Hours of Service Profiles

An Hours of Service (HOS) profile is the set of rules that governs how long a driver can drive and work before they must rest. Every driver in your fleet has an HOS profile assigned to them, and RouteMate uses that profile to calculate remaining hours, flag violations, and display accurate compliance data across the platform.

Choosing the correct HOS profile for each driver is essential — the wrong profile can lead to inaccurate violation alerts or missed compliance issues.

What HOS Profiles Define

An HOS profile specifies:

The cycle rule (weekly hours limit and reset period).
Whether the driver operates under property-carrying or passenger-carrying rules.
Whether special exemptions like short-haul, adverse driving conditions, Personal Conveyance, or Yard Move apply.

RouteMate enforces these rules automatically once the profile is set, so your drivers see accurate countdowns and alerts on their mobile app, and you see correct compliance data on the web dashboard.

Supported Cycle Rules

RouteMate supports the standard FMCSA cycle rules used in the United States:

Cycle Rule	Description
USA 70 hours / 8 days	The driver may not drive after accumulating 70 hours of on-duty time in any 8 consecutive days. This is the most commonly used cycle for carriers that operate every day of the week.
USA 60 hours / 7 days	The driver may not drive after accumulating 60 hours of on-duty time in any 7 consecutive days. This cycle is typically used by carriers that do not operate every day of the week.

Tip: If you are unsure which cycle applies to your operation, check whether your company operates commercial vehicles 7 days a week. If yes, use the 70/8 cycle. If your operation shuts down one or more days per week, the 60/7 cycle likely applies.

Property-Carrying vs. Passenger-Carrying Rules

The daily driving and duty limits differ depending on the type of cargo:

Rule Set	Max Driving Time	On-Duty Window	Required Break
Property-Carrying	11 hours	14-hour window after coming on duty	30-minute break before the 8th hour of driving
Passenger-Carrying	10 hours	15-hour window after coming on duty	No mandatory 30-minute break

Property-carrying rules apply to trucks hauling freight and goods. Passenger-carrying rules apply to buses and vehicles transporting people.

Note: Most fleet operations in RouteMate use the property-carrying rule set. Only select passenger-carrying if your drivers operate buses or passenger vehicles.

Short-Haul Exception

The short-haul exception is available for drivers who:

Operate within a 150 air-mile radius of their normal work reporting location.
Return to the same reporting location at the end of each shift.
Do not exceed 14 hours on duty in a day.

When the short-haul exception is enabled in a driver’s HOS profile, the driver is not required to keep a Record of Duty Status (RODS) for that day, provided they meet the criteria above. If they exceed the radius or time limits, standard logging requirements apply automatically.

Note: Even with the short-haul exception, time records must still be maintained. RouteMate continues to track on-duty time for weekly cycle calculations.

Personal Conveyance and Yard Move

These two special duty statuses can be enabled or disabled per driver in the HOS profile:

Personal Conveyance (PC)

Personal Conveyance allows a driver to move the commercial vehicle for personal reasons (such as driving to a restaurant or rest area) without it counting as driving time. When enabled, the driver can switch to PC mode on their mobile app.

PC time is recorded as Off Duty for HOS calculations.
The vehicle must be unladen (no freight) during Personal Conveyance.
PC should only be used when the driver is relieved of all work responsibilities.

Yard Move (YM)

Yard Move allows a driver to operate the vehicle within a yard, terminal, or facility without it counting against their driving time. When enabled, the driver can switch to YM mode on their mobile app.

YM time is recorded as On Duty (Not Driving) for HOS calculations.
This is commonly used for moving vehicles around a warehouse lot or distribution center.

Tip: Enabling Personal Conveyance and Yard Move gives your drivers flexibility without penalizing their available driving hours. However, make sure drivers understand when it is appropriate to use each option — misuse can lead to audit issues.

Adverse Driving Conditions Exemption

The adverse driving conditions exemption gives drivers extra driving time when they encounter unexpected weather or road conditions that were not known before the trip began (e.g., sudden snowstorms, road closures, heavy fog).

When this exemption is enabled in the HOS profile:

Property-carrying drivers may extend their maximum driving time by up to 2 hours (from 11 to 13 hours).
The 14-hour on-duty window does not change.
The driver must still comply with the weekly cycle limits.

Note: Adverse driving conditions must be unforeseeable at the start of the trip. Conditions that were known or predicted before departure do not qualify.

Viewing and Editing a Driver’s HOS Profile

To view or change a driver’s HOS profile:

Navigate to Admin > Drivers or open the driver’s profile from any compliance view.
Select the driver whose profile you want to manage.
Open the HOS Profile tab or section.
Review the current settings:
- Cycle rule (70/8 or 60/7)
- Rule type (property-carrying or passenger-carrying)
- Short-haul exception (on or off)
- Personal Conveyance (enabled or disabled)
- Yard Move (enabled or disabled)
- Adverse Driving Conditions (enabled or disabled)
Make any changes as needed.
Click Save.

Changes to the HOS profile take effect going forward. They do not retroactively alter past log entries or violations.

Tip: When onboarding a new driver, setting the correct HOS profile should be one of the first steps. An incorrect profile can cause false violation alerts and confuse the driver from day one.