Hours of service rules for owner-operators

The hours of service rules for owner-operators are not complicated once you know the four numbers that matter: 11, 14, 30, and 60/70. Your ELD (electronic logging device) tracks all of it automatically, but knowing the rules yourself means you catch a problem before the app flags it for you.

The core hours of service rules for owner operators

FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) sets these limits for property-carrying drivers under the hours of service (HOS) regulations:

• 11-hour driving limit. You can drive up to 11 hours total after coming off 10 consecutive hours off duty.
• 14-hour window. Those 11 driving hours have to happen within a 14-hour window that starts the moment you go on duty. Once the 14 hours are up, you cannot drive again until you take another 10 hours off, even if you have not used all 11 driving hours.
• 30-minute break. You need a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving time before you can keep driving. Time spent on duty but not driving, like loading or unloading, can count toward satisfying this break.
• 60/70-hour limit. You cannot drive after being on duty 60 hours in 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days, depending on which schedule your carrier operates under. A 34-hour consecutive off-duty period resets that 7-day or 8-day clock back to zero.

Why these numbers matter beyond avoiding a ticket

HOS violations are one of the fastest ways to hurt your CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) score, the safety rating FMCSA tracks for every carrier. A bad score can raise your insurance costs, make brokers hesitant to book you, and increase how often you get pulled for roadside inspections. Beyond the paperwork side, these limits exist because driver fatigue is a real safety risk, for you and for everyone else on the road. A single fatigued mistake at highway speed can undo years of safe driving in a moment.

How your ELD handles it, and where you still need to pay attention

Your ELD automatically records your driving time and calculates your remaining hours in real time, which removes a lot of the manual math truckers used to do with paper logs. But the ELD only knows what you tell it through your duty status. If you forget to switch from driving to on-duty, or on-duty to off-duty, your log will not match what actually happened, and that mismatch is exactly what an auditor or inspector looks for.

Common mistakes with HOS compliance

A frequent mistake is assuming the 30-minute break has to be a single block of "off duty" time; in many cases, other non-driving statuses can count, so check how your ELD is configured. Another mistake is not planning your day around the 14-hour window. If you spend two hours loading before you start driving, that time still counts against your 14 hours, even though you are not moving. Drivers also sometimes lose track of their 7-day or 8-day total because they are focused only on today's hours, and get caught short later in the week. Finally, do not edit your ELD logs to smooth over a mistake. Unexplained edits draw more attention during an audit than an honest, documented error.

When to call TCZ Permits

Hours of service violations show up on your CSA score, which can affect your insurance and your authority standing over time. If you want help understanding how your compliance record connects to your broader authority file, TCZ Permits can walk through it with you. Our guide on new entrant safety audits covers how HOS records fit into a larger compliance review.

Common questions

Do owner-operators have to follow the same hours of service rules as company drivers? Yes. HOS rules apply based on the vehicle and operation, not on whether you own the truck.

What happens if my ELD shows an hours of service violation? It can show up on your CSA score and during roadside inspections, and repeated violations can trigger a closer look during an audit.

Can I choose between the 60-hour and 70-hour limit? Generally your operation's schedule determines which applies: carriers that operate every day of the week typically fall under the 70-hour/8-day limit, while others may use the 60-hour/7-day limit.