The drivers hours rules set how long a driver can be at the wheel, when they must break and how much rest they need before driving again. For most HGVs over 3.5 tonnes the assimilated EU rules apply: up to 9 hours driving a day (10 hours twice a week), a 45 minute break after 4.5 hours of driving, and records captured on a tachograph. Get any of those figures wrong and it is the operator, not just the driver, who answers for it.
I have watched tidy little operations brought to their knees by sloppy tachograph downloads. The rules are not complicated once you see them laid out. What catches operators out is the detail: which set applies, how breaks split, and the download intervals that quietly rack up infringements while everyone is busy running the depot.
When the drivers hours rules apply (and which set)
The first question is never “what are the limits”, it is “which rules am I under”. There are two regimes in Great Britain. The assimilated EU rules (retained Regulation (EC) 561/2006) cover most goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes maximum permissible weight, and passenger vehicles built to carry more than 9 people. These are the rules people mean when they talk about tachographs, the 4.5 hour driving block and the 45 minute break. On international GB to EU work, the AETR agreement mirrors them.
The GB domestic rules apply to a narrower group of goods vehicles that fall outside the EU rules, with a long list of exemptions. If your vehicle is over 3.5 tonnes and used commercially, assume the EU rules apply until you have checked a genuine exemption against the gov.uk list. Guessing is how operators end up running with no tachograph on a vehicle that needed one.
Separate from both is the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005, which govern total working time, not just driving, and run alongside the drivers hours rules rather than replacing them.
The core EU drivers hours limits
These are the numbers under the assimilated EU rules. Every infringement report is measured against them.
| Limit | Standard | Exception / flexibility |
|---|---|---|
| Daily driving | 9 hours | Extendable to 10 hours, twice a week |
| Weekly driving | 56 hours | Hard limit in any single fixed week |
| Fortnightly driving | 90 hours | In any two consecutive weeks |
| Break | 45 minutes after 4.5 hours driving | Splittable into 15 minutes then 30 minutes, in that order |
| Daily rest | 11 hours | Reducible to 9 hours, up to 3 times between weekly rests |
| Weekly rest | 45 hours (full) | Reducible to 24 hours, with compensation owed |
Driving and the 4.5 hour rule
You can drive a maximum of 4.5 hours before a break is due. The break is at least 45 minutes, taken in one go or split as a 15 minute break followed by a 30 minute break. The order matters: the 15 must come before the 30. After a full 45 minute break the 4.5 hour driving counter resets.
Daily driving is 9 hours, pushable to 10 hours on no more than two days in a fixed week. Weekly driving must not exceed 56 hours, and over any rolling two weeks it must not exceed 90. That fortnightly cap is the one drivers forget: a 56 hour week leaves the following week capped at 34.
Daily rest
A regular daily rest is 11 hours of uninterrupted rest within each 24 hour period, reducible to 9 hours on up to three occasions between any two weekly rest periods with no compensation owed. It can also be split into two blocks, the first at least 3 hours and the second at least 9 hours, totalling 12 hours.
Weekly rest
A full weekly rest is 45 hours. A reduced weekly rest of at least 24 hours is allowed only on alternate weeks, and the hours knocked off must be paid back. That compensating rest has to be taken in one block, attached to another rest period of at least 9 hours, before the end of the third week following the reduction. This is where I see operators trip up most, because the compensation gets lost in the paperwork and turns into an infringement weeks later.
GB domestic rules in brief
Where the GB domestic rules apply instead, the structure is simpler but two limits still bite. You must not drive for more than 10 hours in a day, and you must not be on duty for more than 11 hours in any working day (the duty limit does not apply on a day with no driving). Records still have to be kept, on a tachograph or a weekly record sheet. There is no 4.5 hour break rule here, but the Working Time rules on breaks still apply.
Tachograph rules under Regulation 165/2014
If a vehicle is in scope of the EU drivers hours rules, an approved tachograph must record the driving, governed by the assimilated tachograph regulation (retained Regulation (EU) 165/2014). Almost all in-scope vehicles run a digital tachograph; newer ones use a smart tachograph that also logs position data at points in the journey.
One of the core tachograph rules is that every driver has their own personal digital tachograph driver card. You cannot share it, you cannot drive in scope without it inserted, and it goes into slot one (slot two for a second crew member) before you move off. Lose or damage it and you must report it and apply for a replacement.
The download intervals that catch people out
Two intervals do more compliance damage than anything else when they slip:
- Driver cards must be downloaded at least every 28 days, and immediately if a driver leaves or the card is failing.
- Vehicle units must be downloaded at least every 90 days, and before a vehicle is sold, un-hired or passed to someone else.
Miss a 28 day window and you have a gap in your data the moment DVSA asks for it. Treat these intervals as non-negotiable diary entries.
Manual entries and records retention
When a driver starts a shift away from the vehicle, or does work the card did not record, they make manual entries to fill the gap. Other work, periods of availability and breaks all need recording honestly. A blank where there should be an entry reads as an infringement.
On retention, drivers carry the current day plus the previous 28 days of records when driving (rising to 56 days for international GB to EU work). The operator must keep downloaded driver and vehicle data for at least 12 months for drivers hours purposes, and hold Working Time records for two years. Keep the raw data, not just the analysis, because that is what an investigation wants to see.
Where the Working Time rules sit
The Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 cap average weekly working time at 48 hours over a reference period (normally 17 weeks), with no single week above 60 hours. Working time includes loading, unloading, paperwork and waiting where the driver cannot use the time freely, not just driving. A driver can sit inside the drivers hours rules and still breach Working Time, so both have to be monitored together.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum daily driving under the drivers hours rules?
Nine hours, extendable to ten hours on no more than two days in a fixed week, under the assimilated EU rules. The GB domestic limit is ten hours of driving a day.
Can the 45 minute break be split?
Yes. You can split it into a 15 minute break followed by a 30 minute break, taken in that order, within the 4.5 hours of driving. A 30 then 15 split does not comply.
How often must tachograph data be downloaded?
Driver cards at least every 28 days and vehicle units at least every 90 days, plus immediate downloads when a driver leaves or a vehicle changes hands.
Do the EU drivers hours rules still apply after Brexit?
Yes. They were assimilated into UK law as retained Regulations 561/2006 and 165/2014, so the limits and tachograph requirements still apply to in-scope vehicles in Great Britain.
How long must tachograph records be kept?
At least 12 months for drivers hours compliance, and two years for Working Time records. Drivers carry the current day plus the previous 28 days on the road.
What is the difference between drivers hours and Working Time rules?
Drivers hours limit driving, breaks and rest. The Working Time Regulations limit total working time, including non-driving duties. Both apply at once to most in-scope drivers.
How ETM helps with drivers hours and tachograph compliance
Most operators do not need a full-time compliance department. They need someone who reads the tacho data properly and acts on infringements before DVSA does. External Transport Manager connects operators and fleets with verified transport managers and compliance specialists who run drivers hours analysis, chase the missing downloads and keep your records audit-ready. For the deeper detail, see our resource on tachograph analysis and drivers hours and read what an external transport manager does. When you are ready, request transport manager support and we will match you with the right specialist.
Need practical transport compliance support?
Send one enquiry through the independent ETM platform so suitable, vetted Transport Managers can understand the work before they quote.