A common misconception among Colorado truck drivers is that they need a restart to gain more hours. In fact, a recap is all you need. The idea of a recap began in the 1920s to maintain compliance of the 70 hours in 8 days or 60 hours in 7 days rules. It was initiated when drivers had to haul cargo across the country and needed substantial rest after making their deadline.
With today’s schedules, drivers don’t travel as far to deliver loads, but they still need rest. There is minimal chance that a Colorado Truck driver will hit more than 70 hours in 8 days or 60 hours in 7 days. But, almost every truck driver would rather run a full shift with a day off than deal with the rules of a 34-hour restart, which requires 2 consecutive days off between 1 am and 5 pm. A recap is a rolling continuum that ensures maximum profitability and keeps you from losing good driving hours.
The good news is the original recap rule has never changed and can still be used today.
For example, let’s say you work the following schedule:
- Mon – 8.5 hours
- Tue – 11.5 hours
- Wed – 10 hours
- Thu – 11 hours
- Fri – 10.5 hours
- Sat – 9.5 hours
- Sun – 0 hours
That would give you a 61-hour total for 7 days, leaving 9 hours to work on the 8th day, which would be Monday. On midnight Monday you gain hours because the hours worked on the previous Monday are dropped to keep you under 70 hours in 8 days. No restart needed! Just a nice day off on Sunday.
You could also work a 9-hour shift on Sunday and take off Monday. The only time you need to take the 34-hour break is when you hit 70 hours in less than 8 days. Even if you only have 3 hours left within an 8-day span, you could start working at 9 p.m. one day and keep driving through the night because you gained hours at midnight.
What do you think? Would you rather run a full shift with a day off or deal with the rules of a 34-hour restart?