Harvest
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Time Card Calculator for Trucking

Truckers face unique challenges with hours of service regulations and complex pay structures. Harvest helps by offering precise time tracking and expense management solutions.

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How many hours did you work this week?

Enter your clock-in and clock-out times for each day. The calculator handles breaks, overtime, and weekly totals automatically.

Day Clock In Clock Out Break Hours
Total hours this week 0h
Regular hours (≤40) 0h
Overtime hours 0h
Average hours/day 0h
Total break time 0h

Track time automatically with Harvest

Walk through the entire flow below. Start a timer, check your reports, and create a real invoice — all in three clicks.

Go ahead — start tracking!

One click and you're timing. Try it right here: start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Harvest.

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Understanding Hours of Service (HOS) Regulations for Truckers

The Hours of Service (HOS) regulations are essential for ensuring the safety and efficiency of truck drivers. Enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT), these rules limit driving to a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty, and include a 14-hour on-duty window. This window accounts for all work-related activities, not just driving, and cannot be extended by breaks. Additionally, drivers must take a 30-minute break after 8 cumulative hours of driving.

Harvest can support these regulations by allowing truckers to log their time accurately, ensuring compliance with HOS limits. The platform’s one-click timers and manual time entry options make it easy to track driving, rest, and break periods. Furthermore, its detailed reporting capabilities enable drivers and managers to monitor compliance with these rules, including the 60/70-hour limits and the 34-hour restart, ensuring that work schedules align with federal mandates.

Navigating Truck Driver Compensation: Pay Structures and Overtime

Truck driver compensation is complex, with payment structures varying widely across the industry. Common methods include cents per mile (CPM), hourly rates, and percentage of load, each with unique implications for earnings. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Motor Carrier Act exemption often exclude truck drivers from overtime pay, but state-specific laws can override these exemptions, requiring careful consideration by employers.

Harvest can streamline payroll calculations by tracking both time and expenses accurately. While Harvest does not specifically address mileage-based pay, its flexible time tracking and expense management features can be adapted to handle different compensation models. For instance, drivers can log hours worked, including non-driving duties like loading and unloading, and track expenses such as fuel. This ensures that all work time is accounted for, providing transparency and accuracy in payroll processes.

Mastering Time Management and Recap Hours on the Road

Efficient time management is crucial for truck drivers, who must navigate regulatory constraints alongside unpredictable factors like traffic and weather. Recap hours—hours from previous weeks that can be added back into the current cycle—help maximize available driving time without requiring a 34-hour reset. Understanding and managing these hours can be challenging but is essential for optimizing driving schedules.

Harvest offers tools that can assist drivers in managing their time effectively. By using its time tracking features, drivers can log their duty status in real-time, ensuring that they remain within HOS limits. Additionally, the platform’s detailed reporting can help analyze time usage patterns, enabling better planning and use of recap hours. This helps drivers make informed decisions about when to rest and when to drive, ultimately improving productivity and compliance.

Payroll and Time Tracking for Trucking Businesses: Tools and Best Practices

For trucking businesses, accurate payroll and time tracking are critical. Specialized tools can simplify these processes, ensuring precise settlements and compliance with both federal and state regulations. Trucking-specific payroll software often automates calculations, accommodating various compensation structures and per diem payments.

While Harvest is not designed exclusively for trucking, its robust time and expense tracking capabilities can be effectively utilized for many industry needs. By allowing detailed logging of all work hours and expenses, including those related to travel and vehicle maintenance, Harvest supports transparent payroll processes. Additionally, its integration capabilities with other software solutions ensure a seamless flow of information, enhancing the efficiency of back-office operations.

Time Card Tracking with Harvest

See how Harvest can manage trucking hours and expenses, ensuring DOT compliance and streamlined payroll.

Screenshot of Harvest time tracking for trucking

Time Card Calculator for Trucking FAQs

  • A time card calculator for trucking should include features that support Hours of Service (HOS) compliance, such as tracking the 11-hour driving and 14-hour on-duty limits. It should also handle breaks, recap hours, and provide detailed reports for payroll calculations.

  • To ensure compliance with DOT regulations, use a time card calculator that accurately tracks driving hours, breaks, and on-duty times. Tools like Harvest can help by providing detailed reports and reminders for required breaks, ensuring adherence to HOS rules.

  • Yes, a good time card calculator will handle trucking-specific overtime and breaks. While many truck drivers are exempt from federal overtime, state laws may require overtime calculations. Tracking tools like Harvest can log hours and breaks to ensure compliance with such requirements.

  • Many time card calculators offer integration capabilities with payroll software. Harvest, for instance, integrates with platforms like QuickBooks and Xero, allowing for seamless data transfer and accurate payroll processing.

  • Yes, Harvest supports the tracking of specific expenses, including fuel, through its expense tracking feature with receipt capture. This helps in managing travel-related expenses effectively.

  • Harvest can track time spent on specific tasks such as loading and unloading through its flexible time tracking features, allowing for accurate recording of work hours.

  • The 34-hour restart allows drivers to reset their 7-day or 8-day duty cycle by taking a continuous 34-hour off-duty period. This helps drivers start fresh with a new cycle of available hours.

  • Recap hours are hours from previous weeks that roll back into the current cycle, allowing drivers to extend their available driving time without a 34-hour reset. Managing these hours effectively helps optimize driving schedules.

  • Harvest offers a free 30-day trial with no credit card required, allowing users to explore its features without commitment. After the trial, subscription plans are available.