A long-haul truck driver's view down a highway at dusk, dashboard chrome glowing amber, the road stretching to the horizon

70-Hour / 8-Day Recap

See how many hours you can work today, and how many come back at midnight.

70-Hour / 8-Day Recap Calculator

Enter your on-duty hours for each day, and see how much you can work today, how many hours come back at each midnight, and what a 34-hour restart would give you. Counts all on-duty time, per 49 CFR 395.3(b).

Which limit applies to you?
0 hours you can still work today

Hours back at each midnight (recap)

Assuming no more on-duty time until then. Your ELD is authoritative.

    Compare a 34-hour restart

    How the 60/70-hour rule and the recap work

    The 60- and 70-hour limits are the long game of hours-of-service. The 11-hour and 14-hour clocks govern a single shift; the 60/70-hour limit governs your whole week and beyond. Get it wrong and you can be perfectly legal for today's drive and still be shut down because your rolling total ran out. This calculator does the running arithmetic for you and, just as important, shows you the hours coming back so you can plan the days ahead instead of guessing.

    Which limit is yours: 60/7 or 70/8

    There are two versions of the rule, and which one applies to you depends on your carrier, not on you. Under 49 CFR 395.3(b)(1), if your carrier does not operate commercial motor vehicles every day of the week, you are held to 60 hours on duty in any period of 7 consecutive days. Under 395.3(b)(2), if your carrier operates every day of the week, you are held to 70 hours in any period of 8 consecutive days. Most over-the-road drivers run the 70/8 rule. Pick the one your carrier assigns you, and if you are not sure, ask; the two produce different numbers.

    It counts on-duty time, not just driving

    A common and expensive mistake is to track only driving hours against the 60/70 limit. The limit counts all on-duty time: driving, yes, but also loading and unloading, fueling, pre-trip and post-trip inspections, waiting that you have logged as on duty, and paperwork. Enter your total on-duty hours for each day so the rolling total matches what your ELD is counting, not a driving-only figure that will leave you short.

    The rolling window and the recap

    The key word in the rule is rolling. The limit always looks back over the last 7 or 8 days, so the window moves forward with you. Each time the clock passes midnight, the day that is now 8 days old (or 7, on the 60/7 rule) falls out of the window, and whatever on-duty hours you logged that day become available again. Drivers call the nightly tally of what comes back the recap. If you worked 10 hours eight days ago, then at tonight's midnight you get those 10 hours back, on top of whatever you have left now. The table above projects this forward day by day, assuming you keep your on-duty time low, so you can see when your hours recover.

    The 34-hour restart, and when it beats the recap

    Sometimes you do not want to wait for the recap to trickle your hours back. 49 CFR 395.3(c) lets a 7- or 8-day period end with the start of an off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours. Take that restart and your rolling total begins again at zero: you walk away with the full 60 or 70 hours available. The cost is real, though, 34 straight hours off duty, which is more than a day and a half. The restart wins when you are deep into your hours and want a clean week; the recap wins when you only need a few hours back and cannot spare 34. The comparison above shows exactly how many hours a restart would hand you right now, so you can weigh it against the wait.

    A plan, not a logbook

    As with every tool here, this is a planning aid, not a compliance record. It does not know your real logs, your carrier's settings, or any exception that might apply to you, and it assumes the hours you type are accurate. Your Electronic Logging Device is the authoritative record of your duty status. Use this to plan your week with confidence, then confirm every number against your ELD before you drive.

    Worked recap examples

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the 70-hour / 8-day rule?
    Under 49 CFR 395.3(b)(2), a driver whose carrier operates every day of the week may not drive after being on duty 70 hours in any period of 8 consecutive days. If the carrier does not operate every day, the 60-hour / 7-day limit in 395.3(b)(1) applies instead. The limit is a rolling total across the window, not a fixed weekly reset.
    What does the recap mean, and why do hours come back?
    Because the limit looks back over a rolling 7 or 8 days, the on-duty hours you logged on the oldest day drop out of the window at midnight. Those hours become available again. Drivers call this the recap: the daily arithmetic of how many hours you get back tonight and over the coming days if you keep your on-duty time low. This calculator projects that day by day.
    How is the recap different from a 34-hour restart?
    The recap returns your hours gradually, a day at a time, as old days roll off. A 34-hour restart (49 CFR 395.3(c)) returns all of them at once: after 34 or more consecutive hours off duty, your rolling total starts fresh at zero. A restart costs you 34 hours off, but it hands back the full 60 or 70. The calculator shows both so you can decide which fits your week.
    Does this calculator keep me legal?
    No. It is an advisory planning aid, not a compliance record. Your Electronic Logging Device and your carrier's records are the authoritative account of your hours. It does not know exceptions that may apply to you, and it assumes you enter your real on-duty totals. Always confirm against your ELD before you drive.
    Which hours do I count, driving or all on-duty?
    The 60/70-hour limit counts all on-duty time, not just driving. That includes driving, loading and unloading, fueling, inspections, and paperwork logged as on duty. Enter your total on-duty hours for each day so the rolling total matches what your ELD is tracking.
    What if I have not driven for the full 7 or 8 days yet?
    Enter what you have. The calculator front-pads the older days with zeros, so if you only have three days of hours, put them in and the earlier days count as zero on-duty. As always, the result is a planning estimate; your ELD is the record that counts.