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    Truck transit time calculator: an ETA that follows the hours-of-service rules

    Enter the miles, your real average speed, when you start and the hours you've already used. The calculator lays the trip out day by day with breaks, fuel stops and 10-hour rests, then checks the arrival against the appointment.

    The trip, hour by hour (one row per day)
    EXAMPLE trip, use yours
    • Driving
    • 30-min break
    • Fuel / inspection
    • 10 hours off
    • Appointment
    mi
    mph

    Real average, not the speed limit

    mi
    min

    Hours already used before you start

    h
    h
    h

    Delivery appointment

    Estimated arrival

    Day 3, 01:37

    43 h 37 m door to door: 22 h 07 m driving, 2 ten-hour rests, plus breaks and fuel stops.

    11 h 37 m after the appointment. Call ahead or start earlier.

    Rules used: 11 hours driving within a 14-hour window after 10 hours off; 30 minutes after 8 hours of driving (49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)). Weekly limits, traffic and weather are not modeled.

    At the receiverExample times
    1. ARRIVED01:37
    2. CHECKED OUT03:37
    3. APPOINTMENT14:00
    Free time 2h 00m Billable 0h 00m

    $0 detention at $50/hr after 2 free hours.

    Terms come from your rate con. This is the math, not a promise that a broker pays.

    Clock start 01:37.

    Arrive day 3 at 01:37 on these numbers. Our dispatchers check appointments against your hours before an offer reaches you, and you approve every load.

    Get loads that fit my hours

    A good ETA is one you can actually make. This truck transit time calculator builds the trip the way the hours-of-service rules will: driving in blocks, a 30-minute break after 8 hours behind the wheel, fuel stops, and a 10-hour rest whenever the driving limit or the on-duty window runs out. The tachograph strip shows each day as a 24-hour bar, so you can see where the night falls and whether the appointment is realistic.

    The rules it follows

    For property-carrying drivers, federal rules allow 11 hours of driving and no driving after the 14th hour on duty, both reset by 10 consecutive hours off duty. A driver needs a break of 30 minutes after 8 hours of driving, which can be off duty, in the sleeper or on duty not driving. That's why a 30-minute fuel stop also counts as the break.

    Sources: 49 CFR 395.3(a)(3), checked October 2026; 49 CFR 395.3(a)(2), checked October 2026; 49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii), checked October 2026 The calculator is an estimate, not a log.

    How it is calculated

    1. Drive until the next limit: 8 hours since the last break, 11 hours of driving, the 14-hour window, or the next fuel stop.
    2. Stop for whatever limit was reached: a 30-minute break, a fuel stop, or 10 hours off.
    3. Repeat until the miles run out. Breaks and fuel stops use up the 14-hour window; the 10-hour rest resets it.
    4. Arrival = start time + every drive, break, fuel stop and rest.

    Hours you've already used before the trip count from the start, so a driver who has driven 6 hours today gets a rest much sooner.

    A worked example

    700 miles, one driverExample

    1. 06:00Start, fresh after 10 hours off, 50 mph average
    2. 14:008 hours driven, 400 miles: 30-minute break
    3. 17:3011 hours driven, 550 miles: 10 hours off
    4. 03:30Day 2: back on the road for the last 150 miles
    5. 06:30Day 2: arrive, 24 h 30 m after the start

    That's a simplified EXAMPLE without fuel stops. Put in your own miles, speed and hours used.

    How to read the result

    If the arrival lands before the appointment, you have a buffer for traffic and weather. Mountain passes need a bigger one in winter; our Pacific Northwest dispatch page shows how we plan around closures. A small buffer on a long trip is a risk: one slow city or one late load at the shipper wipes it out. If the arrival is after the appointment, start earlier, take the 10-hour rest closer to the receiver, or ask the receiver to move the appointment before you accept the load. The DockClock under the result shows what happens at the receiver once you arrive, including when detention would start on your terms.

    ETA habits that keep brokers calling back

    • Quote the ETA with the rest built in. An arrival that ignores the 10-hour rest is a promise you can't keep legally.
    • Update early. A call two hours before you're late is a schedule change; a call after the appointment is a missed load.
    • Add the pickup time. If the shipper loads slowly, your clock starts later than planned. Re-run the calculator from the real departure.
    • Plan the rest stop. Know where you'll park for the 10 hours before you leave; parking near receivers fills early.
    • Keep the strip. The copy link saves the plan, so you can show the broker how the ETA was built.

    Scheduling around appointments

    Receivers set appointments in their own systems, and they aren't always flexible. Our guide to freight scheduling software (coming soon) explains how those appointment windows work. If a late delivery leads to damage or a dispute, the freight claim filing deadlines chart (coming soon) shows the dates that matter.

    Related calculators

    Time-critical freight lives on realistic ETAs. Our expedited dispatch team checks every appointment against your available hours before an offer reaches you, and you approve every load. Send an application.

    Questions about this calculator

    How do you calculate a full truckload transit time?
    Divide the miles by a realistic average moving speed to get driving hours, then add the stops the rules require: a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, a 10-hour rest whenever the 11-hour driving limit or the 14-hour window runs out, plus fuel and inspection stops. The calculator places each one on a day-by-day timeline.
    What does ETA mean in trucking?
    ETA means estimated time of arrival: when the truck is expected at the pickup or delivery. Brokers and receivers ask for it on check calls, and a realistic one protects your appointment. Give an ETA that already includes your breaks and rest, then update it early if traffic, weather or a slow shipper changes it.
    Is this a freight transit time calculator for any mode?
    It's for trucks driven by one driver under the federal property-carrying hours-of-service rules. Team drivers move faster because one can drive while the other rests. Rail and intermodal transit times follow the railroad's own schedules and terminal cutoffs, so ask the rail carrier or the intermodal provider for those.
    What average speed should I use?
    Use your real average moving speed, not the speed limit. Traffic, hills, cities, construction and weather pull it down, so many drivers plan well below highway speed for a long trip. Check your ELD or past trips on similar lanes. A speed that's too high gives an ETA you can't make.
    Does the calculator include the weekly hours limits?
    No. It models the daily limits: 11 hours of driving, the 14-hour window, the 30-minute break and the 10-hour rest. The weekly on-duty limits and the restart depend on the hours you worked over the past several days, so check your ELD for hours available before you promise an ETA near the end of your week.