Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Trip Planning, Hours of Service, and Documentation Syllabus

Trip Planning, Hours of Service, and Documentation syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Trip Planning, Hours of Service, and Documentation in Commercial Driver's License (CDL), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Hours of Service (HOS) Regulations

   4 topics

   • 11-hour driving and 14-hour on-duty limits
   • 30-minute break and 10-hour off-duty requirements
   • 60/70-hour weekly limits and the 34-hour restart
   • Sleeper berth provision and split-sleeper option
2. 2

   Records of Duty Status and ELDs

   4 topics

   • Duty status categories and logging requirements
   • Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate and exceptions
   • Supporting documents and falsification penalties
   • Roadside inspection of logs and DataQs
3. 3

   Trip Planning and Roadside Procedures

   4 topics

   • Route planning, weight, height, and bridge restrictions
   • Levels of roadside inspection (CVSA)
   • Accident procedures and incident documentation
     • Protecting the scene and warning devices
     • Reporting requirements
   • Required documents and credentials to carry

Trip Planning, Hours of Service, and Documentation flashcards for Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

21 of 50 cards from the Trip Planning, Hours of Service, and Documentation deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the maximum number of hours a property-carrying CDL driver may drive after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off?

   11 hours of driving maximum.

2. What is the 14-hour rule for property-carrying drivers?

   A driver may not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty, following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Off-duty time during the window does NOT extend the 14 hours.

3. After how many consecutive hours of off-duty time can a property-carrying driver begin a new on-duty period?

   10 consecutive hours off duty.

4. What is the 30-minute break requirement under federal HOS rules?

   Drivers must take a 30-minute break after 8 cumulative hours of driving time (not on-duty time). The break can be off duty, sleeper berth, or on-duty not-driving.

5. Does on-duty (not driving) time satisfy the 30-minute break requirement?

   Yes. As of the 2020 rule change, the 30-minute break may be satisfied by any non-driving period, including on-duty not-driving, off-duty, or sleeper berth.

6. What are the two weekly on-duty limits for property-carrying drivers?

   60 hours in 7 consecutive days (for carriers not operating every day), or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days (for carriers operating every day of the week).

7. How does the 60/70-hour limit 'rolling' period work?

   It is a rolling recalculation: each day, hours fall off the back of the 7- or 8-day window. You regain the hours worked on the oldest day once it rolls out of the window.

8. What is the 34-hour restart provision?

   A driver may reset the 60/70-hour clock to zero by taking at least 34 consecutive hours off duty (and/or in the sleeper berth).

9. What is the basic sleeper berth provision allowing a driver to split rest?

   Drivers using a sleeper berth must take at least 7 consecutive hours in the berth, plus a separate period of at least 2 hours (off duty or sleeper), totaling at least 10 hours.

10. How does the split-sleeper berth option affect the 14-hour driving window?

    Neither qualifying split period counts against the 14-hour driving window. The two paired periods (e.g., 7+3 or 8+2) effectively pause the 14-hour clock.

11. What split-sleeper combinations are permitted under current federal rules?

    7/3 or 8/2 splits: one period of at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, paired with at least 2 hours off duty or in the sleeper, totaling at least 10 hours.

12. What are the four duty status categories a driver must record on a log?

    (1) Off duty, (2) Sleeper berth, (3) Driving, and (4) On-duty not driving.

13. What counts as 'on-duty not driving' time?

    All work-related time that is not driving: fueling, loading/unloading, inspections, waiting at a dock, paperwork, repairs, and time at the carrier's terminal performing duties.

14. What is the ELD mandate?

    The Electronic Logging Device mandate (effective Dec 18, 2017, full enforcement Dec 2019) requires most commercial drivers who keep records of duty status to use a registered, self-certified ELD to record driving time.

15. Which drivers are exempt from the ELD mandate?

    Drivers who use paper logs 8 or fewer days in any 30-day period; driveaway-towaway operations; vehicles older than model year 2000 (engine); and short-haul drivers who qualify for the RODS exemption.

16. What is the short-haul (100/150 air-mile) exemption from keeping RODS?

    Drivers operating within a 150 air-mile radius, returning to the work reporting location and released within 14 hours, who keep time records, are exempt from logs (RODS) and ELDs.

17. What does an ELD automatically record?

    Engine power status, vehicle motion, miles driven, engine hours, date/time, location, driver/vehicle identification — synchronized with the engine control module.

18. What are 'supporting documents' under HOS rules?

    Documents a driver/carrier must retain to verify on-duty time, such as bills of lading, dispatch records, fuel receipts, toll receipts, payroll records, and trip records.

19. How many supporting documents must a driver submit, and how long are they retained?

    Drivers submit up to 8 supporting documents per 24-hour period to the carrier; carriers must retain them (and ELD/RODS data) for 6 months.

20. What is the penalty/consequence for falsifying a log (record of duty status)?

    Log falsification is a federal violation that can result in being placed out of service, civil penalties (fines), downgraded carrier safety ratings, and possible criminal charges; drivers can be fined up to several thousand dollars per false log.

21. What is a roadside log inspection and what can an officer review?

    An inspector may review the driver's current day plus the previous 7 consecutive days of records of duty status, transferred electronically from the ELD or shown on the display/printout.

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