Working Time Rules and Tachograph Use
Driving time and breaks
Under EU rules, daily driving is normally limited to 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours twice a week. Weekly driving is capped at 56 hours, and the two-week total at 90 hours. After 4.5 hours of driving a driver must take a 45-minute break, which may be split into 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes (in that order). Daily rest is normally 11 hours, reducible to 9 hours up to three times between weekly rests; a split daily rest is 3 hours plus 9 hours. Weekly rest is normally 45 hours, reducible to 24 hours with compensation taken in one block.
The tachograph
Understand the difference between analogue and digital units, driver and company cards, manual entries, mode switch (driving, other work, availability, rest), and the need to keep records for at least the current day plus the previous 28 days. Records must be produced on request. Manipulation or failure to use the correct mode is a serious infringement.
Traps in questions
- Reversing the order of the split break - 30 minutes first does not count.
- Counting "availability" as rest.
- Forgetting that the 9-hour rest reduction is limited to three times between weekly rests.
- Confusing the 4.5-hour driving limit with the 6-hour working-time break under the horizontal working time directive.
Worked example
Drive 2 hours, take 15 minutes, drive 2.5 hours: total driving is 4.5 hours, so a further 30-minute break is required before more driving. If the driver instead took 30 minutes first and 15 later, the split would be invalid and a full 45-minute break would be needed.