Understanding and managing your duty status in the Motive Driver App is key to maintaining Hours of Service (HOS) compliance and accurate driver logs. This article explains how to use duty status features to stay compliant and accountable.
Overview
The Motive Driver App helps drivers track and update their duty status in real time, ensuring HOS compliance and preventing violations. The app makes it easy to manage and maintain accurate logs throughout the day.
Key features include:
- Accurate compliance: Keeps your logs up to date, ensuring you stay compliant with HOS regulations and helping prevent violations.
- Easy status changes: Quickly switch between duty statuses such as driving, on duty, off duty, and sleeper berth, making it simple to manage your time.
- Special status support: Includes support for yard move and personal conveyance statuses, offering flexibility for specific driving situations.
- Tamper-proof records: Maintains the accuracy of your logs for audits and inspections, ensuring your records are secure and compliant.
Basics
Duty status shows what you’re doing: driving, resting, or working, and must be updated to meet HOS regulations. Main duty statuses include:
- Off duty: Not working or resting outside the truck.
- Sleeper berth: Resting inside the truck’s sleeper berth.
- Driving: Actively operating the vehicle.
- On duty (not driving): Working without driving (e.g., fueling, inspecting, loading).
Updating your status accurately ensures your logs match your activity.
Changing duty status
Go to the Motive Driver App > tap the Status bar.
Select your current duty status.
- From the Change duty status screen, select the duty status you want to switch to.
Add a note and tap Save.
Editing past duty status
- Go to the Motive Driver App > tap the Status bar.
Tap the date you want to edit.
Select the duty status entry to change and tap Edit.
- Move the slider or select Start Time and End Time.
Add a required annotation explaining the status change and tap Save.
Always include a clear, truthful annotation to meet electronic logging device (ELD) regulations.
Special duty statuses
The app supports special duty statuses for specific situations:
- Yard move: Movement on private property (counts as on duty)
- Personal conveyance: Authorized off-duty travel (counts as off duty)
Switching to special duty statuses
- Go to the Motive Driver App > Status bar > Change your duty status.
Select Yard Move or Personal Conveyance.
If the vehicle idles for about 6 minutes in either mode, it will automatically switch to driving once movement resumes.
Managing automatically recorded drive time
The Driver App automatically switches to driving status when movement is detected.
- Drive time cannot be manually edited or deleted
- To manage unassigned driving time, go to the Logs tab and claim or annotate the segment
This system protects log integrity and helps meet federal compliance rules.
Limitations
Federal regulations prohibit editing automatically recorded drive time. This protects driver safety and ensures logs are tamper-proof.
If you see an error:
- Annotate your log to explain the issue
- Claim unassigned segments that belong to you
- Always change your duty status before driving to avoid errors
FAQs
How do I know which duty status to select?
Choose based on your activity:
- Driving: when operating the vehicle.
- On duty: for work tasks.
- Sleeper berth: when resting in the truck.
- Off duty: when not working.
Can I change my duty status while the vehicle is moving?
No. The vehicle must be fully stopped to change status manually.
What happens if I forget to change my duty status?
You can edit past entries and add an annotation. Drive time cannot be changed.
What’s the difference between yard move and personal conveyance?
Yard move is for work-related movement on private property. Personal conveyance is for approved off-duty personal travel.
Why can’t I edit my drive time?
Federal ELD rules prohibit this. You can add an annotation, but not change the time.
What if I see unassigned driving time in my logs?
Review the segment. Claim it if it’s yours, or annotate it if it’s not.
When can I use Yard Move?
- A Yard Move is a special driving status that allows drivers to move a vehicle without accruing Driving time on their log.
- It can be used for moving vehicles in the yard (for loading / Unloading a load). This time will be recorded as On Duty.
- This is to be used when the driver takes the vehicle for fueling.
- This status should not be used when operating a vehicle on public roads.
Relevant FMSA link: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/taxonomy/term/5686
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