The Trip Checklist

The trip checklist has zero setup. It starts when you start driving. Six items, every day, about 20 minutes once they become habit. Everything on this page happens between turning the key in the morning and shutting down at night.

Your 6 daily items

1. Pre-trip inspection — walk around the truck, check tires, lights, brakes, fluids, review yesterday’s DVIR. Sign off. 10 minutes.
2. Log hours on your ELD — automatic while driving. Annotate status changes at day’s end. Review for unassigned driving events.
3. Bill of lading — shipper provides it. Verify it matches the actual freight. Keep your copy. Produce if inspected.
4. Check load securement — before departure, within the first 50 miles, then every 3 hours or 150 miles. Cargo must not shift.
5. Post-trip inspection / DVIR — inspect for defects. Written report only if defects are found. Keep DVIRs 3 months.
6. Save fuel receipt — must include: date, seller name/address, gallons, fuel type, price per gallon, unit number. Photograph immediately. Thermal paper fades.

That is the daily compliance burden for every trip. Once these are habits, they add about 20 minutes to your day. Everything else on this page is context for doing them well.

The HOS rules fit on one table

All rules are in 49 CFR Part 395. Seven rules plus one exemption control your entire day.

The 14-hour rule is a clock, not a meter

This is the rule that costs new drivers the most violations. The 11-hour driving limit is intuitive. The 14-hour window is not.

The moment you go on-duty, the clock starts. It does not pause. Not for lunch. Not for a nap. Not for three hours at a shipper’s dock. Once it starts, it runs 14 hours, and when it hits zero, you cannot drive.

Go on-duty at 6:00 AM. Your window closes at 8:00 PM.

Take a 2-hour off-duty break at noon. Your window still closes at 8:00 PM.

A shipper holds you for 3 hours. Your window still closes at 8:00 PM.

The only reset is 10+ consecutive hours off-duty or a qualifying sleeper berth split.

This is why experienced owner-operators are aggressive about detention time. Every hour at a dock is an hour you cannot drive later. It is not just wasted time — it is money stolen from your earning capacity that day.

The short-haul exemption eliminates the ELD for local operators

You qualify under 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1) if ALL of these are true:

• You operate within 150 air-miles of your work reporting location (roughly 172 road miles)
• You return to that location within 14 hours
• You do not use a sleeper berth
• You use timecards instead of records of duty status

What you get: no ELD required, no daily log entries, just time records showing start and end times.

What you still must follow: all driving limits (11-hour, 60/70-hour), 30-minute break, 14-hour window.

The trap: Exceed any condition even once in a 30-day period and you need an ELD for that day. Many local operators keep a basic ELD plugged in as a $250 backup. Smart insurance policy.

The sleeper berth split pauses your 14-hour clock

Two legal splits:

7/3 split: At least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth plus at least 3 hours off-duty or in the sleeper. The 7+ hour period does not count against your 14-hour window.

8/2 split: At least 8 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth plus at least 2 hours off-duty or in the sleeper. The 8+ hour period does not count against your 14-hour window.

This is the most powerful HOS tool for long-haul drivers. It effectively pauses the 14-hour clock, letting you time arrivals for early-morning delivery windows or avoid traffic.

Common mistakes

• Not meeting the minimum hours (6.5 hours does not qualify as the long segment)
• Confusing off-duty time at a rest area with sleeper berth time
• Not completing both segments before they take effect

Neither segment alone satisfies the 10-hour off-duty requirement. Both must be completed.

Fuel receipts and mileage tracking feed your IFTA filing

Every fuel receipt must include six data points:

1. Date of purchase
2. Seller name and address (the fuel station)
3. Number of gallons purchased
4. Fuel type (diesel, DEF, etc.)
5. Price per gallon
6. Unit number (which truck)

Photograph every receipt immediately. Thermal paper fades. A phone photo is an acceptable backup.

Your ELD tracks total miles. If it has IFTA mileage tracking (Gomotive and most modern devices do), state-by-state miles are recorded automatically. If not, track state line crossings manually.

Why this matters: IFTA fuel tax compares how much fuel you bought in each state versus how many miles you drove there. States where you drove more than you fueled will bill you. States where you fueled more than you drove will credit you.

Reconcile weekly. Match ELD mileage to fuel receipts every week. Takes 10-15 minutes. Prevents scrambling at IFTA filing time (quarterly deadlines: April 30, July 31, October 31, January 31).

Retention: Keep all fuel records for 4 years from the filing due date.

HOS violations carry fines up to $19,246

2026 enforcement priority: CVSA has identified ELD tampering as a focus area for the May 12-14 International Roadcheck.

The most common HOS violation for new carriers is not falsification. It is running out of hours because of poor planning — accepting a load that requires 12 hours of driving when you have 9 available, or not accounting for loading delays that eat your 14-hour window.

Five habits that keep your record clean:

1. Plan your day before starting. Know your route, fuel stops, delivery time, and when you hit your limits.
2. Use the 30-minute break strategically. Plan it around fuel stops or meals.
3. Do not let shippers eat your clock. Track detention. Bill for it when your rate allows.
4. Learn the adverse driving exception. +2 hours for weather or road conditions not known before dispatch. Document in ELD annotations.
5. Keep blank paper logs in the truck. ELD failure requires paper reconstruction for the current day and previous 7 days.