Driver Time Records for Short-Haul Operations

For motor carriers: A driver time record is not a universal substitute for a logbook or electronic record of duty status (RODS). First decide whether the driver qualifies for a short-haul exception on the day in question; then keep the records that exception requires.

When a short-haul time record applies

Under 49 CFR § 395.1(e)(1), a qualifying driver works within a 150-air-mile radius of the normal work reporting location, returns there, and is released within 14 consecutive hours. The rule also specifies the applicable off-duty period: at least 8 consecutive hours for a passenger-carrying CMV driver or 10 for a property-carrying CMV driver. There is a separate short-haul provision for certain non-CDL property-carrying drivers in § 395.1(e)(2), with different duty-window conditions. Do not apply one checklist to every operation.

What the carrier keeps

For a driver using either short-haul provision, the carrier keeps accurate records of the time the driver reports for duty, total on-duty hours, and release-from-duty time each day, and retains them for six months. When a driver is used for the first time or intermittently, the rule also calls for the preceding seven-day total described in § 395.8(j)(2). That prior-history requirement is a separate question from the day-by-day timecard. See our first-time or intermittent-driver HOS statement guide for that step.

When the timecard is not enough

If a day does not meet the applicable short-haul conditions, determine the driver’s ordinary RODS and ELD requirements for that day. FMCSA’s passenger-carrier HOS overview and the current regulation are better starting points than an undated photocopy. We are not offering LBC’s older monthly time sheet as a current all-purpose replacement for a RODS or ELD. If you use software to store these records, confirm that its workflow captures the required fields and retention period. Our short-haul versus traditional-logs guide can help frame the initial decision.

Checking software for this workflow? Review LBC Fleet’s DOT compliance software, then ask to see a real short-haul record with the daily report time, release time, total on-duty hours, the first-use or intermittent-driver prior-seven-day information, and six-month retention. Also ask what happens when the driver does not qualify for the exception and needs a RODS or ELD instead. Confirm which steps are available in your setup; an ELD feature alone does not prove the short-haul time-record workflow is covered.