The law aims to give drivers up to three consecutive hours of rest, which does not count towards their 14 hours. The legislation also seeks to use this new three-hour break to abolish the 30-minute break requirement. In most cases, a driver`s day isn`t just spent on the highway, so we can`t bet on 65 mph all day. With that in mind, we like to say that 50 mph on average means we`re good on time. That brings us to about 550 miles if a driver drives 11 hours. It is safe to drive for up to 9 hours a day. This is based on a combination of guidance from the EU Driving Safety Regulation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

This allows the driver to drive 11 of the 14 hours and do other things for the remaining 3 hours, such as fetching or unloading fuel. However, at the 14-hour limit, the driver can no longer drive and must take 10 hours off before starting a new duty period. You can drive 500 miles in a day by maintaining an average speed of 50 mph for a total driving time of 10 hours. If you take 120-minute breaks at rest areas, the travel time for 500 miles in a day by car is 12 hours. Driving primarily on the highway and leaving early to avoid traffic should make this easily achievable The 16-hour exception: Short-haul drivers are truckers traveling within a 150-mile radius of their home terminal. Short-haul drivers who start and end their shift in the same terminal can take advantage of this exception. This exemption allows short-haul drivers to extend one day of their seven- or eight-day work week by two hours. Drivers who opt for the 16-hour exemption are still limited to the daily driving limit of ten or eleven hours – depending on the type of carrier – but they can perform other work such as marshalling movements, loading or inspections after exhausting their daily driving time. They are not allowed to drive after 15 hours of service, after 8 consecutive hours of rest. You will learn from experience how to cope with the steering wheel for a long time.

FMCSA civil penalties for yourself or your drivers, which can range from $1,000 to $11,000 What are crew truck drivers, you ask? Then two drivers work in a truck. Both have their Class A Commercial Driver`s License (CDL) and can change back and forth to keep moving during the other driver`s required breaks. Here`s a breakdown of the most important rules for commercial drivers that I would consider important for anyone planning a long ride: While possible, you can`t safely drive 1,000 miles in a day with just one driver. This would require approximately 16 hours of driving before traffic and rest areas are taken into account. Assuming a total travel time of 20 hours, you should leave early in the morning and share the driving. Driving alone would put you at serious risk of driver fatigue. The most common factor that results in fewer miles driven in a day is loading and unloading times. As I mentioned earlier, we allow about two hours for this, but it can sometimes take longer. This is especially true if your cargo needs to be tarred.