Driving Time

Driving time is the time a professional driver spends behind the wheel. Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 caps it at 9 hours a day, 56 hours a week and 90 hours over two weeks. A 45-minute break is due after 4.5 hours of driving.

These rules target driver fatigue, one of the major threats to road safety. They apply throughout the European Union and form the core of road transport social regulation. Our EC Regulation 561/2006 entry covers the text itself.

Which vehicles and drivers are covered?

The regulation covers the carriage of goods by vehicles with a maximum permissible mass above 3.5 metric tons (Article 2). It also covers some passenger transport. Since July 1, 2026, it also applies to vehicles over 2.5 metric tons in international transport and cabotage (Regulation 2020/1054).

There are exemptions (Article 3). A vehicle of 7.5 metric tons or less carrying the driver's own work equipment is exempt. The exemption applies within a 100 km radius of the company, provided driving is not the driver's main activity.

A van of 2.5 to 3.5 metric tons used for own-account transport is also exempt, provided driving is not the driver's main activity. This case matters most since the 2026 extension to international transport.

Which limits and rest periods apply?

This table summarizes Articles 4, 6, 7 and 8 of Regulation 561/2006, in its version of May 22, 2024. A week runs from 00:00 on Monday to 24:00 on Sunday.

Rule	Limit	Article
Daily driving	9 hours maximum, extendable to 10 hours no more than twice a week	Art. 6
Weekly driving	56 hours maximum, without exceeding the maximum working time	Art. 6
Driving over two consecutive weeks	90 hours maximum	Art. 6
Break	45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving, or 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes	Art. 7
Regular daily rest	11 hours, or 3 hours followed by 9 hours	Art. 4 and 8
Reduced daily rest	At least 9 hours, no more than three times between two weekly rests	Art. 8
Regular weekly rest	45 hours	Art. 4 and 8
Reduced weekly rest	At least 24 hours, compensated before the end of the third following week	Art. 8

Rest periods are covered in detail in our driver's rest entry. Our table of driving and rest times offers a printable version.

What happens when a driver goes over the limits?

Article 12 allows a driver to exceed the limits to reach a safe stopping place. The driver records the reason no later than on arrival. In exceptional circumstances, the driver may exceed daily and weekly driving time by up to one hour. This extension is for reaching the employer's operational center or the driver's home to take a weekly rest there.

The extension can reach two hours to take a regular weekly rest there, provided an uninterrupted 30-minute break comes immediately before it. It is compensated by an equivalent rest period, taken in one block before the end of the third following week.

The company remains liable for its drivers' violations (Article 10). It may not pay them according to distance traveled or volume carried if that endangers safety. It must organize work so that the rules can be followed.

How is driving time recorded and checked?

The tachograph automatically records driving, breaks and rest. The driver inserts their driver card every day they drive (Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, Article 34).

At a roadside check, the driver presents data for the current day and the previous 56 days. This period has applied since December 31, 2024 (Regulation (EU) 2020/1054). The company keeps the records for at least one year (Article 33).

How Dadycar helps

Dadycar does not replace the tachograph, which remains the legal record, but it gives you a complementary management view. The trips and mileage module reconstructs journeys, from the data of compatible connected vehicles or from an optional telematics device.

Geofencing flags vehicle movements outside the zones you define. The documents module keeps driver's licenses in one place, and due-date alerts warn you in time. Your data is hosted in France, by OVHcloud.

Frequently asked questions

Does driving time include breaks?

No. A break is a period during which the driver neither drives nor carries out any other task (Article 4). Loading or maintenance count as working time, which is governed by Directive 2002/15/EC.

Are light commercial vehicle drivers covered?

In domestic transport, a vehicle of 3.5 metric tons or less falls outside the scope of the regulation. Since July 1, 2026, vehicles over 2.5 metric tons come within it for international transport and cabotage (Regulation 2020/1054).

How are the 90 hours over two weeks calculated?

You add up the driving time of two consecutive calendar weeks, each running from 00:00 on Monday to 24:00 on Sunday. The total must not exceed 90 hours, even if each week stays under 56 hours (Articles 4 and 6).