A 34-hour restart resets your weekly HOS cycle after 34 consecutive off-duty hours. Recap hours are hours that become available again as older hours from the previous 7- or 8-day cycle drop off — without requiring a full restart.
Both the 34-hour restart and recap hours affect how much driving time you have available, but they work in different ways.
The 70/60-Hour Weekly Limit
FMCSA regulations cap total on-duty time in a rolling 7-day (or 8-day) period: 70 hours for carriers operating 7 days a week, or 60 hours for carriers operating 6 days or fewer. See hours of service rules explained for the full breakdown.
34-Hour Restart
A 34-hour restart resets your entire weekly on-duty counter back to zero. To qualify, you must take at least 34 consecutive hours completely off duty. After the restart, you begin fresh with your full 70 or 60 hours available.
Use a 34-hour restart when you've used most or all of your weekly hours and need a complete reset before a demanding week of driving.
Recap Hours
Recap works without any restart. As each day from 7 (or 8) days ago drops off your rolling cycle, the on-duty hours you used that day return to your available pool. For example, if you worked 10 hours exactly 7 days ago, those 10 hours become available again today at midnight.
Recap happens automatically — the Route One ELD app shows how many hours you'll gain tomorrow. See where to view recap hours in the driver app.
Key Difference
- **34-hour restart**: deliberate and complete — requires 34+ consecutive off-duty hours, resets the full weekly counter. - **Recap hours**: automatic and partial — happens daily as old hours age off the rolling window, no action required.
Most drivers use recap for day-to-day scheduling and only take a 34-hour restart when the cycle is fully exhausted.