Four and a half hours driving, a 15-minute break and a port deadline
It is Tuesday and you drive for an Irish haulier under EU drivers’ hours rules. You inserted your driver card at 05:00. Since then you have driven for 2 h 15 min, taken a 15-minute break, done 20 minutes of other work, and driven for another 2 h 15 min. You are now at a motorway service area at 10:10. Your daily driving total is 4 h 30 min, your weekly total is 52 h and your fortnightly total is 84 h. You have not used a 10-hour driving extension this week. The dispatcher wants you to drive 1 h 40 min to the depot, load for 30 minutes, and then drive 2 h to the port. You feel fine. Your card is working and the vehicle unit is recording correctly.
1. What break must you take before moving, and why is the 15-minute break not enough?
Read the worked answer
You have reached 4 h 30 min of driving since your last qualifying break. The 15-minute break you took earlier is only the first part of a split break. To reset the 4.5-hour driving period you need a further 30 minutes, making 45 minutes in total (15 + 30).
The 20 minutes of other work does not count as a break. You may not simply continue because you feel fine: the limit is based on recorded driving time, not on how you feel. Take at least 30 minutes now before moving. A full 45-minute break would also be valid, but 30 minutes is the minimum needed to complete the split.
2. After the correct break, can you complete the 1 h 40 min and 2 h legs within EU daily, weekly and fortnightly limits? Show the arithmetic.
Read the worked answer
Yes, provided you take the required 30-minute break first.
- Daily driving: 4 h 30 min already + 1 h 40 min + 2 h = 8 h 10 min. This is within the normal 9-hour daily limit, so no 10-hour extension is needed.
- Weekly driving: 52 h + 1 h 40 min + 2 h = 55 h 40 min. This is within the 56-hour weekly limit.
- Fortnightly driving: 84 h + 1 h 40 min + 2 h = 87 h 40 min. This is within the 90-hour fortnightly limit.
After the break, the two driving legs total 3 h 40 min, with a 30-minute loading period between them. That does not exceed 4 h 30 min of driving, so no further break is required by the 4.5-hour rule for this plan. The loading time is other work, not a break, but it does not add to driving time.
3. At 10:00 your card fails and cannot be read. What must you do to keep the journey legal?
Read the worked answer
Follow the tachograph malfunction procedure rather than driving with no record. Make a printout at the point of failure and at the end of the day, or as required by the malfunction rules. Write on the printouts your name, card number, vehicle registration and the reason the card could not be used. Record any manual entries needed to show your activity.
Tell your operator immediately and obtain a replacement card. Keep the printouts and any written statement with you. EU rules allow a driver to continue without a functioning card for a limited period - up to 15 days - while the replacement is arranged, but only if the required records are kept. The operator must also manage downloads and retain records. Do not borrow another driver’s card or use the vehicle unit without recording your own activity.