FMCSA & Compliance
HOS 11-Hour/14-Hour Rule
The 11-hour/14-hour rule is the core of FMCSA's Hours of Service regulations for property-carrying drivers: after 10 consecutive hours off duty, a driver may drive a maximum of 11 hours, and all driving must occur within a 14-consecutive-hour on-duty window that starts once the driver begins any work for the day.
Under 49 CFR §395.3, a property-carrying CDL driver who has taken at least 10 consecutive hours off duty may then drive up to 11 cumulative hours, but that driving must all occur within a 14-hour window measured from the moment the driver first goes on duty — meaning time spent loading, fueling, or doing paperwork within that window still counts against the 14 hours even if the driver isn't actively driving. Once the 14-hour window closes, the driver cannot drive again until completing another full 10-hour off-duty reset, regardless of how many of the 11 driving hours were actually used. This rule, more than any other single regulation, determines realistic daily mileage and dispatch planning in truckload freight.
Why it matters for recruiting and operations
The 11/14 rule is what makes daily mileage promises in recruiting pitches realistic or not — a route that assumes drivers can run well beyond what the 14-hour window practically allows sets up both compliance risk and driver frustration. Recruiters should understand this rule well enough to describe realistic expected hours and pay for a given route rather than relying on rounded estimates that don't hold up against HOS limits.
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