Trucking & Logistics

DOT Hours of Service for Oilfield Trucking: Rules and the Wellsite Waiting-Time Exception

Oilfield trucking runs on the same federal hours-of-service clock as every other commercial fleet, with one exception that matters daily: waiting time at the wellsite can be logged off-duty. This guide covers the core limits, how the oilfield exception works, and what records a driver and carrier must keep.

The core limits

The rules live in 49 CFR Part 395, and they apply to drivers of property-carrying commercial motor vehicles that require a commercial driver's license.

The core limits are five. A driver may drive no more than 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty. A driver may not drive after being on duty for 14 hours. A 30-minute break is required after 8 cumulative hours of driving without an interruption. Weekly on-duty time is capped at 60 hours in 7 days or 70 hours in 8 days. And the 34-hour restart option lets a driver reset the weekly limits by taking 34 consecutive hours off duty.

The limits do not change because the job is oilfield work. What changes is how some of the clock is counted, and that is where the oilfield exception comes in.

The oilfield waiting-time exception

The oilfield exception sits in 49 CFR 395.1(d)(2). Waiting time at a natural gas or oil well site is not counted as on-duty time, provided the driver is relieved of all duties and responsibilities.

That covers the daily pattern of oilfield hauling: hauling water, sand, or acid to a location, then waiting for the crew to finish before loading out. The wait can stretch for hours. Under the exception, a driver who is genuinely relieved of duties can log that time as off duty instead of burning the 14-hour clock.

The key words are "relieved of all duties and responsibilities." The driver cannot be expected to help load, spot the trailer, or stay on dispatch. If the driver is still working while waiting, the time counts as on duty and the exception does not apply. Carriers and drivers document the relief so the log matches what actually happened at the location.

Geography matters too. Oilfield drivers frequently cross state lines in the Permian, Bakken, and Eagle Ford, so interstate rules apply to those runs. Intrastate rules in Texas and other states generally mirror the federal limits, but a carrier operating inside a single state should confirm the state version.

ELDs and the log book

Drivers of property-carrying CMVs that require a commercial driver's license must use electronic logging devices (ELDs) and their supporting documents, with limited exceptions such as short-haul operations and older engines. For most oilfield fleets, the paper log book is gone.

The ELD records duty status automatically. Driving time comes from the engine, and on-duty and off-duty time is entered by the driver. The device makes the 11 and 14-hour limits visible in real time, which is why the hours-of-service clock is hard to stretch and easy to audit.

The ELD is only as good as the entries. Waiting time at the wellsite is logged as off duty only when the driver was actually relieved, and the entry has to match the paperwork from the location. Drivers review their logs and fix errors before the day closes, and carriers review the records on a regular schedule.

What carriers must keep

Supporting documents and driver records must be retained, and they must be available for inspection. The carrier keeps driver records under 49 CFR Part 390, the general federal motor carrier safety regulations that cover carriers and drivers.

Supporting documents back up the ELD data: bills of lading, dispatch records, fuel receipts, and toll records. They are the paper trail that shows what the driver actually did on a given day. The retention rules set how long records are kept, and the practical rule is simple: keep the records and have them ready when the inspector asks. The same records back up the waiting-time exception: when a driver logs wellsite time as off duty, the documents should show the driver was at the location and released from duties.

Oilfield fleets also tie this paperwork to the job itself. Dispatch records, tickets, and driver logs all describe the same day, and they should agree. Software like OpsFlo keeps dispatch, tickets, and the records around them in one place, so the office is not rebuilding a driver's day from three different systems.

Common violations and how to avoid them

Most oilfield hours-of-service violations fall into a few patterns. Driving past the 14-hour window is the most common. Waiting time that was really on-duty time is a close second. Falsifying logs, paper or electronic, is treated as a serious violation, and it can put a driver out of service and pull a carrier in front of enforcement.

Fixing the pattern starts with dispatch. A load that cannot legally be delivered in the available window should be split, reassigned, or run by a second driver, not squeezed into the log. The second fix is culture: drivers who log honestly and stop when the clock is done protect the carrier's safety rating. The third is review: logs checked daily catch the mistake before enforcement does.

Hours of service is a compliance topic, but it is also a planning topic. Equipment schedules, job rotation, crew coverage, and routes all shape how the clock runs. Carriers that plan the day around the limit, instead of discovering it at the end of the day, keep the fleet legal and the drivers fresh.

Sources and further reading

• eCFR 49 CFR Part 395: Hours of Service of Drivers
• eCFR 49 CFR Part 390: General Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
• eCFR 49 CFR 382.305: Random testing (driver testing context)