11-hour driving limit explained.

What the rule says

Section 395.3(a) opens by saying that, except as otherwise provided in 395.1, no motor carrier shall permit or require a driver to drive a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle, and no such driver shall drive one, regardless of the number of motor carriers using the driver's services, unless the driver complies with the listed requirements. The three that matter here read:

(1) Start of work shift. A driver may not drive without first taking 10 consecutive hours off duty; (2) 14-hour period. A driver may not drive after a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on-duty following 10 consecutive hours off-duty. (3) Driving time and interruptions of driving periods —(i) Driving time. A driver may drive a total of 11 hours during the period specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

So the 11 hours is a cap on driving time inside the 14-hour period. It is not a cap on a calendar day, and it does not reset at midnight.

What counts as driving time

Section 395.2 defines driving time as all time spent at the driving controls of a commercial motor vehicle in operation. Time spent on duty but not at the controls, such as loading, inspecting or waiting to be dispatched, is on-duty time. That time uses up the 14-hour period and the 60 or 70 hour cycle but does not count toward the 11 hours.

The words regardless of the number of motor carriers using the driver's services mean that driving for two carriers in the same period is added together. The limit follows the driver, not the carrier.

How the 11 hours fits with the other limits

Three rules work together. The 10-hour off-duty period starts the clock, the 14-hour period runs continuously once the driver comes on duty, and the 11 hours of driving must fit inside it. Because the 14 hours keeps running during breaks, a driver who waits several hours at a dock may reach the end of the window with driving time still unused. The reverse also happens: 11 hours of driving can be used up before the 14-hour window ends.

Separately, 395.3(a)(3)(ii) requires a 30-minute interruption in driving after 8 hours of driving time, and 395.3(b) limits total on-duty time over 7 or 8 days. The 11-hour limit is only one of the limits that applies on a given day.

Where the exceptions live

The opening words of 395.3(a) say except as otherwise provided in 395.1. That section contains the sleeper berth provisions in paragraph (g), adverse driving conditions in (b)(1), the short-haul provisions in (e) and others. This page covers the base rule only. If one of those provisions applies, the 11, 14 or 10 numbers can work differently, and the text of 395.1 controls.

Worked example

A driver comes on duty at 6:00 after 10 consecutive hours off duty. By 15:00 the driver has been at the controls for 8.5 hours, with the rest of the time spent loading and fueling. Under the 11-hour limit, 2.5 hours of driving remain. The 14-hour period runs to 20:00, so 5 hours of window remain, but the driving cap binds first: the driver can drive at most 2.5 more hours, not until 20:00. Enter 8.5 above to confirm the figure.

Limits of this page

This page repeats what the rule says and does no more. Whether a particular trip, load or day complies is a question for the motor carrier, its compliance staff or counsel. The calculator subtracts your driving hours from 11. It does not know how you logged your hours, whether a sleeper berth split applies, or whether the 30-minute interruption has been taken. For a clock that tracks 11, 14 and 70 together, use the HOS clock calculator linked above.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026. Rule text quoted from the eCFR, which was current through October 29, 2026.

• eCFR: 49 CFR 395.2, definitions (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR 395.3, maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR 395.1, scope of rules in this part (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)