Split Sleeper Berth – Samsara Development Sandbox

As part of their Hours of Service reporting, drivers may spend some of their rest period in a sleeper berth.

Drivers record rest time in sleeper berths using the Samsara Driver App. You can review sleeper berth time in the daily log for the driver.

The rules that dictate the amount of time and conditions for rest periods in a sleeper berth vary by region.

Split Sleeper Berth Rules (United States)
Split Sleeper Berth Rules (Canada)

Split Sleeper Berth Rules (United States)

Drivers may split their 10-hour required shift reset period into two periods, provided that one is at least a 7-hour split sleeper berth (SB) period and the other is at least a 2-hour off-duty SB period.

These two periods must add up to 10 hours. Neither time will count against the shift time when the second period is completed. By default, Samsara calculates shift points and removes potential violations after both periods are met. To proactively pause shift clocks between shifts, drivers can enable Split Sleeper Toggle.

Other SB considerations include:

One period must be at least 2 hours and can be spent in the sleeper berth, off-duty, or personal conveyance (or a combination of the three).
The other period must be at least 7 hours and can only be taken in the sleeper berth.
The two breaks can be taken in any order and by completing both the periods, the 14-hour driving window is re-started from the end of the first split period, but not until after the second period is completed.
After completing both periods, neither period will count towards the driving window (Shift).
The 2+ off duty hours will not pause the shift clock unless it is paired with an appropriate 7+ hour SB period at a later time. Drivers should be aware of violations that may be present before the second split sleeper period is achieved.
If a driver takes an 7+ hour SB period first and then the 2+ hour off-duty period, the off-duty period will not be counted towards the shift in real time. There is no limit to how long each period can be. If a driver's "short" 2+ hour period is 9 hours, then that 9 hours will not be counted towards the shift.
Because the 14-hour driving window does not restart after the end of the second period, the split sleeper berth is not a full 10-hour reset; it simply moves the start time of the 14-hour driving window.
A driver is able to continuously run with split sleeper. When the Shift re-calculation point happens at the end of the first split sleeper period, the second split period can be paired with a third period, moving the Shift calculation period again. For example:

For example, if a driver has 3 hours of Off Duty, then 7 hours of SB time at a later point, the Shift moves forward to the end of the 3 hour period. A new Shift starts because of SB time. Then a driver has a later 3 hour Off Duty period. This 3 hour Off Duty period would pair with the earlier 7 hours of SB time, and split sleeper berth time would recalculate the Shift again, this time at the end of the 7 hours of SB.

Drivers select SB time in the Samsara Driver App. Each status change is visible in the Driver HOS Report:

9/29 Rules: Driver App (Point 2)

14 Shift Limit - 6:15 Drive - 0:13 ON = ~7:30 Shift remaining (Note: 3 OFF does not impact Shift Remaining)

11 Drive Limit - 6:15 Drive = ~4:45 Drive remaining

FAQs

My driver is taking 2+ hours of Off Duty, but this is not pausing their Shift clock. Why is that?

Samsara removes this period from the shift when both split sleeper periods have been taken and add up to 10 hours.

By default, Samsara has pessimistic clocks meaning that the system does not assume that a driver will take a split sleeper period at a later time. However, drivers can proactively pause their clocks when attempting to split sleeper using the Split Sleeper toggle.

Many drivers take a 2+ hour break without attempting split sleeper. If Samsara were to pause the Shift clock before the later split sleeper period was met, then the system would possibly hide active violations. Samsara is taking a conservative approach to enable drivers to avoid driving in violation before they take a later 7+ SB period. When this later period is taken, Samsara will recalculate the Shift and remove any violations that are no longer relevant. The system will also remove both split sleeper periods from the shift, per the new rule. Drivers should make sure to annotate the first Off Duty period to indicate the intention to use split sleeper.

Why do periods of 10+ hours count as eligible split sleeper periods? That wasn't the case in the old rules. Can you explain this?

The regulation prior to 9/29/2020 explicitly called out that split sleeper periods could be no longer than 10 hours. They have since removed this language from the regulation, as the desire is to make 10+ hour periods (both Sleeper Berth and Off Duty) eligible segments.

Note

This does not count for 10+ hour segments that occur BEFORE a driver's shift. See below example.

Pre 9/29/2020 Regulation

Post 9/29/2020 Regulation

(D) Must exclude from the calculation of the 14-hour period in § 395.3(a)(2) any sleeper-berth period of at least 8 but less than 10 consecutive hours.
(ii) Specific requirements. The following rules apply in determining compliance with paragraph (g)(1)(i) of this section:
- (A) The term “equivalent of at least 10 consecutive hours off duty” means a period of
- (1) At least 8 but less than 10 consecutive hours in a sleeper berth, and
- (2) A separate period of at least 2 but less than 10 consecutive hours either in the sleeper berth or off duty, or any combination thereof.

(ii) Sleeper berth. A driver may accumulate the equivalent of at least 10 consecutive hours off-duty by taking not more than two periods of either sleeper berth time or a combination of off-duty time and sleeper berth time if:
- (A) Neither rest period is shorter than 2 consecutive hours;
- (B) One rest period is at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth;
- (C) The total of the two periods is at least 10 hours;

Example:

Eligible split sleeper: 2 Drive, 3 OFF, 5 Drive, 10 SB -& 10 SB pairs with earlier 3 OFF

Non-eligible split sleeper: 10+ SB, 2 Drive, 3 OFF -& the 3 OFF needs a later 7+ SB to be discounted from the shift

My drivers seem to still have Drive or Shift violations after split sleeper has been achieved. Why is that?

The regulation under §395.1(g)(1)(ii)(D) states: (D) Driving time in the period immediately before and after each rest period, when added together:

(1) Does not exceed 11 hours under §395.3(a)(3); and
(2) Does not violate the 14-hour duty-period limit under §395.3(a)(2).

A violation will show if the driver has more than 11 hours of driving and/or has driven over the 14 hour shift limit on each side of the qualifying break. For example, the driver below has 12 hours of driving (when added together) on each side of the first split sleeper period. This will result in a 1 hour driving violation. Split sleeper is still achieved in this example, and the 3 hour Off Duty period is not counted towards the driver's overall Shift time.

How does Samsara handle multiple qualifying breaks?

If there are multiple qualifying short split sleeper periods, Samsara selects the most recent one to provide the driver a more recent shift start time. This gives the driver more available hours after split sleeper is achieved.

What happens if a driver is pulled over for a roadside inspection and has yet to complete the second split sleeper break?

Inspecting officers will take eventual split sleeper periods into consideration when evaluating HOS logs. If there is time in violation that would be forgiven by a split sleeper scenario, then an officer should not cite the driver. See FMCSA FAQ.

Set the Split Sleeper Toggle (for Drivers)

To proactively pause shift clocks during split sleeper berth conditions, you can enable the Split Sleeper Toggle in the Samsara Driver App.

To enable the Split Sleeper Toggle:

Log in to the Samsara Driver App.
Tap HOS > HOS settings and enable Split Sleeper Toggle.

An option displays under the HOS dials after you have completed one eligible split sleeper period in your shift:

When you enable the option, the shift pauses after the first eligible period until your status changes to On Duty. Samsara displays a note in the HOS log; however, Samsara recommends that you manually add a remark to the log to help during a roadside inspection to clarify the split sleeper scenario.

In the Samsara dashboard, your fleet administrator can see your split sleeper toggle in your driver log:

Split Sleeper Berth Rules (Canada)

Drivers in Canada following the federal Hours of Service regulations are permitted to split their off-duty time into multiple Sleeper Berth (SB) periods. This is referred to as the split-sleeper berth provision. Unlike in the United States, both off-duty periods must be taken in SB status. Daily driving limits still apply, but there are also a variety of different rules that depend on the driver's current operating zone and whether the driver is operating on their own or as part of a team:

Table 1. Split Sleeper Berth Rules for Canada North

Driver Status

Rules

Single Driver

Total time spent in SB status must be at least 8 hours
Each SB period must be >= 2 hours; therefore, possible eligible splits are 2/6, 3/5, and 4/4.
The driving time in the periods before and after each of the SB periods cannot exceed 15 hours
The elapsed time before and after each SB period cannot include any driving time after the 18th hour (including non-qualifying off duty periods)
Deferral of Off Duty exemption cannot be claimed at the same time as utilizing split sleeper

Team Driver

Each SB period must be >= 4 hours and each team driver must be logged in for the full duration of both SB periods
The driving time in the periods before and after each of the SB periods cannot exceed 15 hours
The elapsed time before and after each SB period cannot include any driving time after the 18th hour (including non-qualifying off duty periods)
Deferral of Off Duty exemption cannot be claimed at the same time as utilizing split sleeper

Table 2. Split Sleeper Berth Rules for Canada South