Hours of Services rules can be confusing. Our guide below will cover all aspects of Canadian NSC hours-of-service so you can get on the road. Below, we will go over:

Canada HOS Rules

• 16 Hour Shift Window
• 14 Hour On-Duty Limit
• 13 Hour Driving Limit
• Canadian HOS Cycles

If you want to understand the basics of hours-of-service, visit: Hours-of-Service Simple Guide - Getting Started with HOS

Canadian NSC Hours of Service Rules

13 Hour Canadian HOS Rule - Shift/Daily Driving Limits

In any given day and shift, a driver can only drive for a maximum of 13 hours, regardless of the combination between on-duty not driving, short off-duty breaks, or driving. Here is an example demonstrating the 13 hour driving rule:

• Driver completes 5 hours driving
• Driver completes 1 hours off duty
• Driver completes 8 hours driving

In the example above, the driver would have exactly 0 hours of driving time left.

16 Hour Canadian HOS Rule - Shift Window Countdown (On-Duty)

Once a driver begins their shift, they have 16 hours before they must go on another full off-duty break. Regardless of what duty status the driver is in, the 16 hours countdown does not pause - once 16 hours are up, drivers must stop being on-duty or driving. Here is an example that demonstrates the 16 hour shift window rule:

• Driver completes 6 hours driving
• Driver completes 5 hours Off-Duty
• Driver completes 6 hours Driving

‍In the example above, the driver would be in violation. Although the driver only drove a total of 12 hours, they drove while being past the 16 hour window.

14 Hour Canadian HOS Rule - On-Duty Limit

Driver can log only 14 hours of On-Duty time before they can no longer enter the On-Duty or Driving duty status. Once a driver has ran out of 14 hours of On-Duty time, they can either go to the Sleeper Berth or Off-Duty status. Here is an example that demonstrates the 14 hour shift window rule:

• Driver completes 6 hours Driving
• Driver completes 5 hours On-Duty
• Driver completes 3 hours Driving

‍In the example above, the driver would be in violation. Although the driver only drove a total of 9 hours, they went past the 14 hour On-Duty limit.

For a deeper guide on Canadian Hours of Service Driving & On-Duty Shift Time, visit our guide on HOS Daily Driving & On-Duty Time Limits

Resetting Canadian On-Duty & Driving Hours: Full Off-Duty Break

In order to reset your shift and refill the number of hours you are allowed on duty and driving (excluding HOS cycles) in Canada, you need 8 consecutive hours off-duty.

Hours of Service Cycles in Canada

There are 2 different HOS cycle types that drivers can pick from in Canada. However, the cycle options are quite different. Prior to heading out, the driver must select their cycle.

Cycle 1: 70 hours in 7 days‍

Cycle 1 allows drivers to have 70 hours of On-Duty time in a 7 day cycle. To reset this cycle, they must complete 36 Consecutive hours in the Off-Duty status.

Cycle 2: 120 hours in 14 days ‍

Cycle 1 allows drivers to have 120 hours of On-Duty time in a 14 day cycle. To reset this cycle, they must complete 72 Consecutive hours in the Off-Duty status.

An additional requirement for Cycle 2 is that a driver must take a consecutive 24 hours in Off-Duty status at least once after completing 70 hours in On-Duty.

‍Switching Cycles

‍In the case the driver wants to switch cycles before their current cycle is over, they must follow the reset rules for their current cycle.

For a deeper guide on Canadian Hours of Service Driving & On-Duty Shift Time, visit our guide on HOS Daily Driving & On-Duty Time Limits

Split Sleeper Berth in Canada (NSC)

This exemption allows drivers to pause their 16 hour window by splitting their mandatory off-duty time into 2 shifts. However, the rules vary depending on whether they are driving alone or with a team.

‍For individual drivers: Total sleeper berth hours must total 10 or more hours, with an 8/2 split.

‍For teams (2 or more drivers): Total off duty time of 8 hours, split into 2 sleeper berth shifts:

• Both shifts must be a minimum of 4 hours (4/4)
• Shifts must be spent entirely in the sleeper berth

If you're looking for a more advanced guide on Canadian split-sleeper rules, visit our guide here: Split Sleeper HOS - Guide & Examples

‍Switchboard’s on-screen split sleeper berth option automatically tracks the pause in the 14 hour countdown, while ensuring the second shift of 2 hours is taken. Set up a free 5 minute demo here.

Off-Duty Deferral Canada HOS

Due to the daily 10 hours off-duty rule, drivers have the option of deferring 2 of the hours to the next consecutive day. However, there are quite a few requirements that need to be met:

• The deferred hours do not eat into the 8 consecutive hours of off-duty time to reset rules (8 consecutive hours off-duty, defer < 2 hours)
• On the next day, the driver must take 10 hours off-duty + hours deferred from previous day (20 hours off-duty in 2 days).
• Cannot defer hours 2 days in a row.
• Total driving time does not exceed 26 hours in the 2 days
• Driver cannot be splitting their off-duty hours with the split sleeper berth exemption mentioned above

Crossing the US/Canada Border

If your drivers operate between the United States and Canada, unfortunately that means they will need to abide by each set of hours-of-service rules, while they are in that specific country.

‍None of the rules overlap, so you will need to make sure you plan ahead before you cross the border to ensure you don’t violate any hours of service rules when you do cross.

Many ELDs don’t make it easy to keep track of how much time is left for each rule, and even less so when crossing the border.

To make things easier, we’ve put together this table to show the Canadian and US rules side by side:

Staying Compliant & Organized with Hours-of-Service

We believe that ELDs should make compliance simple for drivers and safety officers. Not only should it be easy to use, it should allow users to feel confident that they will be safe from violations.

That's why Switchboard has created an ELD app that can be learnt in minutes, with little to no guidance or training.

All that's required to stay compliant in both Canada and the USA is:

1. Click on-duty when they start their shift
2. Make sure the timers don't hit 00:00
3. Click off-duty when they complete their shift

It's really that simple.

‍Each rule is right there on screen with a countdown timer.

Leveraging the GPS technology in combination with odometer tracking allows our ELD to automatically:

1. Switch to driving mode once the driver is on-duty and begins driving
2. Detect border crossing to switch between US and Canada hours of service timers to ensure compliance on either side

Switchboard started with one mission: To protect drivers and trucking companies from nasty hours of service violations by simplifying compliance. Click here to learn more.

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