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34-Hour Restart Guide

The optional 34-hour restart resets the 60- or 70-hour weekly on-duty clock — when to use it, what current eCFR Part 395 requires, and how it interacts with the weekly on-duty cycle.

Quick Answer

The 34-hour restart provision allows property-carrying CMV drivers to reset the 60- or 70-hour weekly on-duty limit by taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty — use of the restart is optional, and any special consecutive-midnight conditions in earlier versions of the rule should be verified against the current FMCSA summary and eCFR Part 395.

ELD and HOS topics should be read with the related driver, carrier, and rule-specific pages. ELD Guide, Hours of Service, ELD Malfunction.

Who This Applies To

Property-carrying CMV drivers who have accumulated significant on-duty hours against their 60/70-hour weekly limit and want to understand the 34-hour restart option.
Dispatchers planning weekly schedules who need to understand when a 34-hour restart is available and what it resets.
Drivers who took a long break and aren't sure whether it was long enough to qualify as a 34-hour restart.
Carriers conducting HOS training who need to explain the weekly cycle and restart option to drivers.

What To Verify

That the 34-hour restart provision under 49 CFR Part 395 allows a driver to reset the 60/70-hour weekly on-duty counter by taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty. The 34-hour period must be completely off duty — no on-duty time of any kind.
That the restart does not reset daily limits. After a 34-hour restart, the driver still has a fresh 11-hour driving limit and 14-hour window for the next shift, but these come from the standard daily rest (10 consecutive hours off) — the restart is specifically about the weekly counter.
That FMCSA has previously applied additional conditions to the 34-hour restart (such as requiring it to include two overnight periods), but these conditions have changed over time. Verify the current requirements against eCFR Part 395 before applying the restart.
Whether the carrier operates a 60-hour/7-day or 70-hour/8-day cycle. The 34-hour restart option is available under both cycles.

Step-by-Step Overview

When a driver is approaching the 60-hour or 70-hour weekly on-duty limit, calculate how many hours remain before the limit is reached.
If the driver needs to reset the weekly counter, take 34 or more consecutive hours completely off duty. On-duty activities of any kind — including a brief pre-trip inspection — end the restart and the counter restarts from zero only when the 34-hour period is complete.
Confirm the restart period was entirely off duty before treating the weekly counter as reset. Review the ELD log to verify no on-duty entries appear within the 34-hour window.
After the restart, the driver begins a fresh weekly cycle from zero on the 60 or 70-hour counter.
If the current regulatory conditions for the 34-hour restart have additional requirements, verify them against the current version of eCFR Part 395 before scheduling the restart.

Common Mistakes

Interrupting a 34-hour restart with any on-duty activity. Even a brief pre-trip inspection or fueling that is logged as on-duty ends the restart — the 34-hour period must start over from zero.
Assuming the restart resets daily limits as well as the weekly counter. The 10-hour off-duty requirement for daily rest is separate — the restart only resets the cumulative weekly counter.
Not tracking the 34-hour period precisely. A driver who takes 33 hours and 45 minutes off has not completed a valid restart — the full 34 hours must be off duty.
Applying conditions from a prior version of the restart rule. The 34-hour restart has been modified by FMCSA over time — verify the current eCFR Part 395 text before scheduling a restart.

Official Sources

Summary of Hours of Service Regulations Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration · federal-government · accessed 2026-05-06
Use for HOS educational summaries with eCFR cross-reference.
49 CFR Part 395 - Hours of Service of Drivers Electronic Code of Federal Regulations · regulation · accessed 2026-05-06
Use as the primary regulatory reference for HOS and ELD pages.

ELD Guide

ELD device requirements under 49 CFR Part 395: what makes a device FMCSA-compliant, where to find the registered device list at eld.fmcsa.dot.gov, and why only the listed identifier controls.

Hours of Service Guide

FMCSA Hours of Service regulations for property-carrying and passenger-carrying CMV operations: driving limits, on-duty windows, off-duty requirements, and weekly on-duty caps.

ELD Malfunction Guide

ELD malfunction response steps for drivers and carriers, including paper logs, notification timing, repair windows, and records.

FAQ

Is the 34-hour restart mandatory to use after each week?

No. The 34-hour restart is optional — drivers are not required to use it every week. It is simply a provision that allows a fresh start on the 60/70-hour weekly on-duty clock if 34 or more consecutive off-duty hours are taken. Drivers who manage on-duty time without needing a restart do not have to use it.

After a 34-hour restart, does the driver receive a full new weekly on-duty cycle?

Yes. A completed 34-hour restart resets the rolling 60-hour/7-day or 70-hour/8-day counter, giving the driver a fresh weekly cycle. The restart does not reset the daily 11-hour driving limit or the 14-hour on-duty window — those reset independently with each 10-consecutive-hour off-duty period.

What records must a driver or carrier keep when a 34-hour restart is used?

ELD systems record the off-duty period automatically. The duty-status log for the restart period must show uninterrupted off-duty or sleeper berth time for at least 34 consecutive hours. No separate declaration or form is required, but the log must clearly reflect the complete restart period and be available for inspection.