Driver Hours
1. Overview
If you drive a goods vehicle or a bus or coach you must follow the rules on how many hours you can drive and the breaks that you need to take.
The rules you must follow depend on:
the type of vehicle you’re driving
which country you’re driving in
Find out which rules apply to you if you drive:
goods vehicles
buses or coaches
There are different drivers’ hours rules in Northern Ireland.
You will also need to follow:
working time rules for goods vehicles
working time rules for buses or coaches
If you do not follow the rules
If you break the drivers’ hours rules, you may be prosecuted or fined.
Penalties for serious or dangerous offences include:
a prohibition notice - for serious or dangerous offences
a fine or points on your licence (‘fixed penalty’) - the amount depends on how serious the offence is
your vehicle being immobilised if it’s a danger to road safety - you’ll have to fix the problem and pay a release charge
Other penalties include things like:
an offence rectification notice - for offences that are not a risk to road safety
a verbal warning - for minor offences
If you’re an employer of drivers or mobile workers
If you employ drivers or mobile workers you must follow extra rules for employers.
2. Rules for employers
If you employ drivers and other mobile workers, you need to:
keep drivers’ hours records for at least one year
make sure they are properly trained and understand the rules
organise their time so that they can follow the rules
check your drivers’ hours records and data
monitor your workers’ working time
be able to show enforcement officers records from the last 12 months
You cannot pay your employees based on speed of delivery, distance travelled or the amount of goods carried if this encourages drivers to break the rules.
Mobile workers are:
drivers - including employed drivers, own-account drivers and agency drivers
members of the vehicle crew, for example a second driver on a coach
anyone else who is part of the travelling staff, for example a bus conductor, a drayman or a security guard aboard a vehicle carrying high-value goods
Check the full list of rules for driving goods vehicles or rules for driving buses and coaches.
3. Goods vehicles
The rules that apply to goods vehicles depend on the weight of your vehicle, the country you’re driving in and what you’re using the vehicle for.
EU rules
EU rules apply if the maximum weight of your vehicle or vehicle combination is more than 3.5 tonnes and you’re driving either:
in the UK
to, from or through an EU country
Some vehicles are exempt from EU rules when driven in the UK.
AETR rules
AETR (European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews Engaged in International Road Transport) rules apply if:
your vehicle or vehicle combination is more than 3.5 tonnes
you’re driving to, through or from a country that follows the AETR rules
GB domestic rules
GB (Great Britain) domestic rules apply in England, Wales and Scotland if any of the following are true:
the maximum weight of your vehicle or vehicle combination is under 3.5 tonnes
your vehicle is exempt from EU rules when driven in the UK
the vehicle is being used in connection with a trade or business
If you’ll be driving through a country outside of the UK, EU, EEA or Switzerland, you should contact the UK embassy of the country to check on local rules.
More information
Read Goods vehicles: rules on drivers’ hours and tachographs for the main rules.
Read the rules for drivers’ hours in the recovery vehicle industry.
There are specific rules for tachographs and horse boxes or trailers.
4. Buses, coaches and minibuses
If you’re driving a vehicle that carries passengers, the rules that apply to you depend on:
the number of passenger seats
how far you’re driving (the distance of your route)
if you’re driving to or from another country
if you’re driving on a regular or a non-regular service
A regular service follows a route with stopping points for passengers to get on or off at specified intervals.
Public service vehicles (PSV)
A public service vehicle is a vehicle that’s used to carry passengers for hire or payment.
Type of operation 8 or fewer passenger seats 9 to 12 passenger seats 13 to 16 passenger seats 17 or more passenger seats
Regular service on route not exceeding 50km GB domestic rules GB domestic rules GB Domestic rules GB Domestic rules
National or international regular service on route exceeding 50km The local rules of the countries you drive in (GB domestic rules in England, Wales and Scotland) EU/AETR rules EU/AETR rules EU/AETR rules
National or international non-regular service for example commercial excursions, tours or private hire The local rules of the countries you drive in (GB domestic rules in England, Wales and Scotland) EU/AETR rules EU/AETR rules EU/AETR rules
Other passenger-carrying vehicles
You do not need to follow any drivers’ hours rules if you drive a police, fire service or armed forces vehicle.
If you drive for a different public authority or for a business, and your vehicle is a non-PSV with:
up to 8 passenger seats - you do not need to follow any drivers’ hours rules
9 or more passenger seats - you must follow the EU rules (unless your vehicle is exempt from EU law)
If you drive a ‘non-commercial’ vehicle
You drive a non-commercial vehicle if:
passengers are not charged to use the vehicle
you and any other workers are not paid to operate or work in the vehicle
the vehicle is not used professionally or commercially
If your vehicle has up to 8 passenger seats, you do not need to follow any drivers’ hours rules.
If your vehicle has 9 or more passenger seats, you usually need to follow the EU rules. You need to follow GB rules instead if your vehicle has between 10 and 17 passenger seats and is only used for non-commercial journeys.
If you use your vehicle outside the UK
If you drive between the UK and another country and your vehicle has:
up to 8 passenger seats - you must follow the local rules for the country you’re driving in
9 or more passenger seats - you must follow the EU or the European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport (AETR) rules
More information
Read Passenger vehicles: rules on drivers’ hours and tachographs for the main rules.
5. Exemptions from EU law
Some types of vehicle are exempt from EU rules. This means they come under GB domestic rules in the UK.
Exemptions for passenger carrying vehicles
Read section 1.1 of the Drivers’ hours and tachographs guidance for buses and coaches for the full list of exemptions.
Exemptions for goods vehicles
Read section 1.1 of the Drivers’ hours and tachographs guidance for goods vehicles for the full list of exemptions.
6. EU rules
Even though the UK has left the EU, you may still need to follow EU rules on drivers’ hours and tachographs.
The EU rules apply if the maximum weight of your vehicle or vehicle combination is more than 3.5 tonnes and you’re driving either:
in the UK
to, from or through an EU country
Driving hours
The main EU rules on driving hours are that you must not drive more than:
9 hours in a day - this can be extended to 10 hours twice a week
56 hours in a week
90 hours in any 2 consecutive weeks
You must record all driving you do under EU rules on a tachograph.
Breaks and rest
The main points of EU rules on breaks and rest are that you must take:
at least 11 hours rest every day - you can reduce this to 9 hours rest 3 times between any 2 weekly rest periods
an unbroken rest period of 45 hours every week - you can reduce this to 24 hours every other week
a break or breaks totalling at least 45 minutes after no more than 4 hours 30 minutes driving
your weekly rest after 6 consecutive 24-hour periods of working, starting from the end of the last weekly rest period taken
Coach drivers on an international trip can take their weekly rest after 12 consecutive 24-hour periods, starting from the end of the last weekly rest period taken.
If you’re driving goods vehicles on an international trip, you can take 2 consecutive reduced weekly rest periods (less than 45 hours) as long as these are taken:
outside the UK
outside your country of residence
Over a 4-week period, 2 of the weekly rest periods must still be of at least 45 hours.
For more details on rests and breaks read:
Goods vehicles: rules on drivers’ hours and tachographs
Passenger vehicles: rules on drivers’ hours and tachographs
7. GB domestic rules
The GB (Great Britain) domestic drivers’ hours rules apply to most passenger-carrying vehicles and goods vehicles that do not have to follow the EU rules.
GB domestic rules apply in England, Wales and Scotland. There are separate rules in Northern Ireland.
Goods vehicles
If you drive a goods vehicle, there are rules you need to follow on duty time, daily driving limits and daily duty limits.
Duty time
If you work as a driver for a company, duty time is any working time. If you’re self-employed, duty time is only time you spend driving the vehicle or doing other work related to the vehicle or its load.
Daily driving limit
You must not drive for more than 10 hours in a day:
on a public road
off-road if not during duty time
Off-road driving counts as duty time if it’s for:
agriculture
quarrying
forestry
building work
civil engineering
Daily duty limit
You must not be on duty for more than 11 hours in any working day. This limit does not apply on any working day when you do not drive.
You must record your hours on a weekly record sheet or on a tachograph.
Some vehicles are exempt from the duty limit.
You’re exempt from the daily duty limit if your vehicle weighs less than 3.5 tonnes and you’re using your vehicle:
as a doctor, dentist, nurse, midwife or vet
for inspection, cleaning or maintenance work
as commercial travellers when carrying goods (other than personal effects) only for the purpose of soliciting orders
while working for the AA, RAC or RSAC
for cinematography or radio and television broadcasting
Exemptions to all GB domestic rules
You do not need to follow the GB domestic rules if you:
are dealing with an emergency - for example, a major disruption to public services or danger to life (this only applies while you’re dealing with the emergency)
are using the vehicle for private driving and not for work
drive off-road or on private roads during duty time
drive a vehicle used by the armed forces, police or fire brigade
Buses and coaches
If you drive a bus or a coach, there are rules you need to follow on:
duty time
daily driving limit
length of working day (‘spreadover’)
breaks from driving
rest periods
Duty time
If you work as a driver for a company, duty time is any working time. If you’re self-employed, duty time is only time you spend driving the vehicle or doing other work related to the vehicle or its load.
Daily driving limit
You must not drive for more than 10 hours in any working day.
Length of working day (‘spreadover’)
You must not work more than 16 hours between the times of starting and finishing work - including the times when you’re not driving.
Breaks from driving
You must take breaks from driving during each working day. The number and length of breaks you need to take depend on how long you work for in a day.
If you work for less than 8 hours and 30 minutes, you must take a break after 5 hours and 30 minutes of continuous driving. The break must last for 30 minutes or more.
If you work for at least 8 hours and 30 minutes, you must not drive for more than 7 hours and 45 minutes during this time. You must also take breaks that add up to at least 45 minutes.
If you work for longer than 8 hours and 30 minutes, you must take an extra break of at least 30 minutes, in addition to the 45 minutes.
You must take the extra break at some point between working for 8 hours and 30 minutes and the end of your shift. You must not take the extra break immediately before finishing your shift.
Rest periods
You must take a rest of 10 hours before the first duty and immediately after the last duty in a working week.
You must take a rest of at least 10 hours between 2 working days (or spreadovers) - this can be reduced to 8.5 hours up to 3 times a week.
Every 2 weeks you must take at least one period of 24 hours off duty.
A fixed week is from 00:00 hours on Monday to 23:59 hours the next Sunday.
Exemptions to all GB domestic rules
You do not need to follow the GB domestic rules if you:
are dealing with an emergency - for example, a major disruption to public services or danger to life
drive for less than 4 hours a day in a week - this is only during the week you are driving less than 4 hours a day
If you drive for more than 4 hours for up to 2 days a week, you do not need to follow all of the rules. You need to:
follow the rules for daily driving limits and length of working day
start and finish all of your duties within a 24-hour period
take a rest of 10 hours before the first duty and immediately after the last duty
If you work overnight and the rules applied on the day your shift began, you must follow the rules for your entire shift - even if your shift finishes during a week in which you’re exempt from the rules.
8. AETR rules
The European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport (AETR) rules on drivers’ hours, breaks and rest are mostly the same as the EU rules.
The differences are that you:
can work for more than 4 consecutive weeks without returning to your home or where the vehicle is usually based
can only take one reduced weekly rest period (less than 45 hours) at a time - this must be followed by one full weekly rest period
can only interrupt your regular daily rest period (11 hours) during ferry crossings
Most types of vehicle that are exempt from EU rules are also exempt from AETR rules. However, all vehicles weighing 3.5 tonnes or more that are carrying hand-crafted goods must follow AETR rules.
Where you must follow AETR rules
The AETR rules cover:
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Liechtenstein
Monaco
Montenegro
Moldova
North Macedonia
Norway
Russia
San Marino
Serbia
Switzerland
Tajikistan
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Uzbekistan
9. Driving under both EU or AETR rules and GB domestic rules
If you work partly under EU or AETR rules and partly under GB domestic rules during a day or a week you must:
take EU or AETR daily rest periods, as well as a weekly rest period
not count the time you spend driving under EU or AETR rules as an off-duty period under GB domestic rules
understand that driving under GB domestic rules counts as ‘other work’, not as a break or rest period
understand that driving or being on duty under EU or AETR rules counts towards the driving and duty limits under GB domestic rules
Driving limits
You must follow the GB domestic limit of a maximum of 10 hours driving a day. At any time when you’re actually driving under EU or AETR rules you must follow all the rules on EU or AETR driving limits.
Other duty limits
You must follow the GB domestic limit of a maximum of:
11 hours on duty if you drive a goods vehicle
16 hours on duty if you drive a passenger-carrying vehicle
Rest periods and breaks
You must follow EU or AETR rules on rest periods and breaks on days and weeks when you drive in EU or AETR countries.
A fixed week is from 00:00 hours on Monday to 23:59 hours the next Sunday.
Tachographs: rules for drivers and operators
1. Overview
Tachographs record information about driving time, speed and distance. They’re used to make sure drivers and employers follow the rules on drivers’ hours.
When you need a tachograph
You must use a tachograph if the vehicle you’re driving comes under EU or AETR rules.
Find out if EU or AETR rules apply to the passenger carrying vehicle or goods vehicle that you’re driving.
Exemptions
You don’t have to use a tachograph if your vehicle isn’t covered by EU rules or if it’s exempt from EU rules on drivers’ hours.
Types of tachograph
There are 2 types of tachograph - analogue and digital.
All commercial vehicles first registered on or after 1 May 2006 must be fitted with digital tachographs. Otherwise you can use an analogue tachograph.
Information from digital tachographs is saved on smart cards so it can be checked later. There are different types of card for:
drivers
haulage companies
Further information
Read the guides on drivers’ hours and tachographs for goods vehicles and passenger carrying vehicles (PCVs). They include the rules on:
analogue tachographs - including proper record keeping and filling in ‘centrefield’ entries
digital tachographs - including using drivers’ cards, lost, stolen or faulty cards, setting the time and manual record keeping
common rules for all tachographs - including ‘multi-manning’ and keeping 2nd driver records, recording other work, rest-days and days off
responsibilities of operators - including calibrating and maintaining tachograph equipment
what happens if you don’t follow the rules
There are specific rules for tachographs and horse boxes or trailers and tachographs and recovery vehicles.
2. Tachographs in light vehicles
If you use a smaller vehicle (eg a 4x4) for towing, you’ll only need a tachograph if its total weight is more than 3.5 tonnes.
Fitting a tachograph
Read the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) guidance on where you can fit a tachograph unit in a vehicle.
Buying or leasing a vehicle
If you buy or lease a vehicle and it comes under the EU or AETR rules on drivers’ hours you’ll need to make sure it’s designed to have a tachograph fitted.
Phone DVSA if you’ve already bought a vehicle and are having problems fitting it with a tachograph. They can tell you where your nearest Approved Tachograph Centre is.
The Tachograph Centre can give you advice and help you get it fitted. It’s not always possible to fit a tachograph, however.
DVSA
0300 123 9000
Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6pm
Find out about call charges
Further help
For further information about fitting tachographs in light vehicles email the DVSA tachograph section.
DVSA tachograph section
tachosection@dvsa.gov.uk
Apply for a driver digital tachograph card
Apply for a digital driver tachograph card to store information about your daily work as a driver.
There’s a different way to apply for a company tachograph card if you’re an operator.
How to apply
You can apply online or by post to:
get your first GB (Great Britain) driver digital tachograph card if you currently live in England, Scotland or Wales (you cannot apply online if you’re exchanging a foreign tachograph card - apply by post instead)
renew a card if it’s expiring within 90 days
replace a lost or stolen card
You can only apply by post for the following:
to replace a damaged or faulty card
to change the name or address on your card
to get your first GB driver digital tachograph card if you currently live abroad/outside Great Britain
if you have a paper driving licence
If you need to change an EU, EEA or Northern Ireland tachograph card to a GB tachograph card, you must apply by post. You must have lived in the UK for more than 6 months in the past year.
Report a lost, stolen, damaged or faulty card
You must tell the DVLA immediately if your card is lost, stolen, damaged or not working properly.
DVLA
Telephone: 0300 790 6109
Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm
Find out about call charges
You must also apply for a replacement card within 7 days.
Fees
It costs:
£32 for your first GB driver digital tachograph card
£19 to renew an expired card
£19 to replace a lost or stolen card
£32 to change an EU, EEA or Northern Ireland tachograph card to a GB tachograph card
Apply online
You’ll need:
a GB photocard driving licence (England, Wales and Scotland)
your driving licence number
a credit or debit card
Your tachograph card will be sent to the address that’s on your driving licence. If it’s incorrect, you’ll need to change the address on your driving licence before you apply.
Apply for a company digital tachograph card
As an operator, you need a tachograph company card to download data from the digital tachographs in your vehicles.
There’s a different way to apply for a card if you work as a driver.
Use this service to:
apply for a first digital tachograph company card
apply for additional company cards
renew an existing card
replace lost, stolen, damaged or faulty cards
change the name or address on your company cards
1. Who these rules apply to
These rules apply to mobile workers - drivers and crew of heavy goods vehicles or public service vehicles subject to EC Regulation 561/2006. The rules limit the amount of time that can be worked and there is no opt-out available. They do not replace EC drivers’ hours rules.
Self-employed drivers have been covered by these regulations since 1 May 2012.
2. What are the limits?
An average of 48 hours’ work per week calculated over a specified reference period.
In any single week, up to 60 hours can be worked so long as the 48-hour average limit is maintained.
Night work is limited to 10 hours per night unless there is a workforce agreement to work longer.
Statutory annual leave and any sick leave and/or maternity/paternity leave counts as working time.
Working between 6 and 9 hours per day requires breaks totalling 30 minutes.
If more than 9 hours are worked then breaks must total 45 minutes.
Breaks must be of at least 15 minutes duration.
Break requirements under the regulations are in addition to those under the EU drivers’ hours rules. But where mainly driving work is undertaken it is possible that working time breaks may be satisfied by breaks from driving taken under the EU drivers’ hours rules. The EU drivers’ hours rules break requirements take precedence when driving.
3. What counts as work?
In general, any activities carried out in connection with the transport operation count as work, for example, driving, loading/unloading and walkaround checks count as work. There are a number of periods of time that do not count as work, for example, travelling between home and your normal place of work, lunch or other breaks and periods of availability (POAs).
POAs are periods of time during which the mobile worker is not required to remain at their workstation but is required to be available for work, the foreseeable duration of which are known about in advance for example:
delays at a distribution centre
time spent travelling in the vehicle (only if no work is carried out such as navigating)
reporting for work then being informed that no duties are to be undertaken for a specified period
accompanying a vehicle being transported by boat or train
A POA can be taken at the workstation. Providing the worker has a reasonable amount of freedom (for example, they can read and relax) for a known duration, this could satisfy the requirements of a POA.
Situations when a period of time should not be recorded as a POA:
delays due to congestion (such as being stuck in a traffic jam), because the driver would be stopping and starting the vehicle
frequently moving up within a queue (for example, waiting within a queue to load or unload) every other minute
If you’re unsure what activities count as work and whether a period of time qualifies as a POA, contact the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
4. Recordkeeping
Your employer is required to keep a record of your working time.
Tachograph records may also be used as record working time records and it is always important that you select the correct mode to record activities accurately.
In some circumstances, it may be necessary to keep other types of records in addition to the tachograph. For example, working in a warehouse.
If tachographs are not used as working time records, then another type of accurate record must be kept by your employer.
Guidance
Severe weather: drivers’ hours regulations
Updated 6 March 2018
During severe weather, all drivers should only travel if absolutely essential. They are encouraged to follow all travel warnings, and follow Met Office and Highways England advice.
Lorry drivers who get stuck in snow can use special dispensation to continue their journeys to a parking spot, only if safe to do so. This is to ensure roads are kept as free as possible.
Weather conditions are liable to deteriorate in some areas and both essential and non-essential transport may be advised against or not be possible.
During special circumstances, such as extreme weather events, normal drivers’ hours limits can be exceeded in order for drivers to reach a safe stopping place necessary for public safety (including the safety of the driver, other road users, the load or and the vehicle).
For example, if a commercial vehicle driver gets stuck on a closed road, or experiences a serious delay due to bad weather, they are allowed to continue travelling to a safe parking zone even if this exceeds their normal drivers’ hours.
The decision to travel is as the discretion of the driver. However, they must also ensure that road safety is not compromised when finding a safe and secure stopping place.
Drivers should also note
In addition, an emergency exemption is available for certain operations. This is available when deviation from the normal rules is needed to avoid:
danger to life or health of people or animals
serious interruption to the maintenance of public services (e.g. water, gas, electricity, drainage) or in the use of roads
serious interruption in private or public transport
serious damage to property
The use of this exemption is at the discretion of the driver and operator and does not require authorisation from the Department for Transport.
Drivers using this exemption should not be expected to drive while tired - employers remain responsible for the safety of their employees and other road users. Therefore, we would not normally expect drivers to drive for more than 11 hours in one day or have less than 9 hours of daily rest. In addition, we believe they should still ensure they take a 45 minute break after 4½ hours driving.
It is unlikely that the relevant provisions of the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 will apply, to the extent that they conflict with the requirements of responding to the emergency. They will, however, remain subject to all other requirements of the Working Time Regulations in an emergency event.
If exceeding the normally permitted limits, all drivers must indicate the reason on the back of their tachograph charts or printouts. This must be done, at the latest, on arrival at a safe and secure destination or rest area.
If you have any uncertainty or queries about the use of the emergencies or rescue operations exemption, please contact Department for Transport’s Freight Operator Licensing and Roadworthiness Division on 020 7944 2123. Out of hours please contact the DfT Duty Office on 020 7944 5999.