Working time – more than just driving time
On average a maximum of 48 hours per week, never more than 60. Loading, unloading and waiting also count.
The driving times and rest periods (Regulation (EC) No 561/2006) are mainly about driving. In addition, there is Directive 2002/15/EC on your total working time. Both apply at the same time. Since 23 March 2009, the directive also applies to self-employed drivers.
What is working time?
| Counts as working time | Does not count as working time |
|---|---|
| Driving | Breaks |
| Loading and unloading | Rest periods |
| Cleaning the vehicle and technical maintenance | Periods of availability (see below) |
| Administration, paperwork, customs | |
| Guarding the load | |
| Waiting when you do not know in advance how long it will last |
Periods of availability
A period of availability is waiting time for which you know in advance roughly how long it will last, for example a waiting time announced to the customer, or the time you sit next to the driver as a second driver. Time on a ferry or train can also be a period of availability. On the tachograph, this is the symbol with the square with a diagonal line.
Note: do not set "availability" on your tachograph by default if you are actually working (e.g. loading or unloading). This wrongly lowers your recorded working time.
The limits
| Rule | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Average working time per week | 48 hours, averaged over 4 months (some countries use 6 months) |
| Working time in one week | 60 hours |
| For night work | Maximum 10 hours of working time in each 24-hour period |
Each country defines for itself what "night" is (a period of at least 4 hours between 0:00 and 7:00).
Breaks under the working time rules
You may not work more than 6 hours in a row without a break.
| Working time per day | Minimum break |
|---|---|
| 6 to 9 hours | 30 minutes |
| More than 9 hours | 45 minutes |
You may split these breaks into blocks of at least 15 minutes. They apply in addition to the break rules in Regulation (EC) No 561/2006: in practice, you always follow the strictest rule.
Records
Your employer must keep a record of your working time and retain it for at least 2 years. You have the right to a copy.