Check which rules apply
Drivers’ hours and tachograph requirements depend on the vehicle, use, exemptions and journey. Check whether assimilated, AETR or GB domestic rules apply before planning the work.
Use the DVSA guide for the regime and circumstances involved; do not apply one set of limits to every journey.
Assimilated rules: driving, breaks and rest
For a single-driver goods operation within assimilated rules, the principal limits include:
- Driving: normally 9 hours daily, extended to 10 hours on no more than two days a week.
- Weekly driving: no more than 56 hours; no more than 90 hours across any two consecutive weeks.
- Driving break: at least 45 minutes after no more than 4 hours 30 minutes driving. A split must be at least 15 minutes followed by at least 30 minutes, in that order.
- Daily rest: normally at least 11 hours, completed within 24 hours of the end of the previous daily or weekly rest. Reduction to at least 9 hours is limited to three times between weekly rests.
- Regular weekly rest: at least 45 hours; the next weekly rest must start by the end of six 24-hour periods after the previous weekly rest.
Reduced weekly rest, compensation, split daily rest, multi-manning and international exceptions have further conditions. Read the linked DVSA rules before using them; the summary is not a complete schedule assessment.
GB domestic rules are a separate regime
Where GB domestic goods-vehicle rules apply, the principal daily limits are 10 hours driving and 11 hours duty, subject to the official definitions and exemptions. The duty limit does not apply on a day without driving. Do not substitute these figures for assimilated limits or assume that mixed-regime work resets your record. Northern Ireland has separate domestic guidance.
Plan more than driving time
Loading, unloading, vehicle checks and other duties can matter to the working-time assessment as well as the journey plan. Record the activity accurately when tachograph rules apply.
Allow for collection and delivery windows, site delays and the next commitment. A plausible ETA does not demonstrate compliance.
What does POA on a tachograph mean?
POA means period of availability. DVSA describes it generally as waiting whose duration is known in advance. Qualifying POA does not count as working time under the applicable road-transport working-time rules.
Do not select POA simply because the vehicle is stationary. Waiting with an unknown foreseeable duration is included in working time in the DVSA guidance. Check the actual activity and circumstances; POA is not automatically a break or rest. See Annex 2 and the tachograph guidance.
Planning example: loading is not a driving break
Assume a driver starts at 06:00 with a valid prior rest, drives three hours, then spends an hour loading. Loading is other work, so it does not reset the accumulated driving time. Another 1 hour 30 minutes driving reaches 4 hours 30 minutes: a qualifying break is needed before further driving, unless an applicable rest is taken. Working-time breaks may already be due separately. Check the previous weeks, duty, rest deadline and actual record before accepting an extra load; this example alone does not establish compliance.
- Driving06:00–09:00
- Loading · other work09:00–10:00
- Driving10:00–11:30
- Qualifying break before further driving11:30
HGV working time directive: a separate assessment
For mobile workers within the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005, driving is only part of working time. Loading, unloading, vehicle checks, relevant administration and waiting whose foreseeable duration is not known in advance also count. Qualifying POA and breaks do not count as working time.
The average weekly limit is 48 hours, normally over 17 weeks; a collective or workforce agreement can extend the reference period to 26 weeks. A single week can reach 60 hours only if the 48-hour average is respected. There is no individual opt-out from that average under these rules. Work for other employers must also be taken into account and reported as required.
Do not work more than 6 consecutive hours without a break. Working time totalling 6–9 hours requires at least 30 minutes of breaks; above 9 hours, at least 45 minutes. Each break must be at least 15 minutes. Assess the separate driving-break rules too; a qualifying break may satisfy both, but loading does not become a break.
For goods vehicles, night time is 00:00–04:00. If night work is performed, working time must not exceed 10 hours in any 24-hour period unless a collective or workforce agreement permits otherwise. Keep working-time records for two years after the relevant period. GB domestic and occasional mobile-worker rules differ; check the applicable regime before using these limits.
Worked example: elapsed time is not working time
A sample shift contains 30 minutes of checks, 3 hours driving, 30 minutes loading, a 45-minute qualifying break, 1 hour of qualifying POA known in advance, then 2 hours driving and 30 minutes unloading.
Elapsed time is 8 hours 15 minutes. Driving is 5 hours; other work is 1 hour 30 minutes, so working time is 6 hours 30 minutes. The 45-minute break and 1-hour POA are excluded from that total. The break occurs after 4 hours of work and 3 hours of driving. POA is not being used as the driving break.
If that hour of waiting does not meet the POA conditions, working time becomes 7 hours 30 minutes. Record what actually happened and reassess the plan. These totals do not establish compliance for the full day, week, reference period, night work or rest; check those separately.
- Elapsed shift
- 8h 15m
- Driving in the example
- 5h
- Working time in the example
- 6h 30m
Before accepting an extra load
Use this planning checklist alongside the rules that apply:
- Confirm the current location and next planned movement.
- Include travel to collection, loading, delivery and unloading.
- Allow for foreseeable waiting and uncertainty.
- Check required breaks and rest against the full plan.
- Clarify timings with the company before agreeing to the job.
If a route fits but the time does not, clarify or decline the opportunity rather than relying on an optimistic estimate.
Keep records and guidance accessible
Keep the operational details and any agreed changes with the job. Houlvek can help organise the freight workflow; it does not validate your tachograph record or certify an hours-compliant schedule.
The linked DVSA manual was updated on 1 July 2026. Read the current guidance and obtain qualified advice for an uncertain situation.
Check driver qualification and renewal separately from hours rules.