The test below stays in English. You must pass the test in English.

Lesson 1 — The Hours of Service Rules

Push the driver too hard, the driver gets the ticket. The law also names you.

Why this matters

The US government has 5 rules about how long a truck driver can work. The rules are called Hours of Service. People call them HOS for short.

Here is the big idea of this course: when you push a driver, the driver pays the price. HOS is the clearest example.

If you push a driver past the limit:

  • The driver gets a ticket. It goes on their driving record (their MVR).
  • The driver's CDL is at risk.
  • The carrier gets points on its safety score (CSA).
  • You get named in a federal case. The law is 49 CFR § 390.6. People call it the coercion rule. Coercion means forcing someone.

FMCSA says the threat is the crime. The driver does not have to actually break the rule. Just asking the driver to take a load that does not fit is the crime.

The only way to stay clear is to know the 5 rules. Know them well enough to spot a load that does not fit.

Source: 49 CFR § 390.6 (FMCSA Coercion Rule).
FMCSA 2026 guidance: "Coercion occurs the moment a threat is made."

The 5 HOS rules

Every dispatcher must know these. Not close. Exactly.

1. The 11-hour rule. The driver can drive up to 11 hours. They must first have 10 hours off duty.

Connect: if the load needs more than 11 hours of driving, one driver cannot finish it in one day. You need a team driver, a sleeper-berth split, or a different driver.

2. The 14-hour rule. When the driver starts work, they have 14 hours to finish all driving for the day. After 14 hours, no more driving. Even if they have driving hours left.

Connect: waiting at a dock, fueling, and traffic all eat the 14-hour clock. If you send a driver into known delay, their clock can run out before they finish.

3. The 30-minute break. After 8 hours of driving without a break, the driver must take 30 minutes off duty before driving again.

Connect: if the driver will hit 8 hours of driving during this trip, the break has to fit somewhere in the trip. The driver picks where.

4. The 60/70-hour rule. The driver cannot drive after working 60 hours in 7 days, or 70 hours in 8 days. A 34-hour break off duty starts the count over.

Connect: this is the rule dispatchers miss most. A driver may look fine for tomorrow but only have 4 hours left for the week.

5. The 10-hour rest. Before the next work day, the driver must have 10 hours straight off duty. Sleeper berth time counts.

Connect: the 10 hours of rest must fit the day's math. The driver picks where to stop. They know the route and where they can park safely.

Video 1 — FMCSA explains HOS

Click CC for captions.

The dispatcher's risk (49 CFR § 390.6)

Asking a driver to break any of the 5 HOS rules is coercion under federal law. The driver does not have to do it. A text saying "can you push it" is enough.

FMCSA can look into the carrier. They can charge fines for each case. They can also watch the carrier more closely going forward. The driver's complaint stays private during the case. That is in 49 CFR § 386.12(c)(3).

What you do as a dispatcher

  • Know the 5 rules. Not close — exactly. Your drivers know them.
  • Check the driver's clock first. Before you assign a load, check their hours. Lesson 2 teaches how.
  • If the load does not fit, do not assign it to that driver. Find another driver. Move the appointment. Or pass on the load.
  • Do not push the driver to get around the rules. Not even a little.
  • Write down what you checked. If the carrier ever gets looked at, your notes show you did the right thing.

The big idea, again

Push HOS limits, the driver gets the ticket on their driving record. The driver's CDL is at risk. The carrier gets points on CSA. And you get named under 49 CFR § 390.6.

Dispatcher pushes. Driver pays. The law names you.

Next step

Take the short quiz below. 5 questions in English. You need 4 of 5 right to pass.

Video 2 — The coercion rule explained

Click CC for captions.

📋 Sample Quiz Questions (Preview)

These are the questions on the quiz at the end of this lesson. The real quiz is taken after you log in. The right answer is marked with ✓.

Question 1: When is it the crime?
A driver tells dispatch they do not have enough hours for a load. The dispatcher says "make it work." The driver refuses. Under 49 CFR § 390.6, what just happened?
  • ○ Nothing. The driver did not break a rule.
  • ○ It is only a crime if the driver drives.
  • ✓ The crime happened when the dispatcher said "make it work." The threat is the crime. It does not matter if the driver does it or not.
  • ○ Dispatch is allowed to push drivers past HOS limits.

Why: 49 CFR § 390.6 says the crime happens when the threat is made. The driver does not have to break the rule. The dispatcher's words alone are the crime. That is why a dispatcher who does not know HOS can break the law just by talking.

Question 2: The driver's real choice
A driver has 2 hours of driving left. Dispatch gives them a 4-hour load and wants on-time delivery. The driver is already on the road when they see the problem. What is the driver's real choice?
  • ○ Drive normally and arrive on time.
  • ○ Refuse the load in the middle of the trip. Call the customer and say sorry.
  • ✓ Run out of hours and park right where they are (customer is late, carrier gets blamed), or fake the log to keep driving.
  • ○ Call dispatch and ask for extra hours.

Why: The 11-hour rule is hard. The ELD enforces it. When the driver runs out, the truck stops. The driver has two real choices: park and miss the appointment, or fake the log. Both come back to the carrier. This is the big idea: dispatch pushed, driver pays.

Question 3: Why the dispatcher must know the rules
Why is it the dispatcher's job to know the 5 HOS rules cold?
  • ○ So the dispatcher can show off to drivers.
  • ✓ Because a dispatcher who does not know the rules can break the coercion rule by accident — and the threat is the crime.
  • ○ To pass a DOT audit every year.
  • ○ To match the customer's schedule.

Why: You cannot avoid coercing a driver if you do not know what the rules are. A dispatcher who does not know that 14 hours is the work-day limit may plan a 16-hour day without meaning to — and break the coercion rule without knowing it. Not knowing is not a defense. The rules are the dispatcher's job.

Question 4: Whose record gets hit?
A driver runs out of hours on a load dispatch assigned without checking the clock. A roadside inspection happens. Whose records are affected?
  • ○ Only the driver. HOS is the driver's job.
  • ○ Only the carrier.
  • ✓ Both the driver (MVR, CDL points, CSA Driver Fitness) AND the carrier (CSA HOS Compliance score). If FMCSA sees a pattern, the carrier also gets a coercion case.
  • ○ Only the customer.

Why: The driver pays in their MVR and CDL. The carrier pays in CSA scores, broker access, and insurance prices. If FMCSA sees a pattern of dispatch-driven HOS violations, the carrier also faces a coercion case under 49 CFR § 390.6.

Question 5: The right move
Your driver has 1 hour left on the 14-hour clock. The customer's appointment is 90 minutes away. The customer says the appointment cannot move. What do you do?
  • ○ Send the driver and say "push through — it's only 30 minutes over."
  • ✓ Do not send THIS driver. Find another driver with hours. Move the appointment. Or pass on the load.
  • ○ Tell the driver to take their 30-minute break first. That resets the 14-hour clock.
  • ○ Fake the log to give the driver more time.

Why: Push back, not push down. Find a different driver. Move the customer. Or pass on the load. The 30-minute break does NOT reset the 14-hour clock. Once the 14 starts, it runs until the next 10-hour break. Faking the log is fraud. Pushing the driver "just 30 minutes over" is coercion under 49 CFR § 390.6 — and the carrier owns the ticket.

Last modified: Tuesday, 19 May 2026, 8:30 PM