Canada's split sleeper berth rules, explained with real log examples

In Canada, a solo driver can split the 10 hours of daily rest into two sleeper berth periods. Each period has to be at least 2 hours, and together they have to add up to at least 10 hours. Team drivers can split 8 hours into two berth periods of at least 4 hours each. They still need 2 more hours off duty that day. If you do the split right, the berth time stops counting against the 16-hour clock, and that can give your driver up to 2 more hours of legal driving.

The rules are in sections 18 and 19 of the federal Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (SOR/2005-313). Here's what they mean on a real log, as of November 2026.

The solo driver rule, one line at a time

Section 18 lets a solo driver in a truck with a sleeper berth meet the daily rest rules with no more than two periods, as long as all of these are true:

• Each period is at least 2 hours.
• The two periods add up to at least 10 hours.
• Both are spent resting in the sleeper berth. Off-duty time in a restaurant, motel or the driver's seat doesn't count toward the split.
• 13-hour driving check: driving in the stretch right before a berth period plus the stretch right after it can't go over 13 hours.
• 14-hour on-duty check: that same before-plus-after stretch can't include any driving after the 14th hour on duty.
• 16-hour elapsed check: no driving after the 16th hour since the driver came on duty. Qualifying berth periods don't count toward the 16.
• No deferral. A driver who is splitting can't push 2 hours of off-duty time to the next day.

The daily limits still apply on top of all this. The driver can't go over 13 hours of driving or 14 hours on duty in the day, and needs at least 10 hours off duty. The CCMTA Hours of Service Application Guide is the guide inspectors use, and it walks through these checks step by step.

How the 16-hour clock changes during a split

Here's why the split matters. Normally, every minute after your driver comes on duty counts toward the 16-hour window, including a long lunch or a wait at the receiver. Under the split, a qualifying berth period comes off that clock.

The regulation spells out what still counts toward the 16 hours:

• All on-duty time
• All off-duty time not spent in the berth
• Any berth period shorter than 2 hours (4 hours for teams)
• Any berth period that doesn't pair up with a second period to make the full total

So a 90-minute nap in the berth helps the driver feel better, but it doesn't stop the 16-hour clock. The same goes for a 3-hour berth period that never pairs with a 7-hour one later.

Example 1: A 4-and-6 split around a receiver appointment

A solo driver comes on duty at 6:00 a.m. The receiver won't take the load until 5:00 p.m.

Time	Status	Hours
6:00–7:00 a.m.	On duty (pre-trip, paperwork)	1
7:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.	Driving	6
1:00–5:00 p.m.	Sleeper berth	4
5:00 p.m.–midnight	Driving	7
Midnight–6:00 a.m.	Sleeper berth	6

The checks:

• Berth periods: 4 + 6 = 10 hours, and both are over 2 hours. ✅
• Driving around the first berth period: 6 + 7 = 13. ✅
• On duty around it: 1 + 6 + 7 = 14, with no driving after the 14th hour. ✅
• Elapsed time, not counting the 4-hour berth period: 14 hours. ✅

Without the split: say the same 4 hours were logged as plain off duty. Then the 16-hour clock runs out at 10:00 p.m. The driver gets 5 hours of driving after the break instead of 7, and the truck stops 2 hours short.

The catch is the next morning. The 6-hour berth period now has its own before-and-after check. The driver already drove 7 hours before it, so only 6 hours of driving are left after it (7 + 6 = 13). To get a full day back, the driver needs another berth period that pairs with the 6 hours, or a normal reset of at least 8 hours in a row off duty. Many dispatchers miss this. A split is a chain, and every link has its own check.

Example 2: Same day, but the short break is logged wrong

A solo driver comes on duty at 6:00 a.m. and does an hour of on-duty work. They drive from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., then take 3 hours at a truck stop restaurant from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., logged as off duty. They drive again from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m. and then sleep 7 hours in the berth.

The driver thinks the 3 hours and the 7 hours make a split, because 3 + 7 = 10. They don't. The 3 hours weren't in the berth, so they stay on the 16-hour clock. The window closed at 10:00 p.m., so the last hour of driving is a violation.

If the driver had logged those same 3 hours as sleeper berth and actually rested in the berth, the split would work. Driving would be 6 + 7 = 13, on duty would be 14, and elapsed time would be 14. Same truck, same hours, but a clean log instead of a violation.

This is the biggest difference from the US. Under US rules, the short period can be off duty. In Canada it can't.

How the team split works

Section 19 gives teams more room. A team can split 8 hours of berth time into two periods of at least 4 hours each. The 13-hour driving, 14-hour on-duty and 16-hour elapsed checks work the same way. For teams, berth periods under 4 hours stay on the 16-hour clock.

Teams have two catches:

1. Each driver still needs 10 hours off duty in the day. The CCMTA guide says team drivers have to take at least 2 hours off duty outside the 8-hour split. Off-duty periods of 30 minutes or more can count toward those 2 hours.
2. The passenger seat is on duty. The federal definition of on-duty time includes riding as a co-driver when you're not in the sleeper berth. A co-driver riding up front while the truck moves isn't resting under Canadian rules, so that time can't be the "other 2 hours."

The simple fix is to plan berth periods that add up to 10 hours, not 8. That covers the split and the daily 10 hours in one go.

Example 3: A 6-on, 6-off team rotation

Driver A comes on duty at 6:00 a.m. Driver B is in the berth.

• Driver A: 30 minutes of pre-trip, then drives 6:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Sleeper berth 12:30–6:30 p.m. Drives 6:30 p.m.–12:30 a.m. Sleeper berth 12:30–6:30 a.m.
• Driver B: the same pattern, shifted 6 hours, so B drives while A sleeps.

Check Driver A. The berth periods are 6 + 6 = 12 hours, both over 4. Driving around each berth period is 6 + 6 = 12. On duty is 12.5 and elapsed time is 12.5. Each driver gets more than 10 hours off duty a day, so the extra 2 hours are covered. The truck rolls about 24 hours a day, and each driver drives about 12 of them.

Don't forget the cycle. At about 12.5 on-duty hours a day, each driver burns through a 70-hour Cycle 1 in under 6 days. If you're not sure which cycle your teams should run, see our guide to Canada HOS Cycle 1 vs Cycle 2.

Canada vs US split sleeper, side by side

Cross-border teams switch rulebooks at the border. The FMCSA's cross-border hours of service Q&A confirms the US and Canadian split rules aren't the same.

Rule	Canada: solo driver	Canada: team	United States (FMCSA)
Shortest period	2 hours	4 hours	2 hours (other period at least 7 hours in berth)
Total of both periods	10 hours	8 hours, plus 2 more off duty in the day	10 hours
Where the short period can be spent	Sleeper berth only	Sleeper berth only	Berth or off duty
Driving limit around the periods	13 hours	13 hours	11 hours
What the split pauses	16-hour elapsed clock	16-hour elapsed clock	14-hour window
Passenger seat time	On duty	On duty	Up to 3 hours can count as off duty next to a 7+ hour berth period
Deferral allowed with split	No	No	No deferral option

For the full list of differences, see our US vs Canada HOS cheat sheet. If your drivers cross the border every week, planning for both rulebooks is part of running cross-border trucking software that fits how you work.

Mistakes that get logs flagged

• Short break logged as off duty. It has to be sleeper berth status, and the driver has to actually be in the berth.
• Periods that don't add up. 3 + 6 = 9 is not a split. The 3 hours go back on the 16-hour clock.
• Berth periods under the minimum. For solo drivers, 1 hour 45 minutes doesn't count toward a split, though it can still count toward daily off-duty time.
• Deferring and splitting together. The regulation doesn't allow it.
• Treating the passenger seat as rest on a team run. In Canada, that's on-duty time.
• Forgetting the next link in the chain. After the second berth period, the driver only gets back whatever driving is left from the stretch before it.
• Using a "berth" that isn't one. The berth has to meet the standards in Schedule 1 of the regulations. Fold-down seats don't qualify.

North of 60° latitude, sections 41 and 42 set different numbers. Carriers that never leave their province follow provincial rules, which may differ, so check yours.

What dispatch should check before planning a split

Federally regulated carriers have to use certified ELDs. Transport Canada says ELD enforcement started in January 2023. That means inspectors can see a bad split right away. Most certified ELDs have a Canadian split sleeper setting. Make sure it's turned on for each driver, and that drivers know to pick sleeper berth status, not off duty.

On the dispatch side, the real risk is booking a load that only works if the driver splits perfectly. Before you promise a delivery time, check three things. Will the berth periods add up to 10 (or 8 plus 2 for teams)? Will driving around each period stay under 13? What does the driver have left after the second period? A broken split at 2:00 a.m. means a missed appointment and maybe an out-of-service order.

This gets harder when the driver's hours live in the ELD app and the load lives in a spreadsheet or a group chat. TorqueAI connects with most major ELDs, so the person planning the load sees the same hours the driver is logging.