Regulated by Transport Canada, the Canadian HOS rules are an important part of every driver’s day. Hours of service rules are designed to keep everyone safe on the road. Failure to comply with the country’s regulations can result in hefty fines and penalties. Whether it’s keeping track of driving time, off-duty time, or split sleeper berth, the Geotab ELD solution follows the federal rulesets. If you’ve been driving for a long time, you’re probably very familiar with the HOS rules in Canada. However, if you’re new to keeping e-logs, we’ll get started by looking at a few key definitions. 

It should be noted, while Northern BI employees are not compliancy experts, the following information is what we’ve learned from the industry. You should always consult your region’s HOS regulations for official rules. 

Rest limit:

The maximum amount of time before the driver needs to take a 30-minute rest to continue driving. 

Driving limit:

The maximum a driver can spend driving in their current shift. 

Duty limit:

This is a non-consecutive limit. This is the amount of time a driver can spend in either on-duty status or driving. Off-duty or sleeper berth do not count towards this limit. 

Workday limit:

This is a consecutive limit. It begins from the first logged on-duty. It is the amount of time a driver has before needing to stop driving for the day.

Consecutive off-duty time:

This is the amount of time required for a driver’s time to be reset.

Cycle limit:

The amount of time the driver can spend working (on–duty + drive time) in the specified cycle. 

Cycle reset:

The amount of time a driver must spend in off-duty/sleeper berth before they can reset their cycle limit. 

Sleeper berth:

The SB provision supported for the specific ruleset.

Contact Northern BI today to ensure you have the right ELD solution to meet compliance. 

Visit the Transport Canada website for more information about hours of service regulations.