Learn how to drive team in Canada and fill our your logbook correctly.

Updated Jan 2021

Team drivers can split off-duty time on logs. Learn to maximize driving time, increase earnings and avoid a fine.

Introduction

For the single driver you can take your off-duty time in a 24-hour period, which is 10 hours and divide it into two blocks: one block not less than 2 hours.

So therefore if you have 1 2-hour block, the other block has to be 8 hours; if you have one 3-hour block, the other off-duty block has to be 7 hours.

The 10 hours is not one consecutive 8-hour block now and two additional hours.

That whole 10-hour period becomes two block of time now.

All of the other rules apply for the single drivers splitting off-duty time:

1) maximum 13-hour driving time in a 24-hour period.

2) You cannot drive after accumulating on-duty and driving time of 14 hours

3) your work day has to occur within a 16 hour window.

Therefore if you start driving at 8 o'clock in the morning, you got to be finished at midnight.

For team drivers two block of 4-hours and one other break of two hours.

So it's 4 hours off, the other driver drives, you drive, the other driver takes off 4 hours, 4 drive, 4 drive.

Dovetailing

So, minimum 4-hour blocks for team drivers.

Now one of the things that's really important for team drivers, your logbooks have to dovetail!

And what I mean by dovetail is they have to fit together like this.

If one driver has time off, the other drivers should be driving or having time off as well.

One driver drives, one driver has time off; one driver has time off the other driver drives.

When you get pulled into a scale pulled over by authorities, they're going to look at the two log books and they're going to look at them and make sure that they dovetail.

One driver’s driving, the other drivers off-duty.

The other drivers driving, this drivers off-duty.

So ensure that when you look at the log books and check them they dovetail.

So you're allowed 4-hour blocks, one additional 2-hour break within the 24-hour window.

All of the other rules for team drivers apply.

1) 13-hours maximum driving time;

2) can't drive after 14-hours of accumulated on-duty and driving time;

3) the workday must occur within a 16-hour window.

Again 8 o’clock to midnight, you need to have all of that done within that period of time.

Don't Work the Day for Free:: DOT Weigh Scale Checklist

This checklist will provide you with a list of paperwork that you need to bring into the authorities when you get pulled into the scale house.

• DID YOU KNOW? :: Bus & truck drivers are the only drivers that have their own police force (DOT, CVSE, MTO, etc.);

• SMART :: There's a lot of paperwork you must produce for authorities at the weigh scale;

• SELF-CONFIDENCE :: Bring all paperwork in one hit & impress the diesel bears!

Because in most cases, it's you that gets the fine...NOT the company!

Conclusion

Single drivers can split their off-duty time into 2 blocks, not less than 2 hours and the two blocks have to equal 10 hours off-duty.

Same rules apply: maximum 13-hours driving; can't drive after accumulating 14 hours on-duty and driving time and it has to occur within a 16-hour window.

Team drivers – 4-hour blocks and an additional 2 hours off in a 24-hour period.

As well, team drivers this is important: make sure that your logbooks dovetail.

One drivers driving, the other drivers off-duty or they're both off-duty.

One’s driving, one’s off-duty, the other one, the other one, the other one, because when they get into the scale house or pulled over by authorities that’s what they’re going to look at.

It’s imperative that you check to ensure that the two log books dovetail.

If you like everything you see here, the full course is available here: Canadian Log Book Course

All of the videos, all of the rules and regulations for driving in Canada.

They're all written down.

There's two exercises for you to fill out.

There's questions related specifically to the exercises to help you understand and comprehend filling out a log book, so if you get pulled into a scale, get pulled over by authorities and they look at your logbook you're not gonna get a fine.

As well, there's a free calculator for figuring out the 70 hours in 7 days - the work cycle - rolling work cycle, which you also need to understand.

And finally there's a certificate of completion that you can take to your employer if you're looking to get hired.

It gives you a leg up from everybody else because you have a certificate that says you took a certified logbook course.