Canada Hours of Service Training Module 5: Exceptions

Time is limited. No one can add a minute to an hour, day, or week. For professional drivers, time is further limited by the hours-of-service regulations. The purpose of the hours-of-service regulations is to keep tired drivers off the road. After many hours behind the wheel, fatigue sets in, and it can lead to bad decisions and deadly crashes. For the safety of all drivers, compliance with the hours-of-service regulations is required of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

The Canada Hours of Service Training curriculum will help drivers and carriers to be compliant while maximizing the available hours through a full understanding of how the limits affect safety and productivity.

Almost every rule has an exception. It’s no different with the hours-of-service limits.

With hours-of-service it’s very important to know what exceptions you can use and how to use them. If a driver can’t explain an exception, they may end up with a violation because it will look like a rule is being broken. Using exceptions properly and calling them out correctly will result in fewer violations.

There are eight commonly used hours-of-service exceptions included in this training:

1. 160-kilometer radius
2. Split-sleeper berth
3. Emergency conditions
4. Adverse driving conditions
5. Electronic logging devices (ELDs)
6. Ferry operations
7. Daily off-duty deferral
8. Personal use of a CMV

Carriers may allow or prohibit the use of exceptions based on their policies and practices.

Canada Hours of Service Training: Exceptions is designed to help drivers understand which exceptions can be used and when to use them.

Intended Audience: CMV Drivers Operating in Canada

Reg Covered: SOR/2005-313