Quick Answer
The 34-hour restart lets a property-carrying truck driver reset the 60-hour/7-day or 70-hour/8-day limit to zero by taking at least 34 consecutive hours off duty, in the sleeper berth, or a mix of both (49 CFR 395.3(c)). It is optional and has no once-a-week limit. Without a restart, you "recap" hours as old days roll off your rolling total.
Key Takeaways
- You cannot drive after 60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days if your carrier runs trucks every day of the week.
- The 60/70-hour limit counts all on-duty time, driving and not driving, for every carrier you work for.
- A restart needs 34 or more consecutive hours off duty, sleeper berth, or both. Any on-duty or driving time inside that block breaks it.
- The 2013 restart limits (two 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. periods, one restart per 168 hours) were suspended in December 2014 and are gone from the regulation.
- Oilfield and construction-materials drivers can restart with 24 consecutive hours off (49 CFR 395.1).
- Bus and other passenger-carrying drivers have a 60/70-hour limit but no restart provision.
“The 34-hour restart resets a truck driver's 60-hour/7-day or 70-hour/8-day on-duty limit to zero after 34 or more consecutive hours off duty, in the sleeper berth, or both (49 CFR 395.3(c)). It is optional, can be used as often as you like, and the old 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. rule no longer applies.”
What is the 60/70-hour rule?
The 60/70-hour rule is the weekly cap in 49 CFR 395.3(b). It sits on top of the daily 11-hour and 14-hour limits covered in our FMCSA hours of service guide.
Which limit you follow depends on your carrier, not on you:
Schedule | Limit | Who uses it | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|
60/7 | 60 hours on duty in any 7 consecutive days | Carrier does not operate CMVs every day of the week | 34 consecutive hours off |
70/8 | 70 hours on duty in any 8 consecutive days | Carrier operates CMVs every day of the week | 34 consecutive hours off |
FMCSA's Interstate Truck Driver's Guide to Hours of Service says a carrier that runs every day "may assign" you to 70/8. Owner-operators leased to a carrier follow that carrier's schedule.
Three points trip drivers up:
- It counts on-duty time, not just driving. Loading, fueling, inspections and waiting at a shipper all count.
- Work for other employers counts too. The rule applies "regardless of the number of motor carriers using the driver's services."
- Hitting 70 does not force you off duty. You can keep working on duty not driving, but you cannot drive a CMV until your total drops below the limit, and that extra work still adds to the total.
How does the 34-hour restart work?
Under 395.3(c), any 7- or 8-day period "may end with the beginning of an off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours." When the 34 hours end, a new period starts and you have the full 60 or 70 hours again.
Because 34 hours is far more than 10, the restart also resets your 11-hour driving limit, 14-hour window, and 30-minute break clock.
To take a valid restart:
- Log off duty or sleeper berth when your last shift ends. Note the exact time.
- Stay off duty or in the sleeper berth for at least 34 consecutive hours. No fueling, paperwork for the carrier, or yard moves.
- Check the end time before you go back on duty. Ending 15 minutes early means no restart.
- Start your next shift. Your 60- or 70-hour total is now zero.
Example: you finish Saturday at 6:00 p.m. You stay off duty until Monday at 4:00 a.m. That is 34 hours (24 hours to Sunday 6:00 p.m., plus 10 more). On Monday at 4:00 a.m. you have 70 fresh hours on a 70/8 schedule.
The restart is optional. FMCSA's driver guide notes it is "not mandatory," and frames it as available "if your company allows you" to use it. A carrier can set stricter policies than the regulation.
Does sleeper berth time count toward the 34-hour restart?
Yes. FMCSA's driver guide says you restart "by taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty or in the sleeper berth, or some combination of both."
For team drivers, time in the bunk while your co-driver drives is sleeper berth time, so it can count. It only works if you log 34 unbroken hours off duty or in the berth; taking a turn at the wheel starts the count over. See our team driving HOS rules for how team logs work.
Don't confuse the restart with the split sleeper berth option. A 7/3 or 8/2 split replaces your daily 10-hour break; it does nothing for your weekly total. Our sleeper berth rules guide covers the splits.
Do the 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. rules still apply to the 34-hour restart?
No. Many older articles still list them, but they are not in the regulation.
The history in brief:
- A December 27, 2011 final rule added two limits, with compliance starting July 1, 2013: the restart had to include two periods from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., and you could use it only once every 168 hours.
- The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, signed December 16, 2014, suspended both limits and restored the pre-2013 restart. FMCSA published its suspension notice in the Federal Register on December 22, 2014.
- Congress extended the suspension and tied it to a naturalistic study. In 2017, FMCSA reported to Congress that the 2013 limits showed no statistically significant safety improvement, and the Inspector General confirmed this on March 2, 2017. By law, the old rule returned in full.
- On September 12, 2019, FMCSA removed the restrictions from the regulation text.
As of October 2026, 395.3(c) requires only 34 consecutive hours. No time-of-night requirement, no weekly cap on restarts.
How do you recap hours under the 70-hour rule?
The 60/70-hour limit is a rolling total, not a Sunday-to-Saturday week. At the end of each day, the oldest day drops out and the hours you worked that day come back. Truckers call those returned hours your "recap."
The day boundary is the 24-hour period your carrier designates for your home terminal (49 CFR 395.2 and 395.8). For most carriers that is midnight, home-terminal time, so recap hours come back at midnight.
The formula on a 70/8 schedule:
- Hours available tomorrow = 70 minus your on-duty hours for the last 7 days, including today.
- On 60/7, it is 60 minus the last 6 days, including today.
Worked example on 70/8:
Day | On-duty hours | 8-day total (ending this day) | Available next day |
|---|---|---|---|
1 Sun | 0 | - | - |
2 Mon | 12 | - | - |
3 Tue | 11 | - | - |
4 Wed | 10 | - | - |
5 Thu | 13 | - | - |
6 Fri | 9 | - | - |
7 Sat | 8 | - | - |
8 Sun | 0 | 63 (days 1-8) | 7 |
9 Mon | 7 | 70 (days 2-9) | 12 |
10 Tue | 12 | 70 (days 3-10) | 11 |
On Monday (day 9) only 7 hours are available. When Monday ends, day 2's 12 hours drop off, so Tuesday has 12. On Wednesday, day 3's 11 hours come back.
Recapping works well when your days are even. When you have hit the wall with heavy days still in your window, a 34-hour restart usually gets you rolling sooner. An ELD with automatic HOS tracking does this math for you, and Lucid ELD support can walk you through reading your recap in the driver app.
Which drivers get a 24-hour restart instead?
A few operations under 49 CFR 395.1 can end their 7- or 8-day period with just 24 consecutive hours off:
Operation | Restart | Citation |
|---|---|---|
CMVs used exclusively for oilfield equipment, pipeline pipe, or servicing oil and gas field operations | 24 hours, ends an 8-day period | 395.1(d)(1) |
Drivers used primarily to haul construction materials and equipment | 24 hours, ends a 7- or 8-day period | 395.1(m) |
Drivers used primarily for ground water well drilling rigs | 24 hours, ends a 7- or 8-day period | 395.1(l) |
The construction and well-drilling exceptions do not override state law, per 395.1(a)(2). Separately, a driver-salesperson who drives no more than 40 hours in 7 days is exempt from the 60/70-hour limit entirely under 395.1(c).
Do bus and passenger carriers get a 34-hour restart?
No. Passenger-carrying drivers follow 49 CFR 395.5: 10 hours of driving after 8 consecutive hours off, no driving after 15 hours on duty, and the same 60/7 or 70/8 limit.
Section 395.5 contains no restart language, and FMCSA's HOS summary lists the 34-hour restart only for property carriers. Bus and motorcoach drivers get hours back only by recapping.
Educational content, not legal advice. Confirm requirements against current FMCSA regulations and your state's rules.
FAQ
How many hours is a DOT reset?
For property-carrying drivers, a DOT reset is 34 consecutive hours off duty, in the sleeper berth, or a combination. Oilfield, construction-materials and well-drilling drivers covered by 395.1 can reset with 24 hours.
Can I take more than one 34-hour restart a week?
Yes. The once-per-168-hours limit was suspended in December 2014 and removed from the regulation in 2019. You can restart whenever you have 34 consecutive hours off.
Can I keep working after I hit 70 hours?
You can do on-duty not-driving work, but you cannot drive a CMV until your rolling total drops below 70 or you complete a restart. Any work you do still adds to the total.
Does a restart reset my 14-hour clock too?
Yes. A 34-hour restart includes more than the 10 consecutive hours off duty required to start a new shift, so your 11-hour and 14-hour limits start fresh as well.
Is the restart the same in Canada?
No. Under Canada's Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (SOR/2005-313), cycle 1 allows 70 hours in 7 days with a 36-hour reset, and cycle 2 allows 120 hours in 14 days with a 72-hour reset. Cycle 2 drivers also need 24 consecutive hours off before exceeding 70 hours.
Did the 34-hour restart change in 2026?
No. As of October 2026, 395.3(c) still requires only 34 consecutive hours off, with no time-of-night or weekly limit. FMCSA is testing flexible sleeper berth and split duty period pilot programs in 2026, but those have not changed the restart.
