Driver Hours, Rest Periods and Tachograph
This domain tests Regulation (EC) 561/2006 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/1054, plus the tachograph rules that record compliance. Categories are unforgiving: a driver who misjudges a weekly total or takes a break in the wrong order fails.
Driving limits
- Daily driving: 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours no more than twice in a week.
- Weekly driving: 56 hours maximum.
- Fortnightly driving: 90 hours maximum over any two consecutive weeks.
Breaks
After at most 4.5 hours of driving a driver must take a break of at least 45 minutes, which may be split into a 15-minute period followed by a 30-minute period, in that order. Other work and availability do not count as a break.
Rest
- Daily rest: 11 hours, reducible to 9 hours no more than three times between two weekly rests.
- Regular weekly rest: 45 hours; reduced weekly rest of at least 24 hours is allowed with equivalent compensation taken en bloc before the end of the third week.
- Occasional international passenger transport may postpone the weekly rest and work up to 12 consecutive days before taking a regular weekly rest, provided a regular weekly rest preceded the period.
Tachograph
Use a driver card in a digital or smart tachograph, make manual entries for work done away from the vehicle, and carry 28 days of records plus the current day. Printouts are produced on request for inspection. Records must be kept for at least one year by the operator.
Worked example
A driver logs Mon 9 h, Tue 10 h, Wed 9 h, Thu 10 h, Fri 9 h = 47 h. The planner asks for 10 h on Saturday. Refuse: Saturday would take the week to 57 h, above the 56-hour ceiling, and both permitted 10-hour extensions have already been used on Tuesday and Thursday.
Traps
- Splitting the break as 30 + 15 minutes; the second part must be the longer one.
- Counting a period of availability as a break.
- Treating the 12-day rule as available for domestic or regular services.
- Forgetting manual entries for loading or ferry work.