Professional Driver CPC Knowledge (Drivers' Hours, Tachographs)
Professional Driver CPC Knowledge tests the EU drivers’ hours and tachograph rules that apply to truck and bus drivers, plus the CPC training obligation.
Drivers’ hours
- Maximum daily driving is 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours twice in a week.
- Maximum weekly driving is 56 hours; over two consecutive weeks it is 90 hours.
- After 4.5 hours of driving, take a 45-minute break. This may be split into 15 minutes and then 30 minutes.
- Daily rest is normally 11 hours; it can be reduced to 9 hours no more than three times between weekly rests. Weekly rest is normally 45 hours, with reduced weekly rest rules and compensation.
- Carry your driver card and be able to produce current-day and previous 28 days’ records. Make manual entries for other work, availability and rest.
- Driver CPC requires 35 hours of periodic training every five years.
Tachograph use
Insert your card at the start of duty, select the correct mode, and record manually any work done away from the vehicle. Never falsify records. Report a lost, stolen or defective card and apply for a replacement within the required period.
Worked example
A driver starts at 06:00 and drives for 2 hours, takes a 15-minute break, then drives for 2.5 hours. Total driving is 4.5 hours, so a further 30-minute break is required before driving again. The 15 + 30 split provides the required 45 minutes. Reasoning: the break must be completed before the 4.5-hour driving limit is exceeded; a 15-minute break alone does not reset it.
Traps
Counting loading or paperwork as a break; driving beyond 4.5 hours before taking the break; selecting the wrong tachograph mode; missing manual entries; forgetting the 56-hour weekly cap.