Drivers Hours Regulations[/list:u]
Driving Breaks
- A driver must have a 45 minutes break immediately after accumulating 4½ hours driving.
- The 45 minute driving break can be split into 2 parts, the first part must be at-least 15 minutes, the second part must be at-least 30 minutes, and they must be taken in that order.
Whenever a break of 45 minutes or more is taken, or when a split driving break is completed, a new 4½ hour driving period begins.
Examples:
Drive - 3 hours
Break - 45 minutes
The driving time is reset and you can drive for another 4½ hours before having another break.
Drive … 2½ hours
Other work … 1 hour
Drive … 2 hours
Break … 45 minutes (The driving time is reset)
Drive … 4½ hours
Break … 45 minutes
This is legal
(Split driving breaks)
Other work … 30 minutes
Drive … 1 hour
Break … 15 minutes
driver … 2 hours
Break … 30 minutes (The driving time is reset)
Drive … 4½ hours
Break … 45 minutes
This is legal
Drive … 1 hour
Break … 30 minutes
Drive … 3½ hours
Break … 15 minutes (This break should have been 30 minutes)
Drive … 4½ hours
Break … 45 minutes
This is not legal
In this case the split break was taken the wrong way round, the 30 minute break counted as the first part of a split break (15 minutes) so the second break should have been 30 minutes instead of 15.
(This would result in an infringement for exceeding 4½ hours driving without the required breaks)
Driving
- Maximum 9 hours driving between daily rest periods.
- Maximum driving between daily rest periods can be extended to 10 hours twice a week.
- Maximum 56 hours driving per week.
- Maximum 90 hours driving in any 2 consecutive weeks.
The daily driving time can be split up into any combination of driving periods as long as no more than 4½ hours driving is accumulated before having a 45minute break.
Examples:
(9 hour driving shift)
Other work … 1 hour
Drive … 4½ hours
Break … 45 minutes
Drive … 4½ hours
Break … 45 minutes
Other work … 30 minutes
End of shift
(10 hour driving shift)
Other work … 15 minutes
Drive … 3½ hours
Break … 15 minutes
Drive … 1 hour
Break… 30 minutes
Drive … 3 hours
Break … 45 minutes
Drive … 2½ hours
Other work … 15 minutes
End of shift
Daily Rest
- Must have a daily rest period of at-least 11 hours within the 24 hour period from the start of the shift (maximum 13 hour shift).
- The daily rest period can be reduced to 9 hours 3 times between 2 weekly rest periods (maximum 15 hour shift).
- Reduced daily rest periods do not have to be compensated for.
- A regular daily rest period can be taken in two parts, the first part can be taken at any time and must be at-least 3 consecutive hours, the second part must be at-least 9 consecutive hours and must be completed within 24 hours from the start of the shift (maximum 15 hour shift).
Any part of a rest period that does not fall within the period of 24 hours from the start of the shift will not count towards the daily rest period
For instance if you start at 06:00 and finish work at 19:15 then have 11 hours rest until 06:15 it will count as a reduced daily rest period, from the end of the shift at 19:15 to 06:00 (24 hours from the start of the shift) is only 10¾ hours.
So even though you’ve had 11 hours rest it’s a reduced daily rest period because only 10¾ hours of it was inside the 24 hour period from the start of the shift at 06:00.
Weekly Rest
- Must have a weekly rest period of at-least 45 hours in a week.
- Weekly rest period can be reduced to no less than 24 hours-
- In any two consecutive weeks you must have at-least 1 regular 45 hour weekly rest period and 1 reduced weekly rest period.
- Compensation for reduced weekly rest periods must be paid back en block no later than the end of the third week following the week in which the reduced weekly rest period was taken.