How long can truckers be on the road?

When you drive a truck in Louisiana, you may love the thought of being out on the road by yourself. However, it is important for you to be a safe driver and this is why there are regulations governing how long you can drive in one day.

You and your fellow truck drivers typically cannot stay on the road as long as you want. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says that you usually can drive 11 hours at most in 14 consecutive hours. These 14 hours include your naps and meal breaks, and once this time has passed, you generally need to go off duty for 10 hours. Additionally, you also have to make sure you get enough rest so you can drive safely. Most of the time, you need to take a half hour break if you have been driving for 8 consecutive hours. After this break, you can usually drive for three more hours to make up the 11 hours of driving.

This time limit is based on your on-duty time. While you may think you are on-duty only if you are driving, this is not the case. Your on-duty time includes other tasks, such as loading and unloading cargo and fueling or servicing a truck. It can also include the time you spend at facilities waiting to be dispatched and filling out paperwork.

There is also a limit on the number of hours you can drive each week. You can usually only drive for 60 or 70 hours each week and then need to do other types of work until you have taken enough off-duty days to bring your work hours below the 60 or 70 hour limit.

This information is intended to educate. It should not be used in place of legal advice.