Hours of Service and Daily Log Requirements
What this domain tests
Hours of service questions test the Ontario adoption of National Safety Code Standard 9 through O. Reg. 199/07: daily limits, cycle limits, reset rules, and the daily log. The exam expects you to calculate remaining drive time and to spot a log that cannot be true.
Daily and cycle limits
- No driving after 13 hours of driving in a day, after 14 hours on duty, or after 16 hours have elapsed since the start of the day.
- Take at least 8 consecutive hours off duty between days.
- After 8 hours of driving, take at least 30 minutes of rest before driving further.
- Cycle 1 allows 70 hours in 7 days and resets with 36 consecutive hours off duty.
- Cycle 2 allows 120 hours in 14 days and resets with 72 consecutive hours off duty.
- Complete the log at each duty-status change, keep it current, and retain logs for 6 months.
Worked example: A driver starts at 06:00, drives 2 h, is on duty 1 h, drives 3 h, rests 30 min, then drives 2 h. By 14:30 the driver has 7 h driving and 5 h on duty; the 16-hour window closes at 22:00. The driver has 6 h driving left and 9 h on-duty left, but cannot drive past 22:00 without an 8-hour break.
Traps: assuming a lunch break pauses the 16-hour window; counting only driving time when the 14-hour on-duty limit is the binding limit; and recording a pretrip inspection as off duty. A false or incomplete log is a major defect, not a clerical error.