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 for Drivers (Limits)                 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 Rule                                             New Rules for Drivers After 13 hours of driving you have to          No Change take 8 consecutive hours off duty before you can drive again After 15 hours on duty you have to take     After 14 hours of on duty you have to take 8 8 consecutive hours off duty before you     consecutive hours off duty before you can can drive again                                         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        Includes all time                                    between rest breaks                                   8 consecutive hours off-duty resets the work shift CYCLES Current Rule                                              New Rules for Drivers Must be in compliance with 1 of the 3          Two cycles (must elect one): cycles which are:  60 hours/7 days              Cycle 1 is 70 hours/7 days, 60 hours/8 days,                                       Cycle 2 is 120 hours/14 days (also must take 24 120 hours/14 days (24-hour                       hours off-duty prior to accumulating 70 off-duty prior to 75th consecutive                hours of on-duty time) hour on-duty) 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).