diff --git a/client/allocrunner/alloc_runner.go b/client/allocrunner/alloc_runner.go
index 2179dcf2d0a..65b57876c39 100644
--- a/client/allocrunner/alloc_runner.go
+++ b/client/allocrunner/alloc_runner.go
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ func (ar *allocRunner) initTaskRunners(tasks []*structs.Task) error {
 			StateDB:               ar.stateDB,
 			StateUpdater:          ar,
 			Consul:                ar.consulClient,
-			VaultClient:           ar.vaultClient,
+			Vault:                 ar.vaultClient,
 			PluginSingletonLoader: ar.pluginSingletonLoader,
 		}
 
@@ -181,17 +181,61 @@ func (ar *allocRunner) Run() {
 	ar.destroyedLock.Lock()
 	defer ar.destroyedLock.Unlock()
 
+	// Run should not be called after Destroy is called. This is a
+	// programming error.
 	if ar.destroyed {
-		// Run should not be called after Destroy is called. This is a
-		// programming error.
 		ar.logger.Error("alloc destroyed; cannot run")
 		return
 	}
-	ar.runLaunched = true
 
+	// If an alloc should not be run, ensure any restored task handles are
+	// destroyed and exit to wait for the AR to be GC'd by the client.
+	if !ar.shouldRun() {
+		ar.logger.Debug("not running terminal alloc")
+
+		// Cleanup and sync state
+		states := ar.killTasks()
+
+		// Get the client allocation
+		calloc := ar.clientAlloc(states)
+
+		// Update the server
+		ar.stateUpdater.AllocStateUpdated(calloc)
+
+		// Broadcast client alloc to listeners
+		ar.allocBroadcaster.Send(calloc)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Run! (and mark as having been run to ensure Destroy cleans up properly)
+	ar.runLaunched = true
 	go ar.runImpl()
 }
 
+// shouldRun returns true if the alloc is in a state that the alloc runner
+// should run it.
+func (ar *allocRunner) shouldRun() bool {
+	// Do not run allocs that are terminal
+	if ar.Alloc().TerminalStatus() {
+		ar.logger.Trace("alloc terminal; not running",
+			"desired_status", ar.Alloc().DesiredStatus,
+			"client_status", ar.Alloc().ClientStatus,
+		)
+		return false
+	}
+
+	// It's possible that the alloc local state was marked terminal before
+	// the server copy of the alloc (checked above) was marked as terminal,
+	// so check the local state as well.
+	switch clientStatus := ar.AllocState().ClientStatus; clientStatus {
+	case structs.AllocClientStatusComplete, structs.AllocClientStatusFailed, structs.AllocClientStatusLost:
+		ar.logger.Trace("alloc terminal; updating server and not running", "status", clientStatus)
+		return false
+	}
+
+	return true
+}
+
 func (ar *allocRunner) runImpl() {
 	// Close the wait channel on return
 	defer close(ar.waitCh)
@@ -354,7 +398,7 @@ func (ar *allocRunner) handleTaskStateUpdates() {
 				ar.logger.Debug("task failure, destroying all tasks", "failed_task", killTask)
 			}
 
-			ar.killTasks()
+			states = ar.killTasks()
 		}
 
 		// Get the client allocation
@@ -369,8 +413,12 @@ func (ar *allocRunner) handleTaskStateUpdates() {
 }
 
 // killTasks kills all task runners, leader (if there is one) first. Errors are
-// logged except taskrunner.ErrTaskNotRunning which is ignored.
-func (ar *allocRunner) killTasks() {
+// logged except taskrunner.ErrTaskNotRunning which is ignored. Task states
+// after Kill has been called are returned.
+func (ar *allocRunner) killTasks() map[string]*structs.TaskState {
+	var mu sync.Mutex
+	states := make(map[string]*structs.TaskState, len(ar.tasks))
+
 	// Kill leader first, synchronously
 	for name, tr := range ar.tasks {
 		if !tr.IsLeader() {
@@ -381,6 +429,9 @@ func (ar *allocRunner) killTasks() {
 		if err != nil && err != taskrunner.ErrTaskNotRunning {
 			ar.logger.Warn("error stopping leader task", "error", err, "task_name", name)
 		}
+
+		state := tr.TaskState()
+		states[name] = state
 		break
 	}
 
@@ -398,9 +449,16 @@ func (ar *allocRunner) killTasks() {
 			if err != nil && err != taskrunner.ErrTaskNotRunning {
 				ar.logger.Warn("error stopping task", "error", err, "task_name", name)
 			}
+
+			state := tr.TaskState()
+			mu.Lock()
+			states[name] = state
+			mu.Unlock()
 		}(name, tr)
 	}
 	wg.Wait()
+
+	return states
 }
 
 // clientAlloc takes in the task states and returns an Allocation populated
@@ -510,6 +568,12 @@ func (ar *allocRunner) AllocState() *state.State {
 		}
 	}
 
+	// Generate alloc to get other state fields
+	alloc := ar.clientAlloc(state.TaskStates)
+	state.ClientStatus = alloc.ClientStatus
+	state.ClientDescription = alloc.ClientDescription
+	state.DeploymentStatus = alloc.DeploymentStatus
+
 	return state
 }
 
@@ -563,8 +627,11 @@ func (ar *allocRunner) Destroy() {
 	}
 	defer ar.destroyedLock.Unlock()
 
-	// Stop any running tasks
-	ar.killTasks()
+	// Stop any running tasks and persist states in case the client is
+	// shutdown before Destroy finishes.
+	states := ar.killTasks()
+	calloc := ar.clientAlloc(states)
+	ar.stateUpdater.AllocStateUpdated(calloc)
 
 	// Wait for tasks to exit and postrun hooks to finish (if they ran at all)
 	if ar.runLaunched {
diff --git a/client/allocrunner/alloc_runner_test.go b/client/allocrunner/alloc_runner_test.go
index 48b248f4ac2..bb117ce94e4 100644
--- a/client/allocrunner/alloc_runner_test.go
+++ b/client/allocrunner/alloc_runner_test.go
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import (
 	consulapi "github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/consul"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/state"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/vaultclient"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/helper/testlog"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/nomad/mock"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/nomad/structs"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/plugins/shared/catalog"
@@ -57,20 +56,19 @@ func (m *MockStateUpdater) Reset() {
 // testAllocRunnerConfig returns a new allocrunner.Config with mocks and noop
 // versions of dependencies along with a cleanup func.
 func testAllocRunnerConfig(t *testing.T, alloc *structs.Allocation) (*Config, func()) {
-	logger := testlog.HCLogger(t)
 	pluginLoader := catalog.TestPluginLoader(t)
 	clientConf, cleanup := config.TestClientConfig(t)
 	conf := &Config{
 		// Copy the alloc in case the caller edits and reuses it
 		Alloc:                 alloc.Copy(),
-		Logger:                logger,
+		Logger:                clientConf.Logger,
 		ClientConfig:          clientConf,
 		StateDB:               state.NoopDB{},
-		Consul:                consulapi.NewMockConsulServiceClient(t, logger),
+		Consul:                consulapi.NewMockConsulServiceClient(t, clientConf.Logger),
 		Vault:                 vaultclient.NewMockVaultClient(),
 		StateUpdater:          &MockStateUpdater{},
 		PrevAllocWatcher:      allocwatcher.NoopPrevAlloc{},
-		PluginSingletonLoader: singleton.NewSingletonLoader(logger, pluginLoader),
+		PluginSingletonLoader: singleton.NewSingletonLoader(clientConf.Logger, pluginLoader),
 	}
 	return conf, cleanup
 }
diff --git a/client/allocrunner/interfaces/task_lifecycle.go b/client/allocrunner/interfaces/task_lifecycle.go
index b22ef285bc1..808afd37a73 100644
--- a/client/allocrunner/interfaces/task_lifecycle.go
+++ b/client/allocrunner/interfaces/task_lifecycle.go
@@ -109,8 +109,8 @@ type TaskKillResponse struct{}
 type TaskKillHook interface {
 	TaskHook
 
-	// Kill is called when a task is going to be killed.
-	Kill(context.Context, *TaskKillRequest, *TaskKillResponse) error
+	// Killing is called when a task is going to be Killed or Restarted.
+	Killing(context.Context, *TaskKillRequest, *TaskKillResponse) error
 }
 
 type TaskExitedRequest struct{}
diff --git a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/interfaces/lifecycle.go b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/interfaces/lifecycle.go
index 84bbda228e9..1890471bf56 100644
--- a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/interfaces/lifecycle.go
+++ b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/interfaces/lifecycle.go
@@ -7,7 +7,13 @@ import (
 )
 
 type TaskLifecycle interface {
+	// Restart a task in place. If failure=false then the restart does not
+	// count as an attempt in the restart policy.
 	Restart(ctx context.Context, event *structs.TaskEvent, failure bool) error
+
+	// Sends a signal to a task.
 	Signal(event *structs.TaskEvent, signal string) error
+
+	// Kill a task permanently.
 	Kill(ctx context.Context, event *structs.TaskEvent) error
 }
diff --git a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/lifecycle.go b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/lifecycle.go
index 7a314648080..224a3af6225 100644
--- a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/lifecycle.go
+++ b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/lifecycle.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 func (tr *TaskRunner) Restart(ctx context.Context, event *structs.TaskEvent, failure bool) error {
 	// Grab the handle
 	handle := tr.getDriverHandle()
+
 	// Check it is running
 	if handle == nil {
 		return ErrTaskNotRunning
@@ -20,12 +21,14 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) Restart(ctx context.Context, event *structs.TaskEvent, fai
 	// Emit the event since it may take a long time to kill
 	tr.EmitEvent(event)
 
+	// Run the hooks prior to restarting the task
+	tr.killing()
+
 	// Tell the restart tracker that a restart triggered the exit
 	tr.restartTracker.SetRestartTriggered(failure)
 
 	// Kill the task using an exponential backoff in-case of failures.
-	destroySuccess, err := tr.handleDestroy(handle)
-	if !destroySuccess {
+	if err := tr.killTask(handle); err != nil {
 		// We couldn't successfully destroy the resource created.
 		tr.logger.Error("failed to kill task. Resources may have been leaked", "error", err)
 	}
@@ -36,7 +39,10 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) Restart(ctx context.Context, event *structs.TaskEvent, fai
 		return err
 	}
 
-	<-waitCh
+	select {
+	case <-waitCh:
+	case <-ctx.Done():
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -61,7 +67,7 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) Signal(event *structs.TaskEvent, s string) error {
 func (tr *TaskRunner) Kill(ctx context.Context, event *structs.TaskEvent) error {
 	// Cancel the task runner to break out of restart delay or the main run
 	// loop.
-	tr.ctxCancel()
+	tr.killCtxCancel()
 
 	// Grab the handle
 	handle := tr.getDriverHandle()
@@ -75,16 +81,17 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) Kill(ctx context.Context, event *structs.TaskEvent) error
 	tr.EmitEvent(event)
 
 	// Run the hooks prior to killing the task
-	tr.kill()
+	tr.killing()
 
-	// Tell the restart tracker that the task has been killed
+	// Tell the restart tracker that the task has been killed so it doesn't
+	// attempt to restart it.
 	tr.restartTracker.SetKilled()
 
 	// Kill the task using an exponential backoff in-case of failures.
-	destroySuccess, destroyErr := tr.handleDestroy(handle)
-	if !destroySuccess {
+	killErr := tr.killTask(handle)
+	if killErr != nil {
 		// We couldn't successfully destroy the resource created.
-		tr.logger.Error("failed to kill task. Resources may have been leaked", "error", destroyErr)
+		tr.logger.Error("failed to kill task. Resources may have been leaked", "error", killErr)
 	}
 
 	// Block until task has exited.
@@ -100,13 +107,16 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) Kill(ctx context.Context, event *structs.TaskEvent) error
 		return err
 	}
 
-	<-waitCh
+	select {
+	case <-waitCh:
+	case <-ctx.Done():
+	}
 
 	// Store that the task has been destroyed and any associated error.
-	tr.UpdateState(structs.TaskStateDead, structs.NewTaskEvent(structs.TaskKilled).SetKillError(destroyErr))
+	tr.UpdateState(structs.TaskStateDead, structs.NewTaskEvent(structs.TaskKilled).SetKillError(killErr))
 
-	if destroyErr != nil {
-		return destroyErr
+	if killErr != nil {
+		return killErr
 	} else if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/service_hook.go b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/service_hook.go
index 801cc20737f..a754cbcef94 100644
--- a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/service_hook.go
+++ b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/service_hook.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"sync"
+	"time"
 
 	log "github.com/hashicorp/go-hclog"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/allocrunner/interfaces"
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ type serviceHook struct {
 	logger    log.Logger
 
 	// The following fields may be updated
+	delay      time.Duration
 	driverExec tinterfaces.ScriptExecutor
 	driverNet  *cstructs.DriverNetwork
 	canary     bool
@@ -53,6 +55,7 @@ func newServiceHook(c serviceHookConfig) *serviceHook {
 		taskName:  c.task.Name,
 		services:  c.task.Services,
 		restarter: c.restarter,
+		delay:     c.task.ShutdownDelay,
 	}
 
 	if res := c.alloc.TaskResources[c.task.Name]; res != nil {
@@ -111,6 +114,7 @@ func (h *serviceHook) Update(ctx context.Context, req *interfaces.TaskUpdateRequ
 	}
 
 	// Update service hook fields
+	h.delay = task.ShutdownDelay
 	h.taskEnv = req.TaskEnv
 	h.services = task.Services
 	h.networks = networks
@@ -122,10 +126,35 @@ func (h *serviceHook) Update(ctx context.Context, req *interfaces.TaskUpdateRequ
 	return h.consul.UpdateTask(oldTaskServices, newTaskServices)
 }
 
+func (h *serviceHook) Killing(ctx context.Context, req *interfaces.TaskKillRequest, resp *interfaces.TaskKillResponse) error {
+	h.mu.Lock()
+	defer h.mu.Unlock()
+
+	// Deregister before killing task
+	h.deregister()
+
+	// If there's no shutdown delay, exit early
+	if h.delay == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	h.logger.Debug("waiting before killing task", "shutdown_delay", h.delay)
+	select {
+	case <-ctx.Done():
+	case <-time.After(h.delay):
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (h *serviceHook) Exited(context.Context, *interfaces.TaskExitedRequest, *interfaces.TaskExitedResponse) error {
 	h.mu.Lock()
 	defer h.mu.Unlock()
+	h.deregister()
+	return nil
+}
 
+// deregister services from Consul.
+func (h *serviceHook) deregister() {
 	taskServices := h.getTaskServices()
 	h.consul.RemoveTask(taskServices)
 
@@ -134,7 +163,6 @@ func (h *serviceHook) Exited(context.Context, *interfaces.TaskExitedRequest, *in
 	taskServices.Canary = !taskServices.Canary
 	h.consul.RemoveTask(taskServices)
 
-	return nil
 }
 
 func (h *serviceHook) getTaskServices() *agentconsul.TaskServices {
diff --git a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/shutdown_delay_hook.go b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/shutdown_delay_hook.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 15f76ebd169..00000000000
--- a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/shutdown_delay_hook.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,36 +0,0 @@
-package taskrunner
-
-import (
-	"context"
-	"time"
-
-	log "github.com/hashicorp/go-hclog"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/allocrunner/interfaces"
-)
-
-// shutdownDelayHook delays shutting down a task between deregistering it from
-// Consul and actually killing it.
-type shutdownDelayHook struct {
-	delay  time.Duration
-	logger log.Logger
-}
-
-func newShutdownDelayHook(delay time.Duration, logger log.Logger) *shutdownDelayHook {
-	h := &shutdownDelayHook{
-		delay: delay,
-	}
-	h.logger = logger.Named(h.Name())
-	return h
-}
-
-func (*shutdownDelayHook) Name() string {
-	return "shutdown-delay"
-}
-
-func (h *shutdownDelayHook) Kill(ctx context.Context, req *interfaces.TaskKillRequest, resp *interfaces.TaskKillResponse) error {
-	select {
-	case <-ctx.Done():
-	case <-time.After(h.delay):
-	}
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner.go b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner.go
index 8f29d7c00a2..b90f45457b7 100644
--- a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner.go
+++ b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner.go
@@ -78,12 +78,18 @@ type TaskRunner struct {
 	// stateDB is for persisting localState and taskState
 	stateDB cstate.StateDB
 
-	// ctx is the task runner's context representing the tasks's lifecycle.
-	// Canceling the context will cause the task to be destroyed.
+	// killCtx is the task runner's context representing the tasks's lifecycle.
+	// The context is canceled when the task is killed.
+	killCtx context.Context
+
+	// killCtxCancel is called when killing a task.
+	killCtxCancel context.CancelFunc
+
+	// ctx is used to exit the TaskRunner *without* affecting task state.
 	ctx context.Context
 
-	// ctxCancel is used to exit the task runner's Run loop without
-	// stopping the task. Shutdown hooks are run.
+	// ctxCancel causes the TaskRunner to exit immediately without
+	// affecting task state. Useful for testing or graceful agent shutdown.
 	ctxCancel context.CancelFunc
 
 	// Logger is the logger for the task runner.
@@ -168,8 +174,8 @@ type Config struct {
 	TaskDir      *allocdir.TaskDir
 	Logger       log.Logger
 
-	// VaultClient is the client to use to derive and renew Vault tokens
-	VaultClient vaultclient.VaultClient
+	// Vault is the client to use to derive and renew Vault tokens
+	Vault vaultclient.VaultClient
 
 	// StateDB is used to store and restore state.
 	StateDB cstate.StateDB
@@ -183,9 +189,12 @@ type Config struct {
 }
 
 func NewTaskRunner(config *Config) (*TaskRunner, error) {
-	// Create a context for the runner
+	// Create a context for causing the runner to exit
 	trCtx, trCancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
 
+	// Create a context for killing the runner
+	killCtx, killCancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+
 	// Initialize the environment builder
 	envBuilder := env.NewBuilder(
 		config.ClientConfig.Node,
@@ -210,11 +219,13 @@ func NewTaskRunner(config *Config) (*TaskRunner, error) {
 		taskLeader:            config.Task.Leader,
 		envBuilder:            envBuilder,
 		consulClient:          config.Consul,
-		vaultClient:           config.VaultClient,
+		vaultClient:           config.Vault,
 		state:                 tstate,
 		localState:            state.NewLocalState(),
 		stateDB:               config.StateDB,
 		stateUpdater:          config.StateUpdater,
+		killCtx:               killCtx,
+		killCtxCancel:         killCancel,
 		ctx:                   trCtx,
 		ctxCancel:             trCancel,
 		triggerUpdateCh:       make(chan struct{}, triggerUpdateChCap),
@@ -299,7 +310,16 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) Run() {
 	go tr.handleUpdates()
 
 MAIN:
-	for tr.ctx.Err() == nil {
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-tr.killCtx.Done():
+			break MAIN
+		case <-tr.ctx.Done():
+			// TaskRunner was told to exit immediately
+			return
+		default:
+		}
+
 		// Run the prestart hooks
 		if err := tr.prestart(); err != nil {
 			tr.logger.Error("prestart failed", "error", err)
@@ -307,8 +327,13 @@ MAIN:
 			goto RESTART
 		}
 
-		if tr.ctx.Err() != nil {
+		select {
+		case <-tr.killCtx.Done():
 			break MAIN
+		case <-tr.ctx.Done():
+			// TaskRunner was told to exit immediately
+			return
+		default:
 		}
 
 		// Run the task
@@ -327,12 +352,19 @@ MAIN:
 		{
 			handle := tr.getDriverHandle()
 
-			// Do *not* use tr.ctx here as it would cause Wait() to
-			// unblock before the task exits when Kill() is called.
+			// Do *not* use tr.killCtx here as it would cause
+			// Wait() to unblock before the task exits when Kill()
+			// is called.
 			if resultCh, err := handle.WaitCh(context.Background()); err != nil {
 				tr.logger.Error("wait task failed", "error", err)
 			} else {
-				result = <-resultCh
+				select {
+				case result = <-resultCh:
+					// WaitCh returned a result
+				case <-tr.ctx.Done():
+					// TaskRunner was told to exit immediately
+					return
+				}
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -355,9 +387,12 @@ MAIN:
 		// Actually restart by sleeping and also watching for destroy events
 		select {
 		case <-time.After(restartDelay):
-		case <-tr.ctx.Done():
+		case <-tr.killCtx.Done():
 			tr.logger.Trace("task killed between restarts", "delay", restartDelay)
 			break MAIN
+		case <-tr.ctx.Done():
+			// TaskRunner was told to exit immediately
+			return
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -444,7 +479,20 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) runDriver() error {
 	//TODO mounts and devices
 	//XXX Evaluate and encode driver config
 
-	// Start the job
+	// If there's already a task handle (eg from a Restore) there's nothing
+	// to do except update state.
+	if tr.getDriverHandle() != nil {
+		// Ensure running state is persisted but do *not* append a new
+		// task event as restoring is a client event and not relevant
+		// to a task's lifecycle.
+		if err := tr.updateStateImpl(structs.TaskStateRunning); err != nil {
+			//TODO return error and destroy task to avoid an orphaned task?
+			tr.logger.Warn("error persisting task state", "error", err)
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Start the job if there's no existing handle (or if RecoverTask failed)
 	handle, net, err := tr.driver.StartTask(taskConfig)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("driver start failed: %v", err)
@@ -452,9 +500,18 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) runDriver() error {
 
 	tr.localStateLock.Lock()
 	tr.localState.TaskHandle = handle
+	tr.localState.DriverNetwork = net
+	if err := tr.stateDB.PutTaskRunnerLocalState(tr.allocID, tr.taskName, tr.localState); err != nil {
+		//TODO Nomad will be unable to restore this task; try to kill
+		//     it now and fail? In general we prefer to leave running
+		//     tasks running even if the agent encounters an error.
+		tr.logger.Warn("error persisting local task state; may be unable to restore after a Nomad restart",
+			"error", err, "task_id", handle.Config.ID)
+	}
 	tr.localStateLock.Unlock()
 
 	tr.setDriverHandle(NewDriverHandle(tr.driver, taskConfig.ID, tr.Task(), net))
+
 	// Emit an event that we started
 	tr.UpdateState(structs.TaskStateRunning, structs.NewTaskEvent(structs.TaskStarted))
 	return nil
@@ -525,17 +582,17 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) initDriver() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// handleDestroy kills the task handle. In the case that killing fails,
-// handleDestroy will retry with an exponential backoff and will give up at a
-// given limit. It returns whether the task was destroyed and the error
-// associated with the last kill attempt.
-func (tr *TaskRunner) handleDestroy(handle *DriverHandle) (destroyed bool, err error) {
+// killTask kills the task handle. In the case that killing fails,
+// killTask will retry with an exponential backoff and will give up at a
+// given limit. Returns an error if the task could not be killed.
+func (tr *TaskRunner) killTask(handle *DriverHandle) error {
 	// Cap the number of times we attempt to kill the task.
+	var err error
 	for i := 0; i < killFailureLimit; i++ {
 		if err = handle.Kill(); err != nil {
 			if err == drivers.ErrTaskNotFound {
 				tr.logger.Warn("couldn't find task to kill", "task_id", handle.ID())
-				return true, nil
+				return nil
 			}
 			// Calculate the new backoff
 			backoff := (1 << (2 * uint64(i))) * killBackoffBaseline
@@ -547,10 +604,10 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) handleDestroy(handle *DriverHandle) (destroyed bool, err e
 			time.Sleep(backoff)
 		} else {
 			// Kill was successful
-			return true, nil
+			return nil
 		}
 	}
-	return
+	return err
 }
 
 // persistLocalState persists local state to disk synchronously.
@@ -591,39 +648,84 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) Restore() error {
 		ls.Canonicalize()
 		tr.localState = ls
 	}
+
 	if ts != nil {
 		ts.Canonicalize()
 		tr.state = ts
 	}
+
+	// If a TaskHandle was persisted, ensure it is valid or destroy it.
+	if taskHandle := tr.localState.TaskHandle; taskHandle != nil {
+		//TODO if RecoverTask returned the DriverNetwork we wouldn't
+		//     have to persist it at all!
+		tr.restoreHandle(taskHandle, tr.localState.DriverNetwork)
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+// restoreHandle ensures a TaskHandle is valid by calling Driver.RecoverTask
+// and sets the driver handle. If the TaskHandle is not valid, DestroyTask is
+// called.
+func (tr *TaskRunner) restoreHandle(taskHandle *drivers.TaskHandle, net *cstructs.DriverNetwork) {
+	// Ensure handle is well-formed
+	if taskHandle.Config == nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	if err := tr.driver.RecoverTask(taskHandle); err != nil {
+		tr.logger.Error("error recovering task; destroying and restarting",
+			"error", err, "task_id", taskHandle.Config.ID)
+
+		// Try to cleanup any existing task state in the plugin before restarting
+		if err := tr.driver.DestroyTask(taskHandle.Config.ID, true); err != nil {
+			// Ignore ErrTaskNotFound errors as ideally
+			// this task has already been stopped and
+			// therefore doesn't exist.
+			if err != drivers.ErrTaskNotFound {
+				tr.logger.Warn("error destroying unrecoverable task",
+					"error", err, "task_id", taskHandle.Config.ID)
+			}
+
+		}
+
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Update driver handle on task runner
+	tr.setDriverHandle(NewDriverHandle(tr.driver, taskHandle.Config.ID, tr.Task(), net))
+	return
+}
+
 // UpdateState sets the task runners allocation state and triggers a server
 // update.
 func (tr *TaskRunner) UpdateState(state string, event *structs.TaskEvent) {
+	tr.stateLock.Lock()
+	defer tr.stateLock.Unlock()
+
 	tr.logger.Trace("setting task state", "state", state, "event", event.Type)
 
-	// Update the local state
-	tr.setStateLocal(state, event)
+	// Append the event
+	tr.appendEvent(event)
+
+	// Update the state
+	if err := tr.updateStateImpl(state); err != nil {
+		// Only log the error as we persistence errors should not
+		// affect task state.
+		tr.logger.Error("error persisting task state", "error", err, "event", event, "state", state)
+	}
 
 	// Notify the alloc runner of the transition
 	tr.stateUpdater.TaskStateUpdated()
 }
 
-// setStateLocal updates the local in-memory state, persists a copy to disk and returns a
-// copy of the task's state.
-func (tr *TaskRunner) setStateLocal(state string, event *structs.TaskEvent) {
-	tr.stateLock.Lock()
-	defer tr.stateLock.Unlock()
+// updateStateImpl updates the in-memory task state and persists to disk.
+func (tr *TaskRunner) updateStateImpl(state string) error {
 
 	// Update the task state
 	oldState := tr.state.State
 	taskState := tr.state
 	taskState.State = state
 
-	// Append the event
-	tr.appendEvent(event)
-
 	// Handle the state transition.
 	switch state {
 	case structs.TaskStateRunning:
@@ -662,11 +764,7 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) setStateLocal(state string, event *structs.TaskEvent) {
 	}
 
 	// Persist the state and event
-	if err := tr.stateDB.PutTaskState(tr.allocID, tr.taskName, taskState); err != nil {
-		// Only a warning because the next event/state-transition will
-		// try to persist it again.
-		tr.logger.Error("error persisting task state", "error", err, "event", event, "state", state)
-	}
+	return tr.stateDB.PutTaskState(tr.allocID, tr.taskName, taskState)
 }
 
 // EmitEvent appends a new TaskEvent to this task's TaskState. The actual
diff --git a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner_hooks.go b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner_hooks.go
index 4eaecc81b59..40e157a5f08 100644
--- a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner_hooks.go
+++ b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner_hooks.go
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) initHooks() {
 		newLogMonHook(tr.logmonHookConfig, hookLogger),
 		newDispatchHook(tr.Alloc(), hookLogger),
 		newArtifactHook(tr, hookLogger),
-		newShutdownDelayHook(task.ShutdownDelay, hookLogger),
 		newStatsHook(tr, tr.clientConfig.StatsCollectionInterval, hookLogger),
 	}
 
@@ -123,7 +122,7 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) prestart() error {
 
 		// Run the prestart hook
 		var resp interfaces.TaskPrestartResponse
-		if err := pre.Prestart(tr.ctx, &req, &resp); err != nil {
+		if err := pre.Prestart(tr.killCtx, &req, &resp); err != nil {
 			return structs.WrapRecoverable(fmt.Sprintf("prestart hook %q failed: %v", name, err), err)
 		}
 
@@ -195,7 +194,7 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) poststart() error {
 			TaskEnv:       tr.envBuilder.Build(),
 		}
 		var resp interfaces.TaskPoststartResponse
-		if err := post.Poststart(tr.ctx, &req, &resp); err != nil {
+		if err := post.Poststart(tr.killCtx, &req, &resp); err != nil {
 			merr.Errors = append(merr.Errors, fmt.Errorf("poststart hook %q failed: %v", name, err))
 		}
 
@@ -237,7 +236,7 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) exited() error {
 
 		req := interfaces.TaskExitedRequest{}
 		var resp interfaces.TaskExitedResponse
-		if err := post.Exited(tr.ctx, &req, &resp); err != nil {
+		if err := post.Exited(tr.killCtx, &req, &resp); err != nil {
 			merr.Errors = append(merr.Errors, fmt.Errorf("exited hook %q failed: %v", name, err))
 		}
 
@@ -280,7 +279,7 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) stop() error {
 
 		req := interfaces.TaskStopRequest{}
 		var resp interfaces.TaskStopResponse
-		if err := post.Stop(tr.ctx, &req, &resp); err != nil {
+		if err := post.Stop(tr.killCtx, &req, &resp); err != nil {
 			merr.Errors = append(merr.Errors, fmt.Errorf("stop hook %q failed: %v", name, err))
 		}
 
@@ -336,7 +335,7 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) updateHooks() {
 
 		// Run the update hook
 		var resp interfaces.TaskUpdateResponse
-		if err := upd.Update(tr.ctx, &req, &resp); err != nil {
+		if err := upd.Update(tr.killCtx, &req, &resp); err != nil {
 			tr.logger.Error("update hook failed", "name", name, "error", err)
 		}
 
@@ -349,8 +348,8 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) updateHooks() {
 	}
 }
 
-// kill is used to run the runners kill hooks.
-func (tr *TaskRunner) kill() {
+// killing is used to run the runners kill hooks.
+func (tr *TaskRunner) killing() {
 	if tr.logger.IsTrace() {
 		start := time.Now()
 		tr.logger.Trace("running kill hooks", "start", start)
@@ -378,7 +377,7 @@ func (tr *TaskRunner) kill() {
 		// Run the update hook
 		req := interfaces.TaskKillRequest{}
 		var resp interfaces.TaskKillResponse
-		if err := upd.Kill(context.Background(), &req, &resp); err != nil {
+		if err := upd.Killing(context.Background(), &req, &resp); err != nil {
 			tr.logger.Error("kill hook failed", "name", name, "error", err)
 		}
 
diff --git a/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner_test.go b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f7da0f7e368
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/allocrunner/taskrunner/task_runner_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+package taskrunner
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/allocdir"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/config"
+	consulapi "github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/consul"
+	cstate "github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/state"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/client/vaultclient"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/helper/testlog"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/nomad/mock"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/nomad/structs"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/plugins/shared/catalog"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/plugins/shared/singleton"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/testutil"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+type MockTaskStateUpdater struct {
+	ch chan struct{}
+}
+
+func NewMockTaskStateUpdater() *MockTaskStateUpdater {
+	return &MockTaskStateUpdater{
+		ch: make(chan struct{}, 1),
+	}
+}
+
+func (m *MockTaskStateUpdater) TaskStateUpdated() {
+	select {
+	case m.ch <- struct{}{}:
+	default:
+	}
+}
+
+// testTaskRunnerConfig returns a taskrunner.Config for the given alloc+task
+// plus a cleanup func.
+func testTaskRunnerConfig(t *testing.T, alloc *structs.Allocation, taskName string) (*Config, func()) {
+	logger := testlog.HCLogger(t)
+	pluginLoader := catalog.TestPluginLoader(t)
+	clientConf, cleanup := config.TestClientConfig(t)
+
+	// Find the task
+	var thisTask *structs.Task
+	for _, tg := range alloc.Job.TaskGroups {
+		for _, task := range tg.Tasks {
+			if task.Name == taskName {
+				if thisTask != nil {
+					cleanup()
+					t.Fatalf("multiple tasks named %q; cannot use this helper", taskName)
+				}
+				thisTask = task
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if thisTask == nil {
+		cleanup()
+		t.Fatalf("could not find task %q", taskName)
+	}
+
+	// Create the alloc dir + task dir
+	allocPath := filepath.Join(clientConf.AllocDir, alloc.ID)
+	allocDir := allocdir.NewAllocDir(logger, allocPath)
+	if err := allocDir.Build(); err != nil {
+		cleanup()
+		t.Fatalf("error building alloc dir: %v", err)
+	}
+	taskDir := allocDir.NewTaskDir(taskName)
+
+	trCleanup := func() {
+		if err := allocDir.Destroy(); err != nil {
+			t.Logf("error destroying alloc dir: %v", err)
+		}
+		cleanup()
+	}
+
+	conf := &Config{
+		Alloc:                 alloc,
+		ClientConfig:          clientConf,
+		Consul:                consulapi.NewMockConsulServiceClient(t, logger),
+		Task:                  thisTask,
+		TaskDir:               taskDir,
+		Logger:                clientConf.Logger,
+		Vault:                 vaultclient.NewMockVaultClient(),
+		StateDB:               cstate.NoopDB{},
+		StateUpdater:          NewMockTaskStateUpdater(),
+		PluginSingletonLoader: singleton.NewSingletonLoader(logger, pluginLoader),
+	}
+	return conf, trCleanup
+}
+
+// TestTaskRunner_Restore asserts restoring a running task does not rerun the
+// task.
+func TestTaskRunner_Restore_Running(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	require := require.New(t)
+
+	alloc := mock.BatchAlloc()
+	alloc.Job.TaskGroups[0].Count = 1
+	task := alloc.Job.TaskGroups[0].Tasks[0]
+	task.Name = "testtask"
+	task.Driver = "mock_driver"
+	task.Config = map[string]interface{}{
+		"run_for": 2 * time.Second,
+	}
+	conf, cleanup := testTaskRunnerConfig(t, alloc, "testtask")
+	conf.StateDB = cstate.NewMemDB() // "persist" state between task runners
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	// Run the first TaskRunner
+	origTR, err := NewTaskRunner(conf)
+	require.NoError(err)
+	go origTR.Run()
+	defer origTR.Kill(context.Background(), structs.NewTaskEvent("cleanup"))
+
+	// Wait for it to be running
+	testutil.WaitForResult(func() (bool, error) {
+		ts := origTR.TaskState()
+		return ts.State == structs.TaskStateRunning, fmt.Errorf("%v", ts.State)
+	}, func(err error) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected running; got: %v", err)
+	})
+
+	// Cause TR to exit without shutting down task
+	origTR.ctxCancel()
+	<-origTR.WaitCh()
+
+	// Start a new TaskRunner and make sure it does not rerun the task
+	newTR, err := NewTaskRunner(conf)
+	require.NoError(err)
+
+	// Do the Restore
+	require.NoError(newTR.Restore())
+
+	go newTR.Run()
+	defer newTR.Kill(context.Background(), structs.NewTaskEvent("cleanup"))
+
+	// Wait for new task runner to exit when the process does
+	<-newTR.WaitCh()
+
+	// Assert that the process was only started once
+	started := 0
+	state := newTR.TaskState()
+	require.Equal(structs.TaskStateDead, state.State)
+	for _, ev := range state.Events {
+		if ev.Type == structs.TaskStarted {
+			started++
+		}
+	}
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, started)
+}
diff --git a/client/config/testing.go b/client/config/testing.go
index 8281938ff3b..73ab82d2d46 100644
--- a/client/config/testing.go
+++ b/client/config/testing.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/helper"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/helper/testlog"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/nomad/structs"
 	"github.com/mitchellh/go-testing-interface"
 )
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 // a cleanup func to remove the state and alloc dirs when finished.
 func TestClientConfig(t testing.T) (*Config, func()) {
 	conf := DefaultConfig()
+	conf.Logger = testlog.HCLogger(t)
 
 	// Create a tempdir to hold state and alloc subdirs
 	parent, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "nomadtest")
diff --git a/command/agent/consul/int_test.go b/command/agent/consul/int_test.go
index 405a21854f5..65dab80fa97 100644
--- a/command/agent/consul/int_test.go
+++ b/command/agent/consul/int_test.go
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/helper/testlog"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/nomad/mock"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/nomad/structs"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/plugins/shared/catalog"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/plugins/shared/singleton"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
@@ -143,16 +145,18 @@ func TestConsul_Integration(t *testing.T) {
 	}()
 
 	// Build the config
+	pluginLoader := catalog.TestPluginLoader(t)
 	config := &taskrunner.Config{
-		Alloc:        alloc,
-		ClientConfig: conf,
-		Consul:       serviceClient,
-		Task:         task,
-		TaskDir:      taskDir,
-		Logger:       logger,
-		VaultClient:  vclient,
-		StateDB:      state.NoopDB{},
-		StateUpdater: logUpdate,
+		Alloc:                 alloc,
+		ClientConfig:          conf,
+		Consul:                serviceClient,
+		Task:                  task,
+		TaskDir:               taskDir,
+		Logger:                logger,
+		Vault:                 vclient,
+		StateDB:               state.NoopDB{},
+		StateUpdater:          logUpdate,
+		PluginSingletonLoader: singleton.NewSingletonLoader(logger, pluginLoader),
 	}
 
 	tr, err := taskrunner.NewTaskRunner(config)
diff --git a/drivers/mock/driver.go b/drivers/mock/driver.go
index 04a0c91cba5..734ae61f8da 100644
--- a/drivers/mock/driver.go
+++ b/drivers/mock/driver.go
@@ -273,9 +273,23 @@ func (d *Driver) buildFingerprint() *drivers.Fingerprint {
 	}
 }
 
-func (d *Driver) RecoverTask(*drivers.TaskHandle) error {
-	//TODO is there anything to do here?
-	return nil
+func (d *Driver) RecoverTask(h *drivers.TaskHandle) error {
+	if h == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("handle cannot be nil")
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := d.tasks.Get(h.Config.ID); ok {
+		d.logger.Debug("nothing to recover; task already exists",
+			"task_id", h.Config.ID,
+			"task_name", h.Config.Name,
+		)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Recovering a task requires the task to be running external to the
+	// plugin. Since the mock_driver runs all tasks in process it cannot
+	// recover tasks.
+	return fmt.Errorf("%s cannot recover tasks", pluginName)
 }
 
 func (d *Driver) StartTask(cfg *drivers.TaskConfig) (*drivers.TaskHandle, *cstructs.DriverNetwork, error) {
diff --git a/drivers/qemu/driver.go b/drivers/qemu/driver.go
index fde8db8e11f..9c9a3a3fe5e 100644
--- a/drivers/qemu/driver.go
+++ b/drivers/qemu/driver.go
@@ -244,6 +244,15 @@ func (d *Driver) RecoverTask(handle *drivers.TaskHandle) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("error: handle cannot be nil")
 	}
 
+	// If already attached to handle there's nothing to recover.
+	if _, ok := d.tasks.Get(handle.Config.ID); ok {
+		d.logger.Trace("nothing to recover; task already exists",
+			"task_id", handle.Config.ID,
+			"task_name", handle.Config.Name,
+		)
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	var taskState TaskState
 	if err := handle.GetDriverState(&taskState); err != nil {
 		d.logger.Error("failed to decode taskConfig state from handle", "error", err, "task_id", handle.Config.ID)
diff --git a/drivers/rawexec/driver.go b/drivers/rawexec/driver.go
index 6c75a79de73..fefd3190dc9 100644
--- a/drivers/rawexec/driver.go
+++ b/drivers/rawexec/driver.go
@@ -242,9 +242,19 @@ func (d *Driver) buildFingerprint() *drivers.Fingerprint {
 
 func (d *Driver) RecoverTask(handle *drivers.TaskHandle) error {
 	if handle == nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error: handle cannot be nil")
+		return fmt.Errorf("handle cannot be nil")
 	}
 
+	// If already attached to handle there's nothing to recover.
+	if _, ok := d.tasks.Get(handle.Config.ID); ok {
+		d.logger.Trace("nothing to recover; task already exists",
+			"task_id", handle.Config.ID,
+			"task_name", handle.Config.Name,
+		)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Handle doesn't already exist, try to reattach
 	var taskState TaskState
 	if err := handle.GetDriverState(&taskState); err != nil {
 		d.logger.Error("failed to decode task state from handle", "error", err, "task_id", handle.Config.ID)
@@ -261,6 +271,7 @@ func (d *Driver) RecoverTask(handle *drivers.TaskHandle) error {
 		Reattach: plugRC,
 	}
 
+	// Create client for reattached executor
 	exec, pluginClient, err := utils.CreateExecutorWithConfig(pluginConfig, os.Stderr)
 	if err != nil {
 		d.logger.Error("failed to reattach to executor", "error", err, "task_id", handle.Config.ID)
diff --git a/drivers/rkt/driver.go b/drivers/rkt/driver.go
index cd5919e0629..e7f89c75830 100644
--- a/drivers/rkt/driver.go
+++ b/drivers/rkt/driver.go
@@ -317,6 +317,15 @@ func (d *Driver) RecoverTask(handle *drivers.TaskHandle) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("error: handle cannot be nil")
 	}
 
+	// If already attached to handle there's nothing to recover.
+	if _, ok := d.tasks.Get(handle.Config.ID); ok {
+		d.logger.Trace("nothing to recover; task already exists",
+			"task_id", handle.Config.ID,
+			"task_name", handle.Config.Name,
+		)
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	var taskState TaskState
 	if err := handle.GetDriverState(&taskState); err != nil {
 		d.logger.Error("failed to decode taskConfig state from handle", "error", err, "task_id", handle.Config.ID)
diff --git a/plugins/drivers/driver.go b/plugins/drivers/driver.go
index f37a10ff00d..2bb7267c4b1 100644
--- a/plugins/drivers/driver.go
+++ b/plugins/drivers/driver.go
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ type DriverPlugin interface {
 // DriverPlugin interface.
 type DriverSignalTaskNotSupported struct{}
 
-func (_ DriverSignalTaskNotSupported) SignalTask(taskID, signal string) error {
+func (DriverSignalTaskNotSupported) SignalTask(taskID, signal string) error {
 	return fmt.Errorf("SignalTask is not supported by this driver")
 }
 
diff --git a/plugins/drivers/plugin_test.go b/plugins/drivers/plugin_test.go
index ce15d074b0a..3409124e8cb 100644
--- a/plugins/drivers/plugin_test.go
+++ b/plugins/drivers/plugin_test.go
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ func TestBaseDriver_RecoverTask(t *testing.T) {
 	defer harness.Kill()
 
 	handle := &TaskHandle{
-		driverState: buf.Bytes(),
+		DriverState: buf.Bytes(),
 	}
 	err := harness.RecoverTask(handle)
 	require.NoError(err)
diff --git a/plugins/drivers/task_handle.go b/plugins/drivers/task_handle.go
index 749c1031485..ea538c5778f 100644
--- a/plugins/drivers/task_handle.go
+++ b/plugins/drivers/task_handle.go
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ type TaskHandle struct {
 	Driver      string
 	Config      *TaskConfig
 	State       TaskState
-	driverState []byte
+	DriverState []byte
 }
 
 func NewTaskHandle(driver string) *TaskHandle {
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ func NewTaskHandle(driver string) *TaskHandle {
 }
 
 func (h *TaskHandle) SetDriverState(v interface{}) error {
-	h.driverState = []byte{}
-	return base.MsgPackEncode(&h.driverState, v)
+	h.DriverState = []byte{}
+	return base.MsgPackEncode(&h.DriverState, v)
 }
 
 func (h *TaskHandle) GetDriverState(v interface{}) error {
-	return base.MsgPackDecode(h.driverState, v)
+	return base.MsgPackDecode(h.DriverState, v)
 
 }
 
@@ -34,7 +34,10 @@ func (h *TaskHandle) Copy() *TaskHandle {
 	}
 
 	handle := new(TaskHandle)
-	*handle = *h
+	handle.Driver = h.Driver
 	handle.Config = h.Config.Copy()
+	handle.State = h.State
+	handle.DriverState = make([]byte, len(h.DriverState))
+	copy(handle.DriverState, h.DriverState)
 	return handle
 }
diff --git a/plugins/drivers/utils.go b/plugins/drivers/utils.go
index db37561879b..4caf3da7f2c 100644
--- a/plugins/drivers/utils.go
+++ b/plugins/drivers/utils.go
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ func taskHandleFromProto(pb *proto.TaskHandle) *TaskHandle {
 	return &TaskHandle{
 		Config:      taskConfigFromProto(pb.Config),
 		State:       taskStateFromProtoMap[pb.State],
-		driverState: pb.DriverState,
+		DriverState: pb.DriverState,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ func taskHandleToProto(handle *TaskHandle) *proto.TaskHandle {
 	return &proto.TaskHandle{
 		Config:      taskConfigToProto(handle.Config),
 		State:       taskStateToProtoMap[handle.State],
-		DriverState: handle.driverState,
+		DriverState: handle.DriverState,
 	}
 }