A commercial motor vehicle driver operates for a motor carrier subject to the 60-hour/7-da… — Commercial Driver's License (CDL) General Knowledge Exam

A commercial motor vehicle driver operates for a motor carrier subject to the 60-hour/7-day limit under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR). Over the previous 6 consecutive days, the driver logged the following total on-duty hours:
- Day 1: $8.5\text{ hours}$
- Day 2: $9.0\text{ hours}$
- Day 3: $7.5\text{ hours}$
- Day 4: $10.5\text{ hours}$
- Day 5: $8.0\text{ hours}$
- Day 6: $9.0\text{ hours}$

On Day 7, after completing a qualifying 10-consecutive-hour off-duty period, the driver reports for duty and completes $1.5\text{ hours}$ of non-driving on-duty work (pre-trip vehicle inspection and cargo loading). Assuming no 34-hour restart has been taken, what is the maximum number of hours the driver can legally drive on Day 7 before reaching the cumulative 60-hour limit?

Answer: 6 hours

Answer

6.0 hours

Under 49 CFR § 395.3(b), a driver operating under the 60-hour/7-day rule may not drive after accumulating 60 hours of on-duty time in 7 consecutive days. Summing the on-duty hours from Days 1 through 6 yields

52.5\text{ hours}

, leaving

7.5\text{ hours}

of total on-duty time available for Day 7. Deducting the

1.5\text{ hours}

already spent on pre-trip inspection and cargo loading leaves exactly

6.0\text{ hours}

available for driving.

Step-by-Step Solution

Sum all on-duty hours logged across Days 1 through 6.

8.5 + 9.0 + 7.5 + 10.5 + 8.0 + 9.0 = 52.5\text{ hours}

The 60-hour rule evaluates cumulative on-duty time across any 7 consecutive days.

Calculate remaining on-duty capacity for Day 7 before hitting the 60-hour ceiling.

60.0 - 52.5 = 7.5\text{ hours}

A driver may not drive after accumulating 60 total on-duty hours in a 7-day period without a 34-hour restart.

Deduct non-driving on-duty hours performed at the beginning of Day 7 from the available on-duty capacity.

7.5 - 1.5 = 6.0\text{ hours}

Pre-trip inspections and loading count toward total on-duty time, reducing the remaining hours available for driving.

Compare the remaining cumulative hours with the daily 11-hour driving limit.

6.0\text{ hours} < 11.0\text{ hours}

, so

6.0\text{ hours}

is the binding limit.

The driver is constrained by whichever regulatory limit is reached first.

Key Concept

Application of the FMCSR 60-hour/7-day cumulative on-duty limit to determine maximum permissible driving hours.

Estimated Time:1m 30s

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