Work Shift and Sleeper Berth Hours

Drivers using a sleeper berth must still follow the rule not to drive after the 16th hour from the start of a work shift. But when a driver splits their off-duty time in a sleeper berth, it raises a question: When is the 16th hour?

Singles

The 16th hour is calculated by counting all time except any period spent in the sleeper berth that is two hours or more in duration and that, when added to a subsequent period in the sleeper berth, totals at least 10 hours.

That includes:

• on-duty time,
• off-duty time not spent in the sleeper berth,
• periods of fewer than two hours spent in the sleeper berth, and
  any other period spent in the sleeper berth that does not qualify as counting
  towards meeting the requirements of this section.

Teams

The 16th hour is calculated by counting all time except any period spent in the sleeper berth that is four hours or more in duration and that, when added to a subsequent period in the sleeper berth, totals at least eight hours. That includes: on-duty time, off-duty time not spent in the sleeper berth, periods of fewer than four hours spent in the sleeper berth, and any other period spent in the sleeper berth that does not qualify as counting towards meeting the requirements of this section.

If you have two sleeper berth periods in a row that do not add up to 10 hours (or 8 hours for teams) they cannot count as off-duty time in a sleeper berth. But they WILL count as hours of the work shift. When that happens, you may find yourself driving past the 16th hour!