9 Hour Drive From Me (2024)

FAQs

Is a 9 hour drive too long? ›

On a road trip, you should only drive for 9 hours per day to avoid the risks that come with it. If you have more than one driver, you can extend this to 12 hours. However, if you are on the road for the whole day, you may not enjoy the trip. Plan to drive for at most 8 hours if you can.

The DOT 14-hour rule details how long commercial drivers can work during a 24-hour period. The rule dictates that drivers must fit all of their driving time for the day into a 14-hour shift. They must then take a mandatory 10 hours off-duty period after the 14 consecutive hours on duty.

The 11-hour driving limit is defined as the maximum number of hours that a commercial truck driver is allowed to operate their vehicle before they are required to take a mandatory break. This means that a driver can only drive for 11 hours straight before they must take a break of at least 10 consecutive hours.

Hold your head up and don't slouch. Take a break at least every 2 hours. Stop in a place that is safe and well-populated to walk around and stretch. Have 2 cups of a caffeinated drink like coffee, if you can have caffeine.

The best things you can do is to take an aspirin before your trip, make a stop to stretch or walk outside of your car every 1 to 2 hours to get your heart rate and blood pressure up, and do frequent exercises in the car to get your venous blood going.”

What to do on a long car ride by yourself? ›

So, in a ten hour day expect to cover about 600 miles per day assuming that you fill up the gas tank at around 300 miles. You lose maybe 20–30 minutes to use the restroom, get a bite to eat and fill the tank. You will often encur traffic slow downs and even some construction delays.

Stay Alert, Stay Alive

While we do only one quarter of our driving at night, 50% of traffic deaths happen at night. It doesn't matter whether the road is familiar or not, driving at night is always more dangerous. More than 42,000 people were killed in car crashes in 2020, according to Injury Facts.

So, how far is too far when commuting? In general, drives lasting from 30-60 minutes are acceptable to most. Anything longer may start impacting your health, finances and productivity at work. If your drive exceeds this limit, consider relocating or changing jobs.

To keep yourself, your travel partners, and others on the road safe, it is recommended to hit the brakes on your driving time at 8.5 hours per day and no more than that. Adhering to this limit will not only significantly benefit your health and safety but also improve the overall experience of your road trip.

Daily driving limit

You must not drive for more than 10 hours in any working day.

In addition, you should not plan to drive for more than 8 hours per day in total if you're the only one driving. Even if you drive for only 2 hours at a time while taking breaks every 15 minutes, it's dangerous to try to drive for too long at once! Taking turns with another driver is also a good option.