Why Do I Have to Rest Even After a Good Night’s Sleep?
This is the most common question we get on the support line:
“I got plenty of rest last night and started driving this morning, so why is it telling me I need to pull over?”
The answer is simple — it’s about the 24-hour rule.
What Is the 24-Hour Rule?
Every time you take a major rest break (usually 7 hours or more), it starts a new 24-hour period.
But that doesn’t mean the previous 24-hour period disappears.
Let’s say yesterday you started driving at 6:00 AM. That started a 24-hour period. If today you start driving earlier, like 5:00 AM, you are still within the same 24-hour period as yesterday’s driving.
So if you drove a lot yesterday and start early today, the hours you worked yesterday are still counting towards your limit until the 24-hour period from yesterday ends.
Why Is This Confusing?
Many drivers think that once they’ve had a 7-hour rest, they’ve reset everything. That’s only partly true. You’ve started a new 24-hour period, but the previous one is still running.
That means you can have two overlapping 24-hour periods, both counting your driving hours.
What Can You Do?
Look at when you started driving yesterday.
Count 24 hours forward from that time — are you still inside that window?
If yes, then hours you drove yesterday still count today.
That’s why you might be told to rest — you’re approaching your daily hour limit.
Don’t worry — this rule is meant to keep you safe and legal. Once the full 24 hours since yesterday’s start time has passed, you’ll be back to a clean slate.
Want to Know More?
You can learn more from the official source, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR):
