Are the U.K laws on driving hours different from Europe? Driving hours are limited but whats the limit for actual working hours?
Cheers
Mostly the UK runs on the same rules as Europe, there are UK domestic driving laws but the vast majority of drivers are under the EC laws.
The hours of working are governed by the amount of rest you need in a 24 hour period begining when you resume work after a daily or weekly rest. You require an 11 hours rest period in 24 which means you can work for 13 hours (13 +11 = 24) Example begin work at 06:00 finish 19:00 and 11 hours takes you back to 06:00 next day.
3 times a week you can reduce the rest to 9 hours so on those days you can work 15 hours. Example begin work at 06:00 and finish at 21:00 and 9 hours takes you to 06:00 the next day.
You can also split your rest into two or three periods totalling 12 hours, the longest and last part must be 8 hours at least and the shortest not less than 1 hour. On those days from Starting work until finishing could be 16 hours, 16 +8 =24 but you would have had to have had 4 hours off duty between starting and finishing so are actually only working 12 hours.
Example, work from 06:00 until 11:00 then take 1.5 hours off. Resume at 12:30 and work until 17:30 then take 2.5 hours off then continue working until 22:00 and then take 8 hours rest to take you back to 06:00 the next day.
Of course within all those working hours you have to take your 45 min rest breaks if required.
the silent one:
Are the U.K laws on driving hours different from Europe?
EU rules apply in most cases - so that’s a NO !
Driving hours are limited but whats the limit for actual working hours?
click on the link in this postfor the official DfT website.
basically you can only work for six daily driving periods - after that you must take a weekly rest.
You must take a 11 hour rest daily - which means a 13 hour working day, you can reduce this to a 9 hour rest 3 times a week if you make up the reduced time by adding it to a daily before the end of the next week
Clear as mud innit 
Thanks Coffee, Denis
Clear as mud innit
Im trying to get my head round it all! 
Thanks again
Just another small point. When the rules say 11 hours off, they mean 11 hours and a couple of minutes (just to be sure).
If you work for say 13hours and a couple of minutes, then you have worked over 13 hours so your rest period cannot be 11 hours. There are less than 11 hours left in your 24 hr period.
That means that you have had a 9 hour rest, plus the majority of the compensation. But three 9 hour rests and one of 11 hours, short by a couple of minutes, puts you on the wrong side of the law. 
Seems like its time for a plug from Davey Driver 
Get an Hourguard oh Silent One
Worth its weight in teabags 
That’s the best advice of all Malc, keeps you 99.9% legal and that is more accurate than even the tacho head its self.
Good god, do they try to make it complicated!
Can i buy this drivers hours guard online? Think ill invest in one, better be safe than sorry. A link would be great.
Thanks guys.
AHA in big letters DRIVERS HOURS GUARD FORUM, ■■■■■■■ idiot, i should open my eyes
Hi Silent one… 
I’ve just bought a Driver-guard (2 days of use) and it’s ACE…
Working on a day to day basis is summut most of us can get our heads around, but once you start adding in fortnightly hours and compensation it gets way too confusing… THIS is where the driver guard comes into it’s own…
It’s my ‘Gadget of the Month’…
It’s even knocked my LED colour changing pen off the top spot… and that’s got flashing blue lights…!!!
Luv
Chrisie…
As a small addition to this thread - What is the position if one has another job that has nothing to do with driving LGVs? I have a full time job that (for the time being) involves working two 12 hour days (7am x 7pm), then two 12 hour nights (7pm x 7am) followed by 4 days off, then the cycle repeats. It is my intention (having got my licence, done the training etc etc) to try and get some driving work during the four “days off” from my full-time job.
I don’t intend (or expect) to be able to work on all my “days off”, but obviously if I did, I might start to run into probelms WRT rest periods?
Wheel Nut:
Seems like its time for a plug from Davey DriverGet an Hourguard oh Silent One
Worth its weight in teabags
They are only as good as the person using them though DONT foget to press the buttons its easily done!!!, then its back to paper and pen and studying your tacho.
Got one, ordered it online, arrived couple weeks back 
Aint used it yet mind, lessons start soon cant wait!