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13.6 CALCULATING YOUR HOURS WHEN USING THE SPLIT SLEEPER (cont'd.)

Let’s use this same driver’s logs for our second example.

Example #2:

We will begin right where we left off. After finishing 8 hours in the sleeper, he began driving after taking 30 minutes to check his trailer, and adding a couple of load bars to his new load. He drives 300 miles to his next destination. It takes him every bit of 5 hours and 30 minutes to get there, but he arrives just ahead of his 0230 appointment. He logs himself on duty for 30 minutes while he checks in and gets backed into position. Then he logs himself into the sleeper while he rests and waits for them to unload his trailer. 2 hours later they have emptied him out. He now has 2 hours logged in the sleeper. He can pair that 2 hours with his previous 8 hours in the sleeper and hit the road again. Here’s a look at his next day’s log.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>image<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

How can he calculate his hours at this point and know what he has available to him? Do you remember how we did it in our previous example? He gets back the hours that were used prior to his first break. So now this driver gets back the hours before the 8-hour break he took at the shipper. It’s not much in this scenario, but we used it to show how you can do these splits back to back. There is no limit to how many times you can pair these things together back to back. In this case he will only get 1.5 on his 14-hour clock, and 1 hour and 15 minutes on his 11-hour clock.

Let’s do the math. He drove for 5.5 hours and was on duty an additional 1 hour more than that. That leaves him with 4.25 hours on his 11-hour clock and 6 hours on his 14-hour clock. Now we have to add the hours before his first break to those totals. To calculate his 14-hour limit we will add the 1.5 hours prior to his first break to the remaining 6 hours, giving him a new total of 7.5 on his 14, and we must also add the 2 hours he was in the sleeper (remember, that time does not count against the 14). This gives him 9.5 hours on his 14, extending his limit to 1400 (2:00 p.m.). To calculate his 11-hour (or driving limit) we add the 1.25 driving hours, prior to the first break of this pair, to the remaining 4.25 hours and we find that he has 5.5 hours on his new 11-hour clock.

If you aren’t clear on how we came up with that, then just remember that he gets back the hours used prior to his first break, and time spent in the sleeper, when pairing two breaks together for a split, does not count against your 14-hour clock. Now, if your head is spinning, just go back to the start of this section and work through it again. Repetition will help it become more clear. If you can get them, draw these scenarios out on paper logs. That will help you visualize what is happening. It will also help you learn to fill out a paper log. You can purchase them at any truck stop.

The split sleeper is a complicated rule, but there will be times when you’ll be doubly thrilled you understood how to use it. We want you to feel somewhat confident before you proceed with the following questions. It may help you to repeat this section before taking the quiz. Remember to go through it slowly and methodically.

There is gold in these hills, but it requires work to lay your hands on it.