In order to lower the chance of fatal accidents occurring, the UK has set specific limitations on HGV driver working hours. These limits are essential for keeping on-road employees alert and awake, as opposed to fatigued and unconcentrated.
It's vital that both drivers and fleet managers are aware of their obligations. For this reason, we’ve put together this guide which answers the question: “how many hours can a truck driver work?”.
How many hours can an HGV driver work in a day?
Under assimilated law (previously known as Retained EU Law), there is a 9-hour daily limit on driving an HGV in the UK and AETR countries. However, these hours can be increased to 10 hours in a day twice per week. By the same rules, an HGV driver cannot drive for more than 4.5 hours without taking a 45-minute break.
What is the shift pattern for HGV drivers?
HGV drivers generally begin their shift by driving for 4.5 hours, then breaking for 45 minutes, before carrying out the other half of their working hours. There is also the option of taking a split break, where the initial break period within a shift consists of 15 minutes, with the second amounting to 35 minutes for a total of 45 minutes.
How many hours can an HGV driver work in a week?
In the UK and AETR countries, an HGV driver cannot exceed 56 hours of total drive time in a single week. Within a two-week period, HGV drivers are not allowed to have been on the road for over 90 hours. This means that if a driver were to drive for 56 hours one week, then they could only work for 34 hours the next week.
For instance, a driver could work four 9-hour shifts coupled with two 10-hour shifts one week, followed by four 7-hour shifts and one 6-hour shift the next. It’s notable that these shift times do not take mandatory breaks into account.
How many 15-hour shifts can an HGV driver do?
HGV drivers are able to work 15-hour shifts for up to three times a week, although these hours cannot solely involve driving. This is because an HGV driver’s hours can’t extend beyond 9 hours of on-road work more than three times a week.
As such, if an employee undertakes 15-hour shifts, then in addition to 9 hours of these being driving, the other 6 must be made up of non-driving duties like loading, waiting time, administrative paperwork, or mandatory breaks.
What’s the difference between driving and working time?
There is a distinct difference between an HGV driver’s driving time and their working time. Driving time refers to the hours a driver specifically spends on the road, whereas working time concerns other jobs involved in the overall transportation operation. These tasks may include:
The regulations surrounding breaks for such work are different from those for driving. That is, a driver is required to take a 15-minute break only if they work for between 6-9 hours, or a 45-minute break for more than 9 hours of work, rather than after 4.5 hours of continued driving.
What is a period of availability?
A period of availability is a stretch of time during which an HGV driver is not engaged in driving or other work-related duties, yet remains on standby to resume work when needed.
For time to qualify as a period of availability, the driver must be informed beforehand about both its expected start and duration. Importantly, this time does not count towards the driver’s working hours and is neither classified as a break nor a rest period.
HGV driver rest periods
As well as breaks, HGV drivers must receive a set rest period each day. Drivers are obligated to take an uninterrupted 11-hour rest period. It’s possible for this period to be divided into two, but the first rest period has to be a minimum of 3 hours. For those drivers undertaking 15-hour shifts, their rest period is reduced to 9 hours a day. However, this can only occur a maximum of three times per week.
On top of the daily rest period, HGV drivers must observe a weekly rest period of no less than 45 hours. This rest period can be lowered to a minimum of 24 hours once every two weeks, provided that the decrease is fully compensated by an equivalent rest period taken by the end of the third week.
What if you break HGV driver rules?
Since HGV driver hours are governed by UK law, there are legal consequences for breaking the rules, applying to drivers of vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes. If a driver is caught breaching assimilated rules, then the DVSA can issue an accumulative fine of up to £1,500. If these regulations are broken more than five times in 28 days, then the driver can be taken to court and have their vehicle immobilised.
The driver themselves is primarily responsible for exhibiting risky driving, but there is also a burden on fleet managers to ensure compliance throughout their fleet. If any employer neglects sufficient measures, a company can be given a notice to improve by the DVSA. If these improvements aren’t acknowledged, then the employer might be asked to stop operations altogether until the issues are corrected.
Regulating HGV driver hours is integral to driver safety. Just one driver not adhering to the rules can be detrimental for a fleet. Fleet management solutions that integrate tachograph systems help fleet managers in upholding such set regulations. Without proper purpose-built technology, it’s impossible for fleet managers to monitor their drivers’ behaviour efficiently, making these solutions a necessity.
If you’re interested in implementing tachograph-integrated software throughout your fleet, then be sure to make an enquiry into our services today. For further reading, feel free to browse our resources center.
FAQs
Are van drivers required to follow drivers’ hours rules?
No, drivers of vans with a weight of less than 3.5 tonnes are not required to follow drivers’ hours regulations, although they must still comply with GB domestic rules. And, if a driver is operating a van weighing over 2.5 tonnes for international commercial transport, then they will have to follow assimilated law.
Are there any exemptions to drivers’ hours rules?
Yes, depending on the nature of the work and the type of vehicle used, certain exemptions from the standard drivers’ hours rules do exist. Exemptions include emergency services and rescue operations, breakdown and vehicle recovery, as well as agricultural and farming transport.
.svg)
.png?width=600&height=400&name=MCF%20Content%20Image%20(9).png)
-1.png?width=461&height=443&name=ses_pictograms_ecosystem%20partners_black%20(002)-1.png)
.jpeg?width=301&height=341&name=Untitled%20design%20(95).jpeg)
