Breaks
After a driving period of no more than 4.5 hours, a driver must immediately take a break of at least 45 minutes unless they take a rest period. A break taken in this way must not be interrupted. For example:
NB: A break is any period during which a driver may not carry out any driving or any other work and which is used exclusively for recuperation. A break may be taken in a moving vehicle, provided no other work is undertaken.
Alternatively, a full 45-minute break can be replaced by one break of at least 15 minutes followed by another break of at least 30 minutes. These breaks must be distributed over the 4.5-hour period. Breaks of less than 15 minutes will not contribute towards a qualifying break, but neither will they be counted as duty or driving time. The EU rules will only allow a split-break pattern that shows the second period of break being at least 30 minutes, such as in the following examples:
The following split-break pattern is illegal because the second break is less than 30 minutes.
A driver ‘wipes the slate clean’ if they take a 45 minute break (or qualifying breaks totalling 45 minutes before or at the end of a 4.5 hour driving period. This means that the next 4.5-hour driving period begins with the completion of that qualifying break, and in assessing break requirements for the new 4.5-hour period, no reference is to be made to driving time accumulated before this point. For example:
Breaks may also be required under the separate Road Transport Directive Regulations 2005. See Working Time Directive page within this section for further details.
Daily driving limit
The maximum daily driving time is 9 hours; for example:
The maximum daily driving time can be increased to 10 hours twice in a fixed week, for example:
Daily driving time
Daily driving time is either:
NB: All off road driving between rest periods will also count towards the daily driving limit where there is also driving on the public highway between those same rest periods. Where there is no driving on the public highway between rest periods then any off road driving is considered ‘other work’.
Weekly driving limit
The maximum weekly driving limit is 56 hours, which applies to a fixed week.
Fixed week
A fixed week starts at 00.00 on Monday and ends at 24.00 on the following Sunday.
The following diagram shows an example of how this might be achieved:
Total weekly hours = (4 x 9) + (2 x 10) = 56.
Two-weekly driving limit
The maximum driving time over any two-weekly period is 90 hours; for example:
The following is an example of how a driver’s duties might be organised in compliance with the rules on weekly and two-weekly driving limits:
Source – DVSA
