Road transport directives outline working conditions for mobile workers i.e. drivers. Although primarily aimed at the heavy goods sector (i.e. over 3.5t GVW) there a number of provisions for the drivers of LCV’s. This also applies to the drivers of minibuses.

Drivers - New Working Hours

European regulation on EU drivers' hours rules, which has been in force for more than 20 years, were replaced on 11 April 2007 by new regulations affecting breaks, daily rests, weekly rests, a weekly driving limit, multi-manning and ferry crossings.

Significant changes

Breaks from Driving

The flexibility when splitting breaks from driving will be reduced. The rules will still require 45 minutes of break to be taken during or at the end of 4½ hours of continuous or accumulated driving, but breaks can only be split into two, rather than three, separate periods and the minimum length of each period is stipulated: the first break must be at least 15 minutes long and the second at least 30 minutes long.

Driving Off-Road

The term 'carriage by road' will include journeys undertaken partly on public roads. This means that:

• Where a vehicle travels on both public and private roads, all of the driving must be counted as such
• Vehicles delivering to private sites may no longer count driving on site as 'other work'

Drivers which come under this new ruling will have less driving time available and so they may have to take more breaks from driving to remain within the law.However, driving operations that take place entirely off the public road will remain out of scope.

Definition of Driving

The new rules stipulate driving shown on the tachograph record as driving.

This is a change from the UK definition, which currently includes time spent at the controls of the vehicle (for the purpose of controlling it) with the engine running, even if the vehicle is stationary.

Road Side Documentation - Drivers' hours regulations

All drivers (whether using analogue or digital tachograph fitted vehicles) must be able to produce, on request at the roadside, all their driver records for the current week and any records completed during the previous 15 days.

Furthermore, if the driver has been issued with a driver smart card it must also be produced. Even if it is not being used, it must be kept with the driver at all times. To ensure this tachographs are now available for light commercials such as the Mercedes Sprinter that prevent the vehicle being driven without a valid smart card.

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