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Hours of service

Ontario’s hours-of-service regulation governs the maximum driving times and minimum off-duty times of commercial vehicle drivers (bus and truck) who require a Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration (CVOR). They are based on the National Safety Security Code Standard 9.

Drivers must:

  • keep records of their daily driving and other work activities in a set format
  • provide these records to enforcement officials upon request

The regulation contains three basic requirements:

Daily requirement

A driver:

  • must have 10 hours off-duty in a day
  • cannot drive more than 13 hours in a day
  • cannot drive after 14 hours on-duty in a day

Mandatory off-duty time

After a period of at least 8 hours off-duty, a driver cannot:

  • drive more than 13 hours
  • drive after having been on-duty for 14 hours
  • drive after 16 hours has elapsed

Cycle requirement

  • an operator shall designate a cycle for the driver to follow
  • in a period of 7 consecutive days, a driver cannot drive after having been on-duty for 70 hours
  • in a period of 14 consecutive days, a driver cannot drive after having been on-duty for 120 hours

Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Safety Manual, Module 9: Hours of Service

Regulation on Hours of Service and NSC standard