Which rules apply
- Assimilated rules (Regulation (EC) 561/2006 as it has effect in the UK): goods vehicles whose maximum permissible mass, including any trailer, exceeds 3.5 tonnes, used in the UK or between the UK and the EU. A tachograph is required. From 1 July 2026 they also apply to light goods vehicles over 2.5 tonnes on international journeys and cabotage.
- AETR rules: journeys to, through or from AETR countries such as Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine. Mostly the same as the assimilated rules.
- GB domestic rules: vehicles exempt from the assimilated rules, and goods vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own domestic rules.
Even a short period of driving under the assimilated rules brings the whole day under them.
Driving limits (assimilated rules)
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| Daily driving | 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours twice in a fixed week |
| Weekly driving | 56 hours in a fixed week (00:00 Monday to 24:00 Sunday) |
| Two-weekly driving | 90 hours in any two consecutive fixed weeks |
| Continuous driving | 4.5 hours, then a 45-minute break |
Daily driving time is the driving between the end of one daily rest period and the start of the next (or a weekly rest).
The 45-minute break
After no more than 4.5 hours of driving, a driver must take a break of at least 45 minutes, unless a rest period starts. It can be split into 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes, spread over the 4.5 hours; the second part must be at least 30 minutes, so 30 then 15 does not count. Breaks under 15 minutes do not count towards a qualifying break. A qualifying break "wipes the slate clean": the next 4.5 hours start from its end. A break means no driving and no other work; periods of availability on a double-manned vehicle can count.
Daily rest
- Within each 24 hours after the end of the previous daily or weekly rest, a driver must take a regular daily rest of at least 11 hours.
- It can be reduced to 9 hours up to 3 times between two weekly rests, with no compensation needed.
- Or it can be split: at least 3 hours, then at least 9 hours, 12 hours in total. A split rest counts as regular, not reduced.
- Rest in the cab is allowed when the vehicle is stationary and has a bunk or bed for each driver.
Example from the guidance: a driver who starts work at 06:00 on day 1 must have completed an 11-hour rest (or 12-hour split rest, or a permitted 9-hour reduced rest) by 06:00 on day 2.
Weekly rest
- A weekly rest must start no later than 6 x 24 hours after the end of the previous one.
- A regular weekly rest is at least 45 hours; a reduced weekly rest at least 24 hours.
- In any two consecutive fixed weeks: two regular weekly rests, or one regular and one reduced.
- A reduction must be made up in one block, attached to a rest of at least 9 hours, before the end of the third week after the week in question.
- Drivers on international journeys may take two consecutive reduced weekly rests outside the UK and their country of residence, if four weekly rests (two of them regular) are taken in any four consecutive weeks.
Working time (Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005)
- An average of 48 hours a week over the reference period (17 weeks, or 26 under a collective or workforce agreement), and no more than 60 hours in any single week. There is no individual opt-out.
- No more than 6 consecutive hours of work without a break. Between 6 and 9 hours of work needs at least 30 minutes of breaks; over 9 hours, at least 45 minutes. Each break must be at least 15 minutes.
- Where night work is done (00:00 to 04:00 for goods vehicles), no more than 10 hours of work in 24 hours, unless an agreement allows more.
- Periods of availability and breaks do not count as working time. Records must be kept for 2 years.
GB domestic rules
A goods vehicle driver under the GB domestic rules must not drive more than 10 hours in a day or be on duty for more than 11 hours in any working day (the duty limit does not apply on days you do not drive). Hours are recorded on a weekly record sheet or a tachograph. Driving under the assimilated rules counts towards these limits on mixed days.
Tachograph cards and records
- A digital driver tachograph card costs £32 for the first GB card and £19 to renew or to replace a lost or stolen one. Renewal can be applied for within 90 days of expiry.
- Report a lost, stolen, damaged or faulty card to DVLA immediately, and apply for a replacement within 7 days. You can drive without the card for up to 15 calendar days if you make the required printouts.
- Drivers must be able to produce records for the current day and the previous 28 calendar days, or 56 days for international journeys to and from the EU.
- Operators must download driver cards at least every 28 days and vehicle units every 90 days, and keep drivers' hours records for at least a year.
Plan a shift against these limits with the drivers' hours calculator.