Hi-rail hours of service calculator.

The rule in 395.1(w)

Paragraph (w) of 49 CFR 395.1 is titled "Hi-rail vehicles." It reads: "For the driver of a hi-rail vehicle, the maximum on duty time under § 395.3 shall not include time in transportation to or from a duty assignment if such time in transportation— (1) Does not exceed 2 hours per calendar day or a total of 30 hours per calendar month; and (2) Is fully and accurately accounted for in records to be maintained by the motor carrier and such records are made available upon request of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or the Federal Railroad Administration."

What counts as a hi-rail vehicle

The definition is narrow. Section 395.2 says: "Hi-rail vehicle means an internal rail flaw detection vehicle equipped with flange hi-rails." Not every truck with rail wheels fits that wording. The page asks you to confirm the vehicle matches the definition because the benefit in 395.1(w) is written for the driver of that vehicle only.

What the exclusion does

Section 395.3 sets the maximum on-duty and driving times for property-carrying drivers. Paragraph (w) says time spent in transportation to or from the duty assignment is not included in the "maximum on duty time under § 395.3" when the two limits are respected. In practical terms, if a rail flaw detection driver spends 1.5 hours getting to the track location and the carrier documents it, those 1.5 hours are taken out of the on-duty time that is measured against the 395.3 limits. The checker shows both numbers: the hours excluded and the on-duty hours that remain counted.

Two limits, both must hold

The text uses "or" between the daily and monthly limits in a way that has to be read with "does not exceed": the transportation time "does not exceed 2 hours per calendar day or a total of 30 hours per calendar month." This checker applies both as ceilings, so a day over 2 hours or a month over 30 hours is treated as outside the exclusion. If you read the rule differently for a particular situation, check with FMCSA. The time is measured per calendar day and per calendar month, not per duty tour or per rolling 30 days.

Worked example

A hi-rail driver is on duty 14 hours today, including 1.5 hours riding to the work location. The month-to-date transportation total, counting today, is 12 hours. The carrier keeps the required records. The daily limit (1.5 is not over 2) and the monthly limit (12 is not over 30) are met, so 1.5 hours are left out and 12.5 hours count toward the 395.3 on-duty limit. If instead the driver rode 2.5 hours today, the daily ceiling is exceeded and, as the checker reads the text, none of the transportation time is excluded: all 14 hours count.

Records

Item (2) makes the exclusion depend on accounting. The carrier has to fully and accurately account for the transportation time, and give FMCSA or the Federal Railroad Administration access when asked. Without those records the exclusion is not available under the text. The rule does not describe a particular form, so it is the carrier's record-keeping that has to answer the question "when did the trip to the assignment start and end."

Limits of this page

It does not decide whether your vehicle is a hi-rail vehicle in a dispute, does not model the 11-hour driving limit, the 14-hour window or the 60 or 70 hour rule, and does not cover railroad-side rules enforced by the Federal Railroad Administration. It is the text as read on November 2, 2026.

Sources

• eCFR: 49 CFR 395.1, paragraph (w), hi-rail vehicles (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 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)