Drivers' working hours

Drivers' working hours is the commonly used term for regulations that govern the activities of the drivers of commercial goods vehicles and passenger carrying vehicles.

Within the European Union, EU Regulation 561/2006 [1]^[1][2] is the current regulation concerning the driving times, breaks and rest periods required to be taken by drivers of goods or passenger vehicles who drive in the EU. In certain circumstances, drivers may be exempt from EU Regulation 561/2006 throughout the EU, or there may be a derogation for the driver on a national journey within a particular country.

If the vehicle has passed through an AETR signatory country during the course of its journey then it will fall within scope of AETR rules for the whole of that journey.

Since September 2010, AETR rules have been amended to align closely with EU Regulation 561/2006.

Under certain circumstances, drivers may instead fall within scope of the domestic rules of that country.

In addition to the above requirements, drivers in the EU must also abide with the European Working Time Directive 2003/88/EC.

EU countries

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,

Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

AETR countries

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Russia, San Marino,

Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

EEA countries

All the EU countries plus:

Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Tachograph

An approved tachograph is the required instrument by which the activity of drivers subject to the EU or AETR drivers’ hours rules, the vehicle’s speed and distance, and

the time are recorded. There are two main types of tachograph – analogue and digital.^[3]

See also

• Tachograph
• Digital tachograph
• European Working Time Directive 2003/88/EC
• United States - Hours of Service

External links

• TruckersNet - Information on drivers hours, the digital tachograph, digi tacho rules and

regulations, WDT (working time directive), drivers cpc, cpc training, on-line shop and much more.

• Drivers' Hours and Tachograph Rules for Goods Vehicles in the UK and Europe

• Drivers' Hours and Tachograph Rules for Road Passenger Vehicles in the UK and Europe

• Drivers Working Hours in Vehicle Routing and Scheduling

Footnotes

1. ^ "Rules on Drivers’ Hours and Tachographs- Goods Vehicles". VOSA. http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/repository/Rules%20on%20Drivers%20Hours%20and%20Tachographs%20-%20Goods%20Vehicles%20in%20GB%20and%20Europe.pdf. 
2. ^ [http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/repository/Rules%20on%20Drivers%20Hours%20and%20Tachographs%20-%20PSVs%20in%20GB%20and%20Europe.pdf "Rules on Drivers’ Hours and Tachographs- Passenger Carrying Vehicles"]. VOSA. http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/repository/Rules%20on%20Drivers%20Hours%20and%20Tachographs%20-%20PSVs%20in%20GB%20and%20Europe.pdf. Retrieved 18 September 2011. 
3. ^ [http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/Rules%20on%20Drivers%20Hours%20and%20Tachographs%20-%20Passenger%20Vehicles%20in%20the%20UK%20and%20Europe%202009.pdf Drivers' Hours and Tachograph Rules for Road Passenger Vehicles in the UK and Europe, VOSA 2009, P26 Section 5 - Tachograph Rules]