Hours of Service

After talks with the B.C. Trucking Association, B.C. government officials confirmed that the local driver record-keeping requirements for hours of service are too onerous and will be amended. Exact details about the amendment are not yet available, but it is likely that these requirements will simply revert to the former requirement of carriers maintaining records of a driver's start time and end time for each shift, which BCTA has recommended. In recognition that the provincial and federal amendment process may be lengthy, the provincial government will simply extend the educational enforcement period for local driver record-keeping and allow carriers to comply with the requirements under the old regulations.

The Province implmented the hours of service regulations for intraprovincial carriers (i.e., those companies that do not cross a provincial or international boundary) as of March 1, 2007.  A copy of the provincial government’s announcement  and Industry Update can be found here.

The full legal (federal) regulation is available online at this link :  Refer to the official volumes of the Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations, made under the Motor Vehicle Transport Act

Some highlights of the changes for BC Commercial Drivers can be found below, as well as a summary of Frequently Asked Questions, based on an interpretation guide for the new Canadian Hours of Service from Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) CCMTA is a provincial and federal body of government officials responsible for regulating motor vehicle operations. Their guide provides reference for employers and drivers to help them better understand how enforcement officials will likely be interpreting the new regulations when they come into effect. For a full copy of the guide, follow this link

DAY - CURRENT RULES		DAY - NEW RULES FOR DRIVERS
Drive up to 16 hours in a day		Minimum of 10 hours of off-duty must be taken every day
On-duty - no limit		Off-duty periods - minimum 30 minute increments
No specified off-duty time for a day		Maximum of 13 hours driving in a day
No driving after 15 hrs of on-duty in a day		No driving after 14 hours of on-duty in a day
WORK-SHIFT - CURRENT RULES		WORK-SHIFT - NEW RULES FOR DRIVERS
After 13 hours of driving you have to take 8 consecutive hours off-duty before you can drive again		No change
After 15 hours on-duty you have to take 8 consecutive hours off-duty before you can drive again		After 14 hours on-duty you have to take 8 consecutive hours off-duty before you can drive again
No restriction on length of work shift		Maximum of 16 hours (elapsed time); time period which starts the instant you are on duty after having just taken minimum 8 hours off-duty
Short off-duty periods extend the time between rest breaks		Includes all time; 8 consecutive hours off-duty resets the work shife
CYCLES - CURRENT RULE		CYCLES - NEW RULES FOR DRIVERS
Must be in compliance with 1 of the 3 cycles which are: 60 hours/7 days, 60 hours/8 days, 120 hours/14 days (24-hour off-duty prior to 75th consecutive hour on-duty)		Two cycles (must elect one): Cycle 1 is 70 hours/7 days, Cycle 2 is 120 hours/14 days (also must take 24 hours off-duty prior to accumulating 70 hours of on-duty time)
Switching allowed		Cycle switching only allowed after completing required off-duty period: Cycle 1: 36 consecutive hours off-duty Cycle 2: 72 consecutive hours off-duty

DRIVING WITHIN 160 KM - TIME RECORDS (To be amended)
Local Driving Records must contain the following details:
• Clearly identify all duty status for each 24 hour period
• State driving & on-duty time separately
• Indicate Cycle that the driver is using
• Note if any Off-Duty deferral is being used
• Record any personal use of CMV with odometer readings

To record these details, either a “Record of Duty Status” or a log book may be used.   In either case, the record (except for the current day) does not have to be kept in the vehicle. However, the driver’s employer must retain all such records for at least six months. For further details and examples of “Record of Duty Status” options, see the Ministry of Transportation’s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement’s (CVSE’s) unofficial Hours of Service presentation (click here) and the new Hours of Service Regulations (see link above).