About the Hours of Service study material
This section of the CDLTest360 Learning Center brings every hours of service topic that shows up on the CDL written exam into one place. Each guide below is written from the current FMCSA CDL Manual and, where a state rule differs, the state DMV manual — not paraphrased marketing copy — so what you read here is the same wording your examiner is grading against. You'll find 15 guides in this topic, covering the concepts, numbers, and procedures a new commercial driver has to know cold before scheduling the exam.
The guides are written in plain English. Every one leads with a short "TL;DR" answer for drivers who just need a fact, followed by a longer explanation, a common-mistakes list built from real test failures, and a small FAQ. Where a topic connects to a practice test on CDLTest360, the guide links directly to the matching quiz so you can prove you understood it before moving on. If a piece of terminology confuses you at any point, every acronym and part name in the body is auto-linked into the CDL glossary for a one-click definition.
How to use the Hours of Service guides
- 1.Start with the first guide in the list — it's the shortest on-ramp and gives you the vocabulary the rest of the topic assumes.
- 2.Read the TL;DR quick answer at the top of each guide. If you already know it cold, skim the common mistakes and skip ahead.
- 3.After every 2–3 guides, take a practice test on the same topic. Missed questions surface the guide you should re-read, not more theory.
- 4.On the day before your exam, come back and re-read only the quick-answer boxes. That's a 10-minute high-yield review.
All Hours of Service guides
- 1
The 60/70-Hour Rule Explained
The weekly on-duty limit for commercial drivers — 60 hours in 7 days or 70 hours in 8 days.
5 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026Property carriers · Class A · Class B - 2
Hours of Service Rules Explained (Plain English)
A plain-English overview of the FMCSA Hours of Service rules — the 11-hour and 14-hour limits, the 30-minute break, sleeper berth, short-haul exception, and adverse driving conditions.
8 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026Class A · Class B - 3
The 34-Hour Restart Explained
How a single 34-consecutive-hour off-duty period resets your weekly 60/70-hour clock.
4 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026Property carriers · Class A · Class B - 4
Personal Conveyance Explained
When driving a CMV off duty for personal reasons is allowed under FMCSA rules.
5 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026All CMV drivers - 5
Yard Moves Explained
Yard moves let you move a CMV on private property without it counting as driving time.
4 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026All CMV drivers - 6
Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) Explained
What ELDs are, who needs one, and how they record Hours of Service.
6 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026Interstate CMV drivers - 7
Driving vs On-Duty vs Off-Duty Time
The four duty statuses on your log and how each one counts against HOS limits.
5 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026All CMV drivers - 8
Common Hours of Service Violations
The HOS violations that show up most on roadside inspections and how to avoid them.
5 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026All CMV drivers - 9
Logbook Examples: Reading and Filling Duty Status
How a duty-status log is read, with worked examples for a standard day and a split-berth day.
6 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026All CMV drivers - 10
Hours of Service FAQs
Quick answers to the questions drivers ask most about FMCSA Hours of Service.
4 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026All CMV drivers - 11
Short-Haul Exception Explained
The short-haul exception lets qualifying CDL drivers work a 14-hour day inside a 150 air-mile radius and use a simple time record instead of an ELD.
7 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026Class A · Class B - 12
Adverse Driving Conditions Exception Explained
When unforeseen weather or traffic slows you down, FMCSA gives you up to 2 extra hours to reach a safe place — applied to both the driving limit and the on-duty window.
6 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026Class A · Class B - 13
30-Minute Break Rule Explained
Property-carrying CDL drivers must take a 30-minute break after 8 cumulative hours of driving — and any non-driving status counts.
6 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026Class A · Class B - 14
Sleeper Berth Provision Explained
The sleeper berth provision lets property-carrying CDL drivers split the 10-hour off-duty period into two qualifying rest periods.
8 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026Class A - 15
11-Hour and 14-Hour Driving Limits Explained
The 11-hour rule caps daily driving; the 14-hour rule caps the on-duty window that driving must fit inside. Off-duty time inside the window does not extend it.
7 minReviewed Jul 5, 2026Class A · Class B
Hours of Service — frequently asked questions
- How do the Hours of Service guides on CDLTest360 stay accurate?
- Every Hours of Service guide is written from the current FMCSA CDL Manual and, where applicable, state-level DMV manuals. Each guide lists its official source, the date it was last reviewed against the regulations, and any state or vehicle class it applies to, so you can trust the answer you're studying really is the one the examiner is going to accept on test day.
- Are the Hours of Service study guides free to read?
- Yes. Every Hours of Service guide in the CDLTest360 Learning Center is free to read, in full, with no account required. The paid tiers of CDLTest360 add unlimited practice tests, mock exams, spaced-repetition review, and voice-guided pre-trip inspection training — but the written study material stays open so anyone preparing for the CDL exam can use it.
- Do I have to read the Hours of Service guides in order?
- Not at all. The guides are numbered as a suggested reading order for someone starting from zero, but each guide is written as a self-contained answer to one question. If a practice test flags a weak spot, jump straight to the matching guide, read the quick answer at the top, then work through the body and the common-mistakes section before retaking the quiz.
Test your knowledge
The Learning Center pairs directly with CDLTest360 practice tests — study a topic here, then prove you've got it. Every practice test is drawn from the same FMCSA question pool the state DMV uses, and each missed question links back to the study guide that answers it, so you never guess about where a weak spot came from.