HGV drivers' hours explained

By Zed Aziz, Transport Consultant

One of the questions we are asked most often by drivers and operators is how to understand drivers' hours. As a haulage operator or lorry driver, the rules surrounding HGV drivers' hours and tachographs can feel complex and perplexing. This guide simplifies the existing rules and shows how the EU drivers' hours rules and the HGV Working Time Directive interact, so you have a clear, practical understanding.

EU drivers' hours: driving limits

To ensure safe driving and prevent fatigue, certain limits apply. The maximum daily driving limit is 9 hours, which can be extended to 10 hours twice a week. The weekly driving limit is 56 hours, and the fortnightly limit is 90 hours. This is, in essence, the core rule that must always be satisfied.

Breaks

Taking regular breaks is crucial for staying alert:

• After 4.5 hours of driving (continuous or intermittent), you must take a break of at least 45 minutes — unless you take a rest period instead.
• Split breaks are allowed: a first break of at least 15 minutes, then a second of at least 30 minutes, completed within the 4.5-hour driving period. As a rule of thumb, take the short break first.
• Breaks under 15 minutes are not valid breaks, though they are not counted as driving time either.

Rest periods

Adequate rest is essential, and the requirements are specific:

• Regular daily rest: 11 hours, which may be split into two periods — an uninterrupted 3 hours followed by an uninterrupted 9 hours, totalling at least 12 hours.
• Reduced daily rest: a minimum of 9 hours (and under 11), permitted up to three times a week.
• Weekly rest: 45 hours, reducible to 24 hours once in any two-week period, provided a full 45-hour rest is taken in that fortnight. There must be no more than six consecutive 24-hour periods between weekly rests.

HGV Working Time Directive

In addition to drivers' hours, the Working Time Directive (WTD) plays a crucial role:

• Average working time should not exceed 48 hours per week, typically over a rolling 17-week period (extendable to 26 weeks by collective or workforce agreement).
• Maximum in a single week is 60 hours, provided the 48-hour average is not breached.
• Night work is capped at 10 hours of working time, unless extended by collective or workforce agreement.

The WTD also sets break requirements by shift length: a minimum 15-minute break after more than 6 hours' work; a total of at least 30 minutes (which can be two 15-minute breaks) for shifts of 6 to 9 hours; and a total of 45 minutes for shifts over 9 hours. The WTD rest requirements align with the EU drivers' hours rest rules. Importantly, these break rules operate alongside, not instead of, the drivers' hours breaks above.

Recording and managing your hours

Compliance depends on accurate records, which is where the tachograph comes in. To understand the device and your obligations, see our guide to tachograph rules, and for the wider EU/AETR/GB framework, our driver hours and tachographs overview. Even if you operate solely within the UK, you remain obligated to comply with these rules.

Avoid costly fines — get expert support

Confused about drivers' hours regulations? Avoid costly fines and protect your Operator Licence with tailored compliance support. Our consultants can review your scheduling, train your drivers and put robust systems in place — explore our tachograph analysis service or get in touch for a free consultation.