Team schedules and the off-duty window (2026)
Two people in one truck can keep the truck moving while one of them sleeps. That only works if each person's duty time is their own. A team does not get to average two logbooks into one friendly number. The hours-of-service note links the US and Canadian official texts. Read those. Leave the arithmetic and the sleeper-berth split to those texts.
The photo is a Hino cab. It is not a picture of a team operation and not a claim about that truck's rules.
What you can plan
You can plan the human part.
- Who is in the driver's seat for the next block, and who is in the bunk.
- A handoff that includes the mirrors, the brakes, the route, and anything the shipper said. Do it parked.
- Overlap where both of you are awake for food, a walk, or a problem. The bunk page is how the sleeper works while one of you is down.
- A backup if the person who was supposed to drive is not fit to drive. The truck waits. It does not collect a favor from the other person's remaining hours.
Write the handoff in plain words. "You are up at this stop" is a plan. "We will just switch whenever" is how both people end up tired in a shipper line.
What you cannot plan on this page
You cannot plan a legal driving window by dividing a route. US property-carrying limits and Canada's cycles are different, exemptions exist, and a team does not erase either set. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's summary and the Canadian hours-of-service regulations are linked from the hours page. Electronic logs are the ELD note. Each driver uses the device and the rules that apply to that driver.
Do not ask the other person to "finish your hours." Do not treat on-duty time in the passenger seat as a loophole this page will explain. If you do not know whether a task is on-duty, ask the carrier and read the regulation. Do not guess.
Appointments still exist. A receiver that opens at a set time does not add hours to a clock. If the only way to make the door is to drive past a limit, you are not making the door. Tell dispatch while you still have a choice.
Swipe this table sideways. The page stays put, and the first column stays visible.
| You can decide | You cannot get from this page |
|---|---|
| Who drives the next parked handoff | A legal number of hours left |
| When both of you are awake | A sleeper-berth split |
| Who calls dispatch if the plan breaks | Permission to share one clock |
| How dark and quiet the bunk is | An exemption |
Who is driving, decided while you are both awake
Decide who is in the seat and who is in the bunk before you are both tired. Write it where you can both see it: a note on the clipboard, not a memory. The hours rules are on the official pages linked from the hours guide. This note does not add your lines or tell you that a plan is legal. It does not split one clock across two people. Each driver has a log. The carrier and the regulation say how those logs work. If you are unsure, ask the carrier before you roll, not after a scale.
The handoff happens parked. Brake set, a place you are allowed to be, the walking path clear if someone gets out. The parking checks still matter at midnight. Wake the sleeper the way you agreed: a word or a knock they can hear, not a cabin light in the face. Earplugs come out before the person who was down takes the wheel. The shared bunk page is light, noise, and the exit.
Fuel, food, and the folder are part of the handoff, not a surprise for the person who just woke up. Say what is left in the tanks if you know it, where the bills are, and whether the next door is a time you already called about. The reefer appointment page is that call. The unit stays at setpoint while you swap. Do not shut it off for a quieter handoff.
Power is one bank and two routines. Add both loads. The shared power page and the planner are the arithmetic. A CPAP, a fridge, and two laptops do not each get a private battery. If the starting bank also has to crank the truck in the morning, it is a poor only plan for a long engine-off stretch.
Skip a hero plan where one person "just drives a bit more," a speaker to keep the awake person company, and any gift or gadget that blocks the aisle. Look at the clock you each have, then park and swap. The long way with a legal handoff beats a clever shortcut you cannot explain.
| Decide while parked | Leave alone |
|---|---|
| Who sleeps and who drives | A split of one clock |
| How you wake the sleeper | A light in the face |
| Where the papers and the next door time are | A search after the swap |
| Both electrical loads | Two private guesses at the same battery |
| The reefer setpoint | Shutting the unit off to talk |
Conclusion
Share the seat on a plan you both understand. Leave the clock to the regulation and the log. This page is the conversation, not the compliance tool.
FAQ
Can two drivers split one 11-hour or 13-hour driving limit?
No. Each driver has their own duty rules. This page does not calculate those rules. Use the official texts linked from the hours guide.
Does a team need a special ELD?
Use the device your carrier assigned, and confirm it is legal for the country you are in. The ELD page explains why a US listing is not automatically a Canadian certification.
What if my co-driver is too tired to take the seat?
The truck stays parked. Their clock is not your extra time.