Split sleeper berth calculator
The split lets you divide your ten hours off into two, and neither period counts against the 14-hour window. Enter your two rest periods and this checks them against 395.1(g).
Check a split
Enter the two rest periods you are planning. Nothing leaves your browser.
The test, in full
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| One long period | At least 7 consecutive hours, and it must be in the sleeper berth |
| One short period | At least 2 consecutive hours, off duty or sleeper berth or a combination |
| Together | At least 10 hours |
| Order | Either one first — the long period does not have to come first |
| Effect on the window | Neither period counts against the 14. The window is recalculated from the end of the first qualifying period. |
The splits that work, and the ones that don't
| Split | Qualifies? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 8 sleeper + 2 off duty | Yes | The classic. 8 ≥ 7 in the berth, 2 ≥ 2, total 10. |
| 7 sleeper + 3 off duty | Yes | Added by the 2020 rule change. Same test, different shape. |
| 7.5 sleeper + 2.5 off duty | Yes | Nothing says the periods have to be whole hours. |
| 6 sleeper + 4 off duty | No | Neither period is 7 consecutive hours in the berth. |
| 8 off duty + 2 off duty | No | The long period must be in the sleeper berth, not merely off duty. |
| 8 sleeper + 1.5 off duty | No | The short period is under 2 hours, and the total is under 10. |
Why anyone bothers
Because the 14-hour window is consecutive and the split is the only thing that stops it. Take a driver on duty at 06:00 who reaches a receiver at 13:00 knowing there is a three-hour wait. Sitting through it burns three hours of a window that closes at 20:00. Logging two of those hours as a qualifying off-duty period instead means those two hours do not count, and the driving time is still there when the doors open.
The catch is that you have to be genuinely relieved of duty for the whole period, and your log has to show it. A "break" you spend moving the truck around a yard is on-duty time whatever you called it.
Getting it wrong is easy
- Counting a 7-hour period spent off duty in the bunk rather than logged as sleeper berth. The status matters, not the furniture.
- Interrupting the long period. It must be consecutive — ten minutes on duty in the middle of it breaks it and it starts again.
- Assuming the split gives you more driving. It gives you a later window, not a twelfth hour.
- Forgetting the 30-minute break still applies. See the break rule.
Questions
How does the split sleeper berth rule work?
You split the required 10 hours off into two periods. One must be at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth. The other must be at least 2 consecutive hours, off duty or in the berth. Together they must total at least 10. Neither period counts against your 14-hour window.
What splits are legal?
Any pairing that satisfies the test: 8/2, 7/3, 8.5/2 and 7.5/2.5 all work. The longer period must be in the sleeper berth; the shorter one can be off duty. A 6/4 does not work, because neither period reaches 7 in the berth.
Does the split pause my 14-hour clock?
Yes — that is the point of it. Neither qualifying period counts against the 14. After the second one, your window is recalculated from the end of the first period, which is what buys you the time back.
Do I still get 11 hours of driving?
You get 11 hours of driving between qualifying rest, measured from the end of the most recent qualifying period. The split does not create extra driving time; it moves the window so you can use the time you have.
Can I use a split to beat detention?
Sometimes, and it is the main practical use. If you are going to sit for three hours anyway, spending two of them as a qualifying off-duty period stops those hours eating your window — provided you are genuinely relieved of duty and your log shows it.