11-Hour Driving Rule

Definition

The 11-hour driving rule under 49 CFR §395.3(a)(3) caps the time a property-carrying CMV driver may spend driving in a single duty cycle at 11 hours, after a minimum 10 consecutive hours off duty. Driving time accrues only on the line-4 driving status; on-duty-not-driving time (line-3) does not reduce the 11-hour clock. The rule applies independently of the 14-hour on-duty clock - a driver could exhaust the 11-hour limit before the 14-hour limit if the 10-hour break occurred mid-shift. Passenger-carrying drivers run on a 10-hour limit instead. Violations are graded for severity based on hours over the limit.