Hours-of-Service Compliance Violations
11/14/60-70 limits, ELD compliance, false logs, supporting documents.
What this BASIC means
The HOS BASIC tracks compliance with 49 CFR Part 395 driving-time limits: 11-hour driving max, 14-hour on-duty window, 60/70-hour weekly limits, 30-minute break, 10-hour off-duty reset. Since the December 2019 ELD mandate, the most-cited HOS violations have shifted from log falsification (now rare) to ELD malfunction/data-transfer issues. CSA threshold is 65th percentile (50th for hazmat). HOS violations contribute heavily to fatigue-related crashes, so FMCSA weights this BASIC highly.
Overview
The HOS BASIC tracks compliance with 49 CFR Part 395 driving-time limits: 11-hour driving max, 14-hour on-duty window, 60/70-hour weekly limits, 30-minute break, 10-hour off-duty reset. Since the December 2019 ELD mandate, the most-cited HOS violations have shifted from log falsification (now rare) to ELD malfunction/data-transfer issues. CSA threshold is 65th percentile (50th for hazmat). HOS violations contribute heavily to fatigue-related crashes, so FMCSA weights this BASIC highly.
Top violations in this BASIC
395.8(a) (no record of duty status / log not current) is the most-cited HOS violation, severity 5/10. After the ELD mandate, this is usually an unassigned-drive-time issue — someone moved the truck without logging in. Other common ones: 395.3(a)(2) (11-hour driving violation, weight 7), 395.3(a)(3)(ii) (14-hour window violation, weight 7), and 395.22(a) (no ELD installed, weight 5).
How to lower your Hours-of-Service Compliance BASIC
Switch every driver to an FMCSA-registered ELD (search the FMCSA ELD list before buying — many vendors went out of business after the 2020 self-cert cleanup). Audit ELD logs weekly for unassigned drive time and edits. Train drivers on the 14-hour clock specifically — most violations come from misunderstanding when the clock starts. Maintain supporting documents (BOLs, fuel receipts, dispatch records) for 6 months in case of audit.