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Hard Hat North Long-Haul Trucking Guide
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Hours of Service Rules Every Canadian Trucker Should Know

Federal Hours of Service rules cap driving at 13 hours and on-duty time at 14 hours per day, followed by at least 8 consecutive hours off-duty. Since 2023, these limits are enforced through certified Electronic Logging Devices, not paper logbooks alone — they’re law, not a suggestion from dispatch.

Daily driving and on-duty limits

Under the federal Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (SOR/2005-313), a driver cannot drive after accumulating 13 hours of driving time in a day, and cannot drive after accumulating 14 hours of on-duty time in a day (Justice Laws Website, SOR/2005-313, accessed 2026-09-07). On-duty time includes more than just driving - inspections, loading/unloading, and other work-related tasks all count against the 14-hour on-duty window, even time spent waiting at a shipper isn’t automatically “off-duty” just because the wheels aren’t turning.

Once you hit either the 13-hour driving limit or the 14-hour on-duty limit, the regulation requires at least 8 consecutive hours of off-duty time before you can drive again. There’s also a hard ceiling on the driving window itself: no more than 16 hours may elapse between the end of your last 8-plus-hour off-duty period and the start of the next one, which prevents stretching a day out with short breaks instead of a real rest period.

The 7-day and 14-day cycles

Daily limits aren’t the whole picture - the regulation also caps how much on-duty time you can rack up over a rolling period, through two cycle options a carrier can choose between:

  • Cycle 1 caps on-duty time at 70 hours over any 7 days. A driver can reset the cycle early by taking at least 36 consecutive hours off-duty.
  • Cycle 2 caps on-duty time at 120 hours over any 14 days, with an additional rule that a driver cannot exceed 70 hours of on-duty time without first taking at least 24 consecutive hours off-duty somewhere in that stretch.

Which cycle applies to you depends on which one your carrier operates under - check your carrier’s safety policy or your ELD’s configuration if you’re not sure which cycle you’re logged against, since the reset conditions are different between the two.

Alberta’s own rules for drivers who never leave the province

Everything above is the federal regulation, and it applies to extra-provincial trucking - any operation that crosses a provincial or international border. If you drive a commercial vehicle solely within Alberta, you fall under Alberta’s own provincial Drivers’ Hours of Service Regulation (AR 317/2002) instead, and the numbers aren’t identical to the federal ones, so don’t assume the section above applies to you without checking.

Alberta’s provincial rules apply to carriers holding a Safety Fitness Certificate that operate solely within the province, driving trucks, tractors, trailers or combinations registered at 11,794 kg or more, or passenger vehicles seating 11 or more including the driver (Alberta 511 Commercial Driver Training, Module 3, accessed 2026-09-10). Under that regulation, the maximum is 13 hours of driving time in a work shift - the same driving cap as federal - but the on-duty ceiling is higher at 15 hours of on-duty time in a work shift, compared to the federal 14-hour on-duty limit. Hitting either limit still triggers the same requirement as federal: at least 8 consecutive hours off-duty before driving again.

The provincial rules also spell out shorter breaks during the shift: at least 10 consecutive minutes off-duty or non-driving time after 4 consecutive hours of driving, and at least 30 consecutive minutes after up to 6 consecutive hours of driving (Alberta 511 Commercial Driver Training, Module 3, accessed 2026-09-10). If your carrier runs any loads that leave Alberta even occasionally, check with the safety department which regulation - provincial or federal - actually governs your logs, since that can change based on the specific trip, not just your usual route.

The 8/2 sleeper-berth split

You’ll hear drivers talk about “running an 8/2 split” as a way to get flexibility out of the daily rest requirement without losing driving time. Under the federal Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations, a driver with a sleeper berth can split the required off-duty time into two periods instead of one continuous block, as long as neither period is shorter than 2 hours and the two periods together total at least 10 hours, with the longer period spent resting in a sleeper berth that meets the regulation’s equipment requirements (Justice Laws Website, SOR/2005-313, section 18, accessed 2026-09-10). The commonly used “8/2 split” is one specific way of using that rule - 8 hours in the sleeper berth plus a separate 2-hour off-duty period, which together satisfy the 10-hour total.

The regulation doesn’t force a specific 8-and-2 combination - a 9/1 split isn’t valid since neither period can be shorter than 2 hours, but other combinations such as 7/3 work as long as both minimums are met. What the split does not do is add driving time: your total driving time before and after the split still can’t exceed 13 hours, and you still can’t drive past the 16th hour after your last qualifying off-duty period. Whether splitting makes sense for a given route is a scheduling decision, not a way to drive beyond the caps above.

Why ELDs matter now

Since the federal ELD mandate took effect, certified electronic logging devices record driving time, on-duty time, and rest periods automatically, replacing the older practice of hand-written paper logs that were easier to “adjust.” That also means enforcement officers can check your actual hours at a roadside inspection in minutes, and a device malfunction or an unassigned-driving-time discrepancy on your ELD can turn into its own compliance headache - report a malfunctioning ELD to your carrier immediately rather than trying to keep driving on it.

Fatigue doesn’t respect the clock

The legal limits are a floor, not a target. Circadian fatigue can hit hard in the early morning hours even if you’re well within your legal driving window, and pushing to the exact edge of 13 hours because “the log allows it” is how a lot of single-vehicle crashes happen. If you’re fighting to stay awake, the legally compliant move and the safe move are the same one: pull off and take the rest, even if it means missing an appointment window. Planning where you’ll actually stop matters here too - see our guide on finding safe overnight parking for how to avoid hunting for a spot after you’re already fatigued.

Getting properly licensed in the first place means understanding these rules cold before you’re tested on them - our licensing guide covers what MELT training includes alongside the Class 1/AZ road test.

FAQ

Can I split my 8 hours of off-duty time into shorter breaks? The core off-duty requirement under the federal regulation is at least 8 consecutive hours before you can drive again after hitting a daily limit - broken-up rest generally doesn’t satisfy that requirement the same way a single consecutive block does. Check the current regulation text or your carrier’s compliance policy for any specific split-sleeper-berth provisions that may apply to your equipment and operation.

What counts as on-duty time if I’m not driving? On-duty time includes work-related tasks beyond driving - pre-trip inspections, loading and unloading, fuelling, and time spent waiting for a shipper or receiver generally counts as on-duty unless you’ve been formally released to off-duty status. It is not the same as “off-duty” just because you’re stationary.

What happens if my ELD shows a violation? A logged Hours of Service violation is a compliance issue for both you and your carrier, and it can show up in inspection and safety-rating records. If you believe the violation is a device error rather than an actual hours breach, report it to your carrier right away and keep your own notes on the timeline - don’t just keep driving through it hoping it resolves itself.

What is the maximum allowable on duty hours in the alberta hos regulations? Under Alberta’s provincial Drivers’ Hours of Service Regulation, which applies only to drivers operating solely within Alberta, the maximum is 15 hours of on-duty time in a work shift - one hour more than the federal 14-hour on-duty limit that applies once a driver crosses a provincial or international border. Either way, hitting the limit triggers the same requirement: at least 8 consecutive hours off-duty before driving again.

What does the 8/2 split rule mean in trucking? It means splitting your required daily off-duty time into two periods instead of one continuous block: under the federal regulation, neither period can be shorter than 2 hours and the two must total at least 10 hours, with the longer stretch spent resting in a sleeper berth - commonly done as 8 hours in the berth plus a separate 2-hour break. It gives scheduling flexibility but doesn’t add driving time or move the 13-hour driving cap.