Driving and rest time rules
This domain tests the EU driving and rest time rules in Regulation 561/2006, applied in Norway through the EEA agreement, and how to plan a legal week without running out of hours.
The core limits
- Daily driving 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours twice in a week.
- Weekly driving 56 hours; any two consecutive weeks 90 hours.
- A 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving, or a split break of 15 minutes then 30 minutes, in that order.
- Daily rest 11 hours, reducible to 9 hours three times between weekly rests; a split daily rest is 3 hours plus 9 hours.
- Weekly rest 45 hours, reducible to 24 hours with compensation taken en bloc by the end of the third week after the week concerned. In any two consecutive weeks at least one regular 45-hour rest is required.
Planning details
Ferry and train crossings may interrupt a rest twice, with the interruption totalling no more than one hour. With two drivers, each takes a 9-hour rest within a 30-hour period. The 12-day rule allows postponement of the weekly rest on occasional international passenger services under strict conditions.
Worked example
A driver starts Monday at 06:00, drives 2 hours, takes 15 minutes, drives 1 hour, takes 30 minutes, then drives 4.5 hours. Reasoning: the split break was completed before 4.5 hours of driving was reached, and total driving is 7.5 hours, so the day is legal without using a 10-hour extension - which stays available for the difficult day later in the week.
Traps
- Counting loading, paperwork or a break spent in the cab as rest.
- Reversing the split break to 30 + 15.
- Forgetting that all driving counts toward the 56 hours, not just the current vehicle's.