Drivers' hours · 4 min read · Updated
Drivers' hours rules explained - EU/AETR, GB domestic and working time in one page
Three rule-sets apply to UK drivers. Under the assimilated EU rules the main limits are 9 hours daily driving (10 twice a week), 56 in a week, a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours and 11 hours daily rest. GB domestic rules and the Working Time Regulations cover other work on top.
Three rule-sets apply to UK goods and passenger drivers. Which one depends on the vehicle and the journey; many operators have drivers under two of them in the same week.
1. Assimilated (retained EU) rules - Regulation (EC) 561/2006
Apply to most vehicles over 3.5 t (and, since July 2026, vans over 2.5 t on international hire-and-reward work) and to PSVs with more than 8 passenger seats on journeys over 50 km.
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Daily driving | 9 h, extendable to 10 h twice in a fixed week (Mon 00:00-Sun 24:00) |
| Weekly driving | 56 h |
| Two consecutive weeks | 90 h |
| Break | 45 min after 4.5 h of driving, or 15 min then 30 min (in that order) |
| Daily rest | 11 h in each 24-hour period; may be reduced to 9 h three times between weekly rests; or split 3 h + 9 h |
| Weekly rest | 45 h, may be reduced to 24 h (compensated in one block by the end of the third following week); must start within six 24-hour periods of the previous weekly rest; at least one regular rest in any two consecutive weeks |
| Multi-manning | each driver must take 9 h daily rest within 30 h |
| Ferry / train | regular daily rest may be interrupted twice, max 1 h total, with a bunk available |
Article 12 allows a driver to exceed limits to reach a safe stopping place, and (GB assimilated rules only) by 1 h to reach home/base for a weekly rest, or 2 h for a regular weekly rest after a 30-minute break - recorded manually on the printout and not habitual.
The AETR applies to international journeys touching non-EU AETR countries and mirrors the pre-2020 rules (no "two reduced weekly rests" derogation, no 8-hour ferry interruption of a regular weekly rest).
2. GB domestic rules
For goods vehicles out of EU scope (e.g. under 3.5 t on domestic work, certain exemptions): 10 h driving and 11 h duty in any working day; written records (weekly record sheets) if driving more than 4 h a day in an O-licence vehicle. Mixed EU/domestic driving in a week is worked out under section 3 of the GOV.UK guidance.
3. Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005
For mobile workers in EU scope: 48 h average working time over a 17-week reference period (26 with an agreement), 60 h maximum in any single week, no more than 6 h without a break (30 min if 6-9 h worked, 45 min over 9 h), 10 h in 24 if any night work (00:00-04:00 goods, 01:00-05:00 PCV). Periods of availability known in advance are not working time. Records kept 2 years.
How infringements are graded
Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/403 (retained) grades infringements:
- MI minor - e.g. daily driving 9 h-10 h, break 4 h 30-5 h, daily rest 10-11 h
- SI serious - e.g. daily driving 10-11 h, rest 8 h 30-10 h
- VSI very serious - e.g. daily driving ≥ 11 h, rest under 8 h 30, weekly rest under 36 h
- MSI most serious - e.g. 13 h 30 driving without a break, 70 h in a week, no tachograph, falsified records, failure to keep records
DVSA's enforcement sanctions policy (May 2026) sends every MSI to an operator follow-up; clusters of SI/VSI feed OCRS and trigger visits. Fixed penalties at the roadside are £100-£300 per offence band; drivers who cannot produce 28 days of records face the same.
What an analysis report should contain
Per driver and period: each infringement with date, rule, severity and the actual figures; missing-mileage and no-card-inserted events from vehicle units; unaccounted days; a plain-language summary; the rules in brief; and a signature block. The driver signs to acknowledge the debrief (not necessarily to agree), comments are recorded, and the signed copy is kept for at least 12 months. OperatorCompliance prepares this document and sends it through its built-in e-signature flow.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum daily driving time?
Under the assimilated EU rules, daily driving is limited to 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours no more than twice in a fixed week. A break of 45 minutes is required after 4.5 hours of driving, which can be split into 15 minutes then 30 minutes in that order. GB domestic rules allow 10 hours driving in a day.
How much weekly rest must a driver take?
Under the EU rules a driver must take a regular weekly rest of 45 hours, which can be reduced to 24 hours, with the reduction compensated in one block by the end of the third following week. Weekly rest must start within six 24-hour periods of the end of the previous one, and at least one regular rest is needed in any two consecutive weeks.
What are the working time rules for drivers?
The Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations set a 48-hour average working week over a 17-week reference period, a 60-hour maximum in any single week, and no more than 6 hours of work without a break. If any night work is done, working time is capped at 10 hours in 24. These apply on top of the drivers' hours rules.
How are drivers' hours infringements graded?
Retained EU Regulation 2016/403 grades infringements as minor, serious, very serious and most serious. For example, driving of 13.5 hours without a break, 70 hours in a week, or falsified or missing records are most serious. DVSA refers every most-serious infringement to an operator follow-up, and clusters of serious offences feed OCRS and trigger visits.
Sources
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