A property-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver operates under the 60-hour/7-day limit… — Commercial Driver's License (CDL) General Knowledge Exam

A property-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver operates under the $60$ -hour/ $7$ -day limit for a carrier that does not operate every day of the week. After completing a $34$ -hour restart, the driver logs the following total on-duty hours (driving plus on-duty not driving) across the first five days of the cycle:
- Day 1: $10.5\text{ hours}$
- Day 2: $11.0\text{ hours}$
- Day 3: $9.5\text{ hours}$
- Day 4: $12.0\text{ hours}$
- Day 5: $8.5\text{ hours}$

On Day 6, following a $10$ -consecutive-hour off-duty period, the driver begins work at $07:00$ and logs the following duty status timeline:
- $07:00 - 08:00$ : Pre-trip vehicle inspection and cargo loading (On-duty, not driving)
- $08:00 - 12:00$ : Driving ( $4.0\text{ hours}$ )
- $12:00 - 12:30$ : Meal break (Off-duty)
- $12:30 - 13:00$ : Cargo unloading (On-duty, not driving)

At $13:00$ , the driver plans to continue driving without taking any further breaks. Under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 CFR Part 395), what is the maximum number of additional driving hours the driver can legally log on Day 6 before reaching an Hours of Service limit?

Answer: 3 hours

Answer

3.0 hours (or 3 hours)

Under FMCSR 49 CFR § 395.3, property-carrying drivers operating under the 60-hour/7-day rule may not drive after accumulating 60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days. Prior to Day 6, the driver accumulated 51.5 on-duty hours. On Day 6 between 07:00 and 13:00, the driver logged 1.0 hour of pre-trip/loading, 4.0 hours of driving, and 0.5 hours of unloading, totaling 5.5 on-duty hours (the 0.5-hour off-duty meal break does not count as on-duty time). Total cumulative on-duty time reaches 57.0 hours (

51.5 + 5.5

), leaving exactly 3.0 on-duty hours before reaching the 60.0-hour limit. Although the driver has 7.0 hours remaining under the 11-hour driving rule and 8.0 hours remaining in the 14-hour window, the 60-hour cumulative limit is the binding constraint, permitting a maximum of 3.0 additional driving hours.

Step-by-Step Solution

Calculate total cumulative on-duty hours accumulated on Days 1 through 5

10.5 + 11.0 + 9.5 + 12.0 + 8.5 = 51.5\text{ hours}

Under 49 CFR § 395.3(b), drivers on a 60-hour/7-day schedule cannot drive after accumulating 60 total on-duty hours in 7 consecutive days.

Calculate the on-duty hours accumulated on Day 6 up to 13:00

1.0\text{ hr (on-duty not driving)} + 4.0\text{ hr (driving)} + 0.5\text{ hr (on-duty not driving)} = 5.5\text{ on-duty hours}

Only driving and on-duty not driving statuses accumulate toward the 60-hour limit. The 30-minute off-duty meal break is excluded from on-duty totals.

Determine the remaining on-duty hours available under the 60-hour/7-day cumulative limit

60.0 - (51.5 + 5.5) = 60.0 - 57.0 = 3.0\text{ hours}

Since any additional driving is classified as on-duty time, the driver cannot drive more than 3.0 hours before reaching the 60-hour ceiling.

Evaluate the daily 11-hour driving limit and the 14-hour duty window to find the binding constraint

Daily driving limit allows

11.0 - 4.0 = 7.0\text{ hours}

; 14-hour window allows

8.0\text{ hours}

(closes at 21:00). The binding constraint is

3.0\text{ hours}

A driver must comply with all applicable FMCSR limits simultaneously; therefore, the most restrictive rule (

3.0\text{ hours}

) sets the legal limit.

Key Concept

Hours of Service cumulative cycle limits vs. daily driving and duty window limits

Estimated Time:2m 0s

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