Cross-border freight is bread and butter for thousands of Canadian carriers. The compliance question that catches drivers off guard more than any other: which hours of service rules apply once you cross into the US, and when exactly do they switch?
The answer is straightforward: Canadian federal HOS rules apply in Canada, US FMCSA rules apply in the US. The moment your driver crosses the border, the ruleset changes. Running Canadian rules in the US — or vice versa — is a violation in either direction.
Canadian Federal HOS Rules
Transport Canada’s federal regulations apply to commercial vehicles on federally regulated routes, which includes any route that crosses a provincial border.
Core limits:
- 13 hours driving in a day
- 14 hours on-duty in a day
- 10 consecutive hours off-duty required before the next shift
- Cycle 1: 70 hours on-duty in 7 days
- Cycle 2: 120 hours on-duty in 14 days (must apply to use this cycle)
Sleeper berth split: Canada allows the mandatory 10-hour off-duty period to be split into a minimum 8-hour sleeper berth period plus a minimum 2-hour period in the sleeper berth or off-duty. Both periods count toward the reset when combined.
ELD mandate: Federally regulated carriers in Canada operating vehicles manufactured after 2000 that are required to keep logs must use a Canadian-certified ELD. Canadian certification is a separate standard from US FMCSA certification. A device certified in the US is not automatically compliant in Canada.
US FMCSA Hours of Service Rules
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules apply to property-carrying commercial vehicles in US interstate commerce.
Core limits:
- 11 hours driving in a day
- 14-hour consecutive on-duty window (not cumulative — it doesn’t pause for breaks)
- 10 consecutive hours off-duty required
- 60 hours in 7 days or 70 hours in 8 days (carrier chooses which cycle)
- 30-minute break required after 8 hours of consecutive driving
The 14-hour window is the biggest difference. In Canada, the 14-hour daily on-duty limit is cumulative — breaks interrupt it. In the US, it’s a fixed 14-hour window from when the driver first comes on duty that day. A driver on duty at 6:00 AM must be done driving by 8:00 PM, regardless of how long they spent on breaks.
What Changes When Your Driver Crosses the Border
Driving hours decrease. Canada allows 13 hours of driving. The US allows 11. A driver with 12 hours of Canadian drive time available at the border has 11 hours available in the US from that point — not 12.
The 30-minute break applies immediately. If your driver has been driving for 7 hours when they cross, they need a 30-minute break within the next hour of driving. Canada has no equivalent mandatory break provision.
The 14-hour window is now fixed. If your driver came on duty at 7:00 AM and crosses at noon, they have until 9:00 PM to complete their driving under US rules — not 14 hours from crossing, but 14 hours from when their day started.
Their cycle resets differently. Canada’s 36-hour restart for Cycle 1 and the US 34-hour restart (which requires two consecutive periods of 1:00–5:00 AM) are not interchangeable. When your driver is in the US, the US restart rules apply.
ELD Certification: A Real Operational Issue
Canadian-certified ELDs are not automatically FMCSA-certified. If your drivers run US miles on a Canadian-certified device that isn’t FMCSA-approved, they’re operating without a compliant ELD in the US.
Check your device’s certification status for both jurisdictions before any cross-border run. Most major ELD providers now offer dual-certified devices, but confirm rather than assume.
Planning Cross-Border Dispatches
Know your driver’s hours before they approach the border. If they’ve been driving 9 hours, crossing into the US gives them 2 hours of drive time under FMCSA rules. Plan the remaining route accordingly or plan for a rest stop on the US side.
Factor in the 30-minute break. On longer US legs, the mandatory break needs to fit into the day’s timeline, not just the driving hours math.
Keep a copy of both rulesets accessible. At a US port of entry or weigh station, an inspector may want to verify logs against FMCSA rules. Your driver should know which ruleset they’re running and why.
Document the border crossing time. The exact time of crossing matters for determining when the US window starts. Your ELD or logbook should reflect this clearly.
How CyVeR Handles Cross-Border HOS
CyVeR’s HOS module supports both Canadian federal and US FMCSA rulesets. When you create a trip, you designate it as internal (Canada) or cross-border. HOS tracking and status visibility for dispatchers is available on the Pro plan.