EU rules

Driving hours

The main EU rules on driving hours are that you must not drive more than:

• 9 hours in a day – this can be extended to 10 hours twice a week
• 56 hours in a week
• 90 hours in any 2 consecutive weeks

All driving you do under EU rules must be recorded on a tachograph.

Changes to EU driving rules from 20 August

EU drivers’ hours and tachograph rules will change on 20 August.

The new rules will include:

• a requirement for drivers’ to ‘return home’ every 4 weeks
• a ban on taking regular weekly rest periods in the driver’s vehicle
• a new definition of ‘non-commercial carriage’
• more flexibility on the scheduling of the rest periods for some drivers on international carriage of goods
• new provisions for rests and breaks for drivers when journeys involve transport by ferry or by rail
• a new requirement to keep a full record of all other work.

Operators and drivers should review the changes to the EU driving rules and prepare to follow them.

Breaks and rest

The main points of EU rules on breaks and rest are that you must take:

• at least 11 hours rest every day – you can reduce this to 9 hours rest 3 times between any 2 weekly rest periods
• an unbroken rest period of 45 hours every week – you can reduce this to 24 hours every other week
• a break or breaks totalling at least 45 minutes after no more than 4 hours 30 minutes driving
• your weekly rest after 6 consecutive 24-hour periods of working, starting from the end of the last weekly rest period taken

For more details on rests and breaks read:

• Goods vehicles: rules on drivers’ hours and tachographs
• Passenger vehicles: rules on drivers’ hours and tachographs