Can you fuel while off duty?

Off-duty means absolutely no work You have to be completely free of all your work and on-duty tasks. Absolutely no company work is permitted when logging off-duty personal conveyance time. Things like fueling or taking the vehicle in for maintenance are not personal conveyance and must be recorded in your on-duty time.



For commercial pilots and truck drivers in 2026, fueling while "off duty" is generally a violation of safety and logging regulations. According to both the FAA (for pilots) and the FMCSA (for commercial drivers), fueling is considered "On-Duty, Not Driving" work because it is a task directly related to the operation and safety of the vehicle. If a truck driver fuels while their electronic logging device (ELD) shows them as "Off-Duty," they are essentially "falsifying their logs," which can lead to heavy fines, "out-of-service" orders, and negative impacts on their company's safety rating. For pilots, "duty time" includes all time spent performing tasks for the airline, including pre-flight inspections and supervising fueling; trying to fuel while "off the clock" would be a major breach of the Rest Requirements designed to prevent fatigue. In short, any activity that involves the physical maintenance or preparation of the transport vehicle must be recorded as "On-Duty" time to ensure that operators are legally rested and compliant with federal safety standards.

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The only time you're supposed to be allowed to not be on duty while waiting is if you've disconnected from your trailer and are free to leave the customer's property. This is true. You are officially off duty when you are able to shut the truck down, walk away and go see a movie or something.

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Here are some specific activities which are considered to be on duty time: All time spent at a plant, shipping / receiving facility, terminal, or other facility of a motor carrier, unless you are in your sleeper berth or have been relieved of all work related responsibilities.

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This rest period will not count as part of the 14 hours. A second, separate rest period must be at least 2 (but less than 10) consecutive hours long. This period may be spent in the sleeper berth, off duty, or sleeper berth and off duty combined. It does count as part of the 14 hours.

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Off-Duty and Sleeper Berth do NOT go against your 70 hour clock. As soon as you start your day that 14 hour clock will continue ticking. No matter what duty you're on.

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Sleeper Berth Provision Drivers may split their required 10-hour off-duty period, as long as one off-duty period (whether in or out of the sleeper berth) is at least 2 hours long and the other involves at least 7 consecutive hours spent in the sleeper berth. All sleeper berth pairings MUST add up to at least 10 hours.

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Off-duty time includes times when you are relieved of all duty and responsibility for performing work and are free to pursue activities of your own choosing and are free to leave the place where your vehicle is parked.

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TEAM DRIVING FLEXIBILITY They can do 7 and 3 instead. Up to 3 hours in the passenger seat of a moving commercial motor vehicle, immediately before or after 7-consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, can be logged as off-duty time for a 10-consecutive hour break.

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