Which rules apply
There are three sets of drivers' hours rules for goods vehicles in Great Britain. DVSA's guidance, Drivers' hours and tachographs: goods vehicles, was last updated on 1 July 2026 and applies to England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has separate guidance.
| Rules | When they apply, per DVSA |
|---|---|
| Assimilated rules | Most goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes maximum permissible mass (including any trailer) used wholly within the UK or on journeys between the UK and the EU. From 1 July 2026 this includes light goods vehicles over 2.5 tonnes on international operations. |
| AETR rules | Journeys to, from or through countries that have signed the AETR Agreement. They largely mirror the assimilated rules, with some differences. |
| GB domestic rules | Set out in the Transport Act 1968, they apply to "most goods vehicles that are exempt from assimilated rules". |
The assimilated rules are the former EU rules, retained in GB law after Brexit. They have a list of exemptions, including vehicles that cannot exceed 40 km/h, certain emergency and armed forces use, and some non-commercial use. There are also national derogations for journeys within the UK only, covering work such as some agricultural, waste collection and utility operations. If you rely on an exemption or derogation, check the wording in the DVSA guidance carefully; the conditions are specific.
Driving limits under the assimilated rules
A fixed week, for these rules, "starts at 00.00 on Monday and ends at 24.00 on the following Sunday". Daily driving time is the total driving between the end of one daily rest and the start of the next, or between a daily and a weekly rest.
| Limit | Assimilated rules |
|---|---|
| Daily driving | 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours no more than twice a week |
| Weekly driving | 56 hours |
| Two-weekly driving | 90 hours in any two consecutive weeks |
The fortnightly limit is the one that most often catches schedulers out. A driver who drives 56 hours in one week can drive only 34 hours in the next.
Breaks
DVSA's guidance says: "A break of no less than 45 minutes must be taken after no more than 4.5 hours of driving." The break can be split into two periods, the first at least 15 minutes and the second at least 30 minutes, taken over the 4.5 hours. A 30-minute period followed by a 15-minute period does not meet the rule.
DVSA defines a break as "any period during which a driver may not carry out any driving or any other work and which is used exclusively for recuperation." Loading, paperwork or vehicle checks do not count as a break.
Daily rest
- Regular daily rest: at least 11 hours. It can be split into two periods, the first at least 3 hours and the second at least 9 hours.
- Reduced daily rest: at least 9 hours but less than 11. It can be taken no more than 3 times between any two weekly rest periods and does not need to be compensated.
- Multi-manning: each driver must have at least 9 hours' rest within a 30-hour period.
DVSA's guidance says the daily rest must be completed "within 24 hours of the end of the last daily or weekly rest period", or within 30 hours when multi-manned. There are limited provisions for rest interrupted by a ferry or train journey and for unforeseen events that stop a driver reaching a suitable stopping place; both come with conditions set out in the guidance.
Weekly rest
- Regular weekly rest: at least 45 continuous hours.
- Reduced weekly rest: at least 24 but less than 45 continuous hours.
- In any two consecutive weeks a driver must have at least two weekly rests, one of which must be at least 45 hours.
- A weekly rest must start no later than the end of six consecutive 24-hour periods from the end of the last weekly rest.
A reduced weekly rest must be compensated by "an equivalent period of rest taken in one block before the end of the third week following the week in question", attached to another rest of at least 9 hours. For international carriage of goods only, two consecutive reduced weekly rests are allowed, subject to conditions including at least four weekly rests in four consecutive weeks, of which at least two are regular.
GB domestic rules
For vehicles exempt from the assimilated rules, the domestic rules are simpler:
- Driving: "In any working day the maximum amount of driving permitted is 10 hours." This applies to driving on and off the public road.
- Duty: "In any working day the maximum amount of duty permitted is 11 hours." A working day is the 24-hour period beginning with the start of duty.
Drivers are exempt from the duty limit on days they do not drive, and in a week where they do not drive for more than 4 hours on any day. The domestic rules have no specific break or rest requirements, but the Working Time Regulations 1998 require adequate rest. Where a vehicle needs an operator licence and the driver drives for more than 4 hours in a day, a written record is needed, normally a weekly record sheet, unless a tachograph is used instead.
Mixing the two
Where a driver does both kinds of work in the same period, DVSA's mixed rules apply. Domestic driving and duty count as other work under the assimilated rules, not as a break or rest, and assimilated driving counts towards the domestic limits. The 10-hour domestic driving limit and the 11-hour domestic duty limit must always be obeyed, and records must meet both sets of rules.
Working time for mobile workers
Drivers' hours rules sit alongside working time rules. The Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 apply to mobile workers regulated by the assimilated or AETR rules. DVSA's working time annex summarises the main limits:
- weekly working time must not exceed an average of 48 hours over the reference period, which is normally 17 weeks but can be extended to 26 weeks
- a maximum of 60 hours can be worked in any single week, provided the average is not exceeded
- between 6 and 9 hours of work requires breaks totalling at least 30 minutes, and more than 9 hours requires at least 45 minutes; breaks should be at least 15 minutes each
- if night work is performed, working time must not exceed 10 hours in any 24-hour period; for goods vehicles night time is 00.00 to 04.00
- records must be kept for two years after the period in question
Working time includes driving, loading and unloading, vehicle maintenance, work to ensure the safety of the vehicle and its cargo, and administrative tasks, as well as waiting periods whose foreseeable duration is not known in advance. Periods of availability, such as accompanying a vehicle on a ferry, are not working time if their duration is known in advance. Drivers under the domestic rules come under the Working Time Regulations 1998 instead, which also set a 48-hour average week.
What operators must do
DVSA is clear that "Operators have legal responsibilities and liabilities for their own compliance with the regulations and that of the drivers under their control." Its operator responsibilities section says operators must, among other things:
- "properly schedule work so the rules are met"
- ensure drivers are properly trained and instructed on the drivers' hours rules
- not make payments related to speed of delivery, distance travelled or amount carried if that would encourage breaches
- "Make regular checks of charts, manual records and digital data to ensure compliance"
- "Take all reasonable steps to prevent breaches of the rules"
In practice that means three things: plan work that can be done legally, monitor what actually happened from tachograph and working time records, and act on what the monitoring finds. Acting means discussing infringements with the driver, recording what was agreed, retraining where needed, and changing schedules where the work itself causes the problem.
Enforcement follows where this breaks down. DVSA's enforcement section describes verbal warnings, prohibitions, graduated fixed penalties, prosecution, and reports to the Traffic Commissioner where an operator's or driver's repute is in question. Under the assimilated rules an operator can be liable for a driver's offence, but has a defence if it can show it organised the work properly, instructed the driver, made regular checks and did not make payments that encourage breaches.
A short checklist
- Confirm which rules each vehicle and type of work falls under, and document any exemption you rely on.
- Plan schedules against the daily, weekly and fortnightly limits, and the weekly rest pattern.
- Check that planned working time fits the 48-hour average and 60-hour weekly maximum.
- Analyse tachograph data promptly and produce infringement reports for each driver.
- Record the action taken on every infringement and look for repeat patterns.
- Keep working time records for two years.
Roadworthy Fleet Compliance's Fleet Analysis add-on accepts tachograph driver card and vehicle unit file uploads and analyses them for infringements.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check DVSA's current guidance for the rules that apply to your journeys.