DOT Regulations
KING’S HIGHWAY | LUBBOCK, TX
(Department Of Transportation) DOT requirements state that a driver cannot drive more than 10 hours on a “trip” or be on-duty for more than 15 hours (this includes the driver’s time before he even gets to the group, stops and driving, and the time needed to park, do paperwork and officially be OFF DUTY).
DOT requires a driver to have 8 hours of rest prior to a full day of driving.
If you cannot work your itinerary into these guidelines, you will need to contract for two drivers for that portion of your trip.
EXAMPLES: If you plan a destination that requires the driver to drive 10 hours, the bus and driver will be unavailable when you get to your destination for 8 hours as the driver is required to be off upon arrival.
When making several stops during the trip, the group needs to be careful to plan the ENTIRE day to be UNDER 15 hours. Taking into account that the driver had to begin the day at least an hour before the time of arrival at the pick-up location. The driver had to do pre-trip inspection, drive to the location and wait for the group to depart.
If the group wants to stay out late for a show or other activity, the night before departure, the driver cannot be on-duty (pre-trip inspection) until 8 hours after the post-trip inspection was completed and the driver went off duty the night before.