What Are the Hours of Service Rules for Passenger Carriers?
A driver of a passenger-carrying commercial vehicle may drive at most 10 hours after 8 consecutive hours off duty, may not drive after 15 hours on duty, and is capped at 60 hours in 7 days or 70 in 8 days (49 CFR 395.5). These passenger limits differ from the property-carrier rules.
Who do the hours-of-service rules apply to?
Drivers operating a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce — for passenger service, that means vehicles requiring a CDL (16+ people including the driver, or 26,001+ lbs GVWR). Local intrastate driving follows your state's own hours rules.
What are the passenger-carrier HOS limits?
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| Driving limit | Max 10 hours driving after 8 consecutive hours off duty |
| On-duty limit | May not drive after being on duty 15 hours |
| Weekly limit | 60 hours in 7 days, or 70 hours in 8 days |
Do limo drivers need an electronic logging device (ELD)?
Not always. A driver who operates within a 150 air-mile radius and returns to the same location within 14 hours qualifies for the short-haul exception and can keep simple time records instead of an ELD. Many local chauffeured drivers fall under this; longer-haul CDL drivers generally need an ELD and full records of duty status.
Common questions
What are the hours-of-service limits for passenger carriers?
A driver of a passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicle may drive at most 10 hours after 8 consecutive hours off duty, may not drive after being on duty 15 hours, and is capped at 60 hours on duty in 7 days or 70 in 8 days (49 CFR 395.5).
Who do the hours-of-service rules apply to?
Drivers operating a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce — for passenger service, that's vehicles requiring a CDL (designed for 16+ people including the driver, or 26,001+ lbs). Purely local intrastate driving follows the state's own hours rules.
Do limo drivers need an electronic logging device (ELD)?
Not always. Drivers who operate within a 150 air-mile radius and return to the same location within 14 hours qualify for the short-haul exception and can use time records instead of an ELD. Many local chauffeured drivers fall under this exception; longer-haul CDL drivers generally need an ELD.
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General information, not legal advice — verify against current federal (FMCSA/DOT), state, and local sources, or counsel, before relying on it.