Tachograph and driving time rules: what dispatchers should know

The tachograph records a vehicle's speed and the driver's driving and rest times. The limits those records must respect are set in the EU by Regulation (EC) No 561/2006. Even if you are not behind the wheel, the delivery time you promise decides whether the driver can stay within those limits. A violation is penalised on the driver and the company, and the promised delivery time is lost anyway.

The core limits

• Daily driving: 9 hours. It may be extended to 10 hours twice a week.
• Continuous driving: after 4.5 hours a break of at least 45 minutes is required. It can be split: first at least 15, then at least 30 minutes.
• Weekly driving: 56 hours.
• Fortnightly driving: 90 hours over two consecutive weeks.
• Daily rest: normally 11 hours. It can be reduced to 9 hours at most three times between two weekly rests.
• Weekly rest: a regular weekly rest is at least 45 hours; a reduced one is at least 24 hours and the shortfall must be compensated later.

This is a summary. For split daily rest, two-driver crews and compensation rules, read the current text. On trips that leave the EU the AETR agreement also comes into play; the rules are largely parallel, but check which one applies.

What to watch when planning

1. Leave a margin when turning distance into hours. The time on the map does not include traffic, border queues or the search for parking. Do not plan every day to the last minute of 9 hours; a 10-hour day is one of two a week, not the default.
2. Waiting at loading and unloading eats the calendar. Time at the ramp is not driving, but it shifts the driver's day. If waiting drags on, the driver has to stop on the road to stay within the limit.
3. Parking is a real constraint. When time runs out, the driver needs a safe place to stop. On busy corridors that means a planned stop.
4. Write the weekly rest into the schedule. A regular 45-hour rest cannot be spent in the cab; the driver needs suitable accommodation. Weekend driving bans also matter here (see our article on weekend driving bans).
5. Two-driver option. When time is tight, a double-manned truck can cover more distance in a day. If you say so in the listing, both price and delivery time are discussed correctly from the start.

In the listing and at order stage

Write a realistic delivery day; do not ask the carrier to be there "tomorrow morning" if distance and driving time make it impossible. Carriers should also not quote on a delivery window that does not fit the loading day. When both sides talk about this early, there is no delay pressure pushing the driver into a violation.

Check the current regulation and your contract, or ask an expert, before relying on the details.

Common mistakes

• Planning around 9 hours a day and forgetting the weekly 56-hour and fortnightly 90-hour limits.
• Always giving the truck to the same driver; lanes without a spare driver or a swap point hit the limit sooner or later.
• Assuming time spent waiting at the border or ramp counts as a break; the break and rest must also be recorded correctly on the tachograph.

On Order And Load a listing carries a date window for loading and delivery, and a carrier searching by vehicle type and date can judge the timing against their own schedule. Short definitions of the terms are in the Freight Glossary.