As part of their Hours of Service reporting, drivers may spend some of their rest period in a sleeper berth.
Drivers record rest time in sleeper berths using the Samsara Driver App. You can review sleeper berth time in the daily log for the driver.
The rules that dictate the amount of time and conditions for rest periods in a sleeper berth vary by region.
Drivers may split their 10-hour required shift reset period into two periods, provided that one is at least a 7-hour split sleeper berth (SB) period and the other is at least a 2-hour off-duty SB period.
These two periods must add up to 10 hours. Neither time will count against the shift time when the second period is completed. By default, Samsara calculates shift points and removes potential violations after both periods are met. To proactively pause shift clocks between shifts, drivers can enable Split Sleeper Toggle.
Other SB considerations include:
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One period must be at least 2 hours and can be spent in the sleeper berth, off-duty, or personal conveyance (or a combination of the three).
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The other period must be at least 7 hours and can only be taken in the sleeper berth.
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The two breaks can be taken in any order and by completing both the periods, the 14-hour driving window is re-started from the end of the first split period, but not until after the second period is completed.
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After completing both periods, neither period will count towards the driving window (Shift).
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The 2+ off duty hours will not pause the shift clock unless it is paired with an appropriate 7+ hour SB period at a later time. Drivers should be aware of violations that may be present before the second split sleeper period is achieved.
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If a driver takes an 7+ hour SB period first and then the 2+ hour off-duty period, the off-duty period will not be counted towards the shift in real time. There is no limit to how long each period can be. If a driver's "short" 2+ hour period is 9 hours, then that 9 hours will not be counted towards the shift.
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Because the 14-hour driving window does not restart after the end of the second period, the split sleeper berth is not a full 10-hour reset; it simply moves the start time of the 14-hour driving window.
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A driver is able to continuously run with split sleeper. When the Shift re-calculation point happens at the end of the first split sleeper period, the second split period can be paired with a third period, moving the Shift calculation period again. For example:
For example, if a driver has 3 hours of Off Duty, then 7 hours of SB time at a later point, the Shift moves forward to the end of the 3 hour period. A new Shift starts because of SB time. Then a driver has a later 3 hour Off Duty period. This 3 hour Off Duty period would pair with the earlier 7 hours of SB time, and split sleeper berth time would recalculate the Shift again, this time at the end of the 7 hours of SB.
Drivers select SB time in the Samsara Driver App. Each status change is visible in the Hours of Service Report:
9/29 Rules: Driver App (Point 2)
14 Shift Limit - 6:15 Drive - 0:13 ON = ~7:30 Shift remaining (Note: 3 OFF does not impact Shift Remaining)
11 Drive Limit - 6:15 Drive = ~4:45 Drive remaining
My driver is taking 2+ hours of Off Duty, but this is not pausing their Shift clock. Why is that?
Samsara removes this period from the shift when both split sleeper periods have been taken and add up to 10 hours.
By default, Samsara has pessimistic clocks meaning that the system does not assume that a driver will take a split sleeper period at a later time. However, drivers can proactively pause their clocks when attempting to split sleeper using the Split Sleeper toggle.
Many drivers take a 2+ hour break without attempting split sleeper. If Samsara were to pause the Shift clock before the later split sleeper period was met, then the system would possibly hide active violations. Samsara is taking a conservative approach to enable drivers to avoid driving in violation before they take a later 7+ SB period. When this later period is taken, Samsara will recalculate the Shift and remove any violations that are no longer relevant. The system will also remove both split sleeper periods from the shift, per the new rule. Drivers should make sure to annotate the first Off Duty period to indicate the intention to use split sleeper.
Why do periods of 10+ hours count as eligible split sleeper periods? That wasn't the case in the old rules. Can you explain this?
The regulation prior to 9/29/2020 explicitly called out that split sleeper periods could be no longer than 10 hours. They have since removed this language from the regulation, as the desire is to make 10+ hour periods (both Sleeper Berth and Off Duty) eligible segments.
Note
This does not count for 10+ hour segments that occur BEFORE a driver's shift. See below example.
Pre 9/29/2020 Regulation |
Post 9/29/2020 Regulation |
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Example: Eligible split sleeper: 2 Drive, 3 OFF, 5 Drive, 10 SB -& 10 SB pairs with earlier 3 OFF Non-eligible split sleeper: 10+ SB, 2 Drive, 3 OFF -& the 3 OFF needs a later 7+ SB to be discounted from the shift |
My drivers seem to still have Drive or Shift violations after split sleeper has been achieved. Why is that?
The regulation under §395.1(g)(1)(ii)(D) states: (D) Driving time in the period immediately before and after each rest period, when added together:
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(1) Does not exceed 11 hours under §395.3(a)(3); and
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(2) Does not violate the 14-hour duty-period limit under §395.3(a)(2).
A violation will show if the driver has more than 11 hours of driving and/or has driven over the 14 hour shift limit on each side of the qualifying break. For example, the driver below has 12 hours of driving (when added together) on each side of the first split sleeper period. This will result in a 1 hour driving violation. Split sleeper is still achieved in this example, and the 3 hour Off Duty period is not counted towards the driver's overall Shift time.
How does Samsara handle multiple qualifying breaks?
If there are multiple qualifying short split sleeper periods, Samsara selects the most recent one to provide the driver a more recent shift start time. This gives the driver more available hours after split sleeper is achieved.
What happens if a driver is pulled over for a roadside inspection and has yet to complete the second split sleeper break?
Inspecting officers will take eventual split sleeper periods into consideration when evaluating HOS logs. If there is time in violation that would be forgiven by a split sleeper scenario, then an officer should not cite the driver. See FMCSA FAQ.
How does the Split Sleeper Berth Provision affect a driver's remaining hours (driving/shift hours) compared to taking 10 hours of consecutive off duty time in the USA?
Taking 10 hours consecutive off-duty (Off duty/Sleeper Birth/Personal Conveyance or a combination of these statuses) time helps drivers reset their driving and shift clocks (i.e: gives back the full 11 hours of driving and 14 hours of shift time under the US property ruleset).
Whereas the Split sleeper provision helps drivers move the driving and shift windows to the end of the first eligible achieved split segment that was excluded from the shift.
Drivers in Canada following the federal Hours of Service regulations are permitted to split their off-duty time into multiple Sleeper Berth (SB) periods. This is referred to as the split-sleeper berth provision. Unlike in the United States, both off-duty periods must be taken in SB status. Daily driving limits still apply, but there are also a variety of different rules that depend on the driver's current operating zone and whether the driver is operating on their own or as part of a team:
Table 1. Split Sleeper Berth Rules for Canada North
Driver Status |
Rules |
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Single Driver |
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Team Driver |
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Table 2. Split Sleeper Berth Rules for Canada South
Driver Status |
Rules |
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Single Driver |
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Team Driver |
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After this feature is enabled, Samsara will automatically calculate the correct remaining time on drivers' clocks, provided that the driver has met the qualifications. Claiming this exemption has the following effects:
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The shift calculation point (16 hours in Canada South, 20 hours in Canada North) will reset to the end of the first sleeper berth period.
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While in the process of conducting split sleeper, drivers will see their shift clock pause during any qualifying SB period. If any split-sleeper criteria are not met, the clocks and violations will retroactively reflect the behavior without the split-sleeper berth provision.
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