Drivers' hours, tachographs and professional driving standards
What the exam tests
This domain tests EU drivers' hours and tachograph rules as enforced in Ireland, plus professional standards such as Driver CPC. Expect calculations, record-keeping questions and scenarios about tiredness and pressure to break the rules.
Hours and breaks
Under EU Regulation 561/2006, daily driving is normally 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours twice a week; weekly driving is 56 hours; fortnightly driving is 90 hours. After 4.5 hours of driving, take a 45-minute break, which may be split into at least 15 minutes followed by at least 30 minutes. Daily rest is normally 11 hours, reducible to 9 hours up to three times between weekly rests. Weekly rest is normally 45 hours, reducible to 24 hours with compensation. Carry and produce tachograph records for the current day and the previous 28 days.
Tachographs
Use the correct mode: driving, other work, availability or rest. Make manual entries for work not recorded by the unit. Never falsify records or use another driver's card. A digital tachograph card is personal; losing it must be reported.
Professional standards
Bus drivers normally need Driver CPC: initial qualification plus 35 hours of periodic training every five years. The standard is not just legal compliance: plan journeys, refuse unsafe schedules and report defects.
Worked example
A driver starts at 06:00, drives 2 hours 15 minutes, takes a 15-minute break, then drives another 2 hours 15 minutes. That is 4.5 hours of driving. Before moving again, the driver needs a further 30-minute break. A 15-minute break alone is not enough, and a 30-then-15 split does not meet the required order.
Traps
Counting loading or paperwork as a break; thinking a 15-minute break resets 4.5 hours; forgetting manual entries; assuming all bus work is outside EU hours rules (short regular services may be exempt, but you must know the scope).