The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issues regulations regarding the hours of service that commercial truck drivers can perform. For property-carrying drivers (that is, those who don’t carry passengers), the limits are: 11-hour driving time limit after ten consecutive hours off duty Maximum for 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty, following ten consecutive hours off duty. Off-duty time does not extend the 14-hour limit. A mandatory 30-minute driving break after eight cumulative hours of driving without a 30-minute break. Drivers may satisfy this requirement with any 30 minutes of non-driving; that is, on-duty not driving, off-duty not driving, in the sleeper berth, or any combination of these taken at one time. May not drive after 60/70 hours on duty in seven/eight days; the driver may restart the seven/eight-day period by taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty. Drivers may break up the required 10-hour off-duty periods so long as one off-duty period (in or out of sleeper berth) is at least two hours long, and the other includes at least seven consecutive hours in the sleeper berth. Neither of these periods, when used together, may count against the maximum 14-hour driving window. Drivers may extend the 11-hour and 14-hour limits by up to two hours when encountering adverse weather. Drivers are exempt from the 11-hour requirement if they operate within a 150 air miles radius of their work reporting location and do not exceed a maximum duty period of 14 hours. None of the rules apply if the driver uses the commercial vehicle solely for personal purposes, such as driving to a motel, truck stop, or restaurant, with no commercial benefit to the carrier. There are various potential penalties for violations of the FMCSA hours of services (HOS) regulations. They include: Law enforcement officials finding HOS violations can force the truck off the road until the driver accumulates enough off-duty time to return to compliance—that is, either 10 or 34 hours. Law enforcement officials can assess state and local penalties. FMCSA can levy fines on the driver or carrier ranging from $1,000 to $16,000 per violation, depending on the severity of the violation. If the violation involves hazardous materials, the fine can exceed $75,000 A pattern of violations can downgrade a carrier’s safety rating or a driver’s compliance, safety, and accountability score; the downgrade can trigger penalties, including federal criminal charges for knowing or required violations.