A single infraction on a driver hour log can result in fines, vehicle detention, and in serious cases, license revocation. Fleet managers carry that risk, and many are still tracking hours in spreadsheets or relying on drivers to self-report. Neither approach scales.

The Core EU Driver Hour Rules

Under EU Regulation 561/2006, which applies to most commercial road transport, the key limits are:

  • 9 hours driving per day (extendable to 10 hours twice a week)
  • 56 hours driving per week
  • 90 hours driving across any two consecutive weeks
  • 45 minutes break after 4.5 hours of continuous driving (can be split into 15 + 30 minutes)
  • 11 hours daily rest (reducible to 9 hours three times between weekly rests)

These rules apply to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and buses. Lighter vehicles and some exemptions (agriculture, certain local operations) follow different rules. If you operate across multiple vehicle categories, you manage multiple rule sets simultaneously.

What "Driving Time" Actually Includes

A common mistake: managers track wheel time and miss other counted time. Under EU rules, driving time includes all time spent at the wheel. But total working time - regulated separately under the Road Transport Working Time Directive - includes:

  • Driving
  • Loading and unloading
  • Assisting passengers
  • Cleaning and maintenance during work
  • Administrative tasks required at the start or end of a trip

Total weekly working time cannot exceed 60 hours in any single week, or an average of 48 hours over a 4-month reference period.

The Tachograph Is Not Enough

Tachographs record driving data, but they do not plan ahead. They tell you what happened. They do not tell you that Driver A already has 42 driving hours this week and is about to breach the 56-hour limit if you assign tomorrow's long haul.

Fleet managers need a forward-looking view:

  • Current weekly hour totals per driver
  • Hours remaining before daily, weekly, and fortnightly limits trigger
  • Which drivers have used their weekly rest reduction allowances
  • Who is available for last-minute assignments without creating a violation

Planning Schedules Around Compliance

Build compliance into the schedule before you hand it to drivers, not after an infringement notice arrives.

Practical steps:

  1. Set hard limits in your scheduling tool - no driver should appear as "available" once they have reached their weekly ceiling
  2. Track split rest periods - a driver who took a reduced daily rest cannot take another reduced rest the next day
  3. Flag drivers returning from long international routes - they may need full weekly rest (45 hours minimum) before they can start the next assignment
  4. Account for ferry and train time - under EU rules, some travel time on ferries counts as rest

Multi-Driver Vehicles

When two drivers share a vehicle, each driver's hours still count individually. The vehicle can operate longer, but each driver must still take their mandatory breaks and rests. Crew driving rules allow extended daily driving to 20 hours, but only if a second driver is present and the co-driver spends non-driving time in a bunk, not the passenger seat.

Why Spreadsheets Fail

Spreadsheets do not enforce limits. They display data you enter. If a dispatcher enters an assignment that would push a driver over the limit, the spreadsheet accepts it without complaint. You catch the violation at audit time, not before the truck leaves the depot.

Automated scheduling tools that track cumulative hours in real time prevent the assignment from being made in the first place. The constraint is built in.

Common Audit Triggers

Transport authorities in most EU countries focus audits on:

  • Drivers with multiple infringements within a short period
  • Gaps or inconsistencies in tachograph records
  • Missing rest period documentation
  • Drivers operating across multiple operators (moonlighting adds hours across employers)

If your drivers work for a single company, tracking is simpler. If any of them operate under multiple employment arrangements, you need confirmation they are not accumulating hours across employers.

Rezano tracks cumulative shift hours per employee and flags scheduling conflicts before they become violations. Try it at rezano.lv.