Split Sleeper Berth

Split sleeper berth is a valuable tool for drivers, though it can be a bit confusing at first glance. In the simplified example below, we will walk through how it works.

In the picture above, the driver began a new cycle at midnight, giving him 11 hours to drive. He then:

1. Drove for 5 hours
2. Was in Sleeper Berth for 8 hours

At this point, the 8 hours of sleeper berth will not count against the driver's On-Duty window. The first 5 hours of driving will still count in his shift. The driver will have 6 hours of driving time remaining.

The driver begins again, and drives for the full 6 hours remaining in his shift, and so he no longer has any driving time remaining.

At this point he can either:

1. Go off duty or into the sleeper for 10 hours for a full shift restart and get back all 11 of his driving hours.
2. Go off duty/into the sleeper berth for 2 hours to get back the hours from before his 8 hour sleeper birth.

The driver decides to go with option 2, and utilizes a split sleeper berth. By taking 2 hours off, he is able to recover his initial 5 hours of driving time. Important to note is that he only recovered the driving time before the 8 hour sleeper berth. He now has 5 driving hours remaining in his shift, effectively meaning that his shift started at 1 PM instead of midnight.

Split Sleeper Berth requires one period of Sleeper Berth to be at least 7 hours, and the other to be at least 2 hours, where combined they add to at least 10 hours. However, which comes first does not affect your ability to use a Split Sleeper Berth.