Where can you take your rest? Cab or accommodation
Daily rest periods and reduced weekly rest periods may be taken in the cab, but a regular weekly rest period may not. In that case your employer pays for suitable accommodation.
Overview
| Type of rest | In the cab? |
|---|---|
| Break (45 min or 15 + 30) | Yes |
| Daily rest period (11 h, 3 + 9 h or reduced 9 h) | Yes, if the vehicle is stationary and has suitable sleeping facilities |
| Reduced weekly rest period (24 h – 45 h) | Yes, if the vehicle is stationary and has suitable sleeping facilities |
| Regular weekly rest period (45 h or more) | No |
| Weekly rest period of more than 45 h as compensation | No |
The Court of Justice confirmed the ban on taking the regular weekly rest period in the cab in October 2024.
What must the employer provide?
If you do not take your regular weekly rest period at home or at another place of your own choosing, your employer must provide suitable accommodation:
- gender-friendly (e.g. separate facilities for women and men);
- with proper sleeping facilities;
- with sanitary facilities (toilet, shower).
The employer bears the costs. You do not have to pay for this accommodation yourself.
Note: "Accommodation" does not mean "the cab at a parking area with showers". A hotel, motel, guesthouse or another real place to sleep outside the vehicle is acceptable; a sleeper cab in the truck is not.
What if no accommodation has been arranged?
- If you take your regular weekly rest period in the cab anyway, this is an infringement. In a check, both the employer and you can be fined, depending on the country.
- Tell your employer in writing (email, message via the on-board computer) if nothing has been arranged. Keep that message.
- How strictly checks are carried out and how high the fines are differs per country. See Checks and fines and Rules per country.
Safe parking areas
The EU encourages secure and certified parking areas (Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas, SSTPA) along the main routes. Your employer can take this into account when planning. However, a parking area alone is never enough for a regular weekly rest period: you still need accommodation outside the vehicle.