Temporary relaxation of working time rules for HGV drivers

In light of the recent weather conditions, the Transport Secretary on Saturday authorised a relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours and working time rules for all HGV drivers.

He said the relaxation would initially last for four days and apply to the whole of Great Britain. The Department for Transport (DfT) will review the relaxation in the light of weather conditions early this week.

The EU drivers’ hours rules have been temporarily relaxed as follows:

• The EU daily driving limit of nine hours has been replaced with one of ten hours.
• The daily rest requirement has been reduced from 11 to nine hours.
• The weekly (56 hours) and fortnightly driving limit (90 hours) has been lifted.
• The weekly rest requirement has been postponed until 23:59 on 7 December 2010, at which stage a driver has to take a normal weekly rest of 45 hours.
• Notwithstanding the postponement of the weekly rest requirement, a driver must take a minimum rest of 24 hours beginning no later than the end of the 11th day since the end of his last weekly rest period.

The requirement to take a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours driving remains and will continue to be rigorously enforced, the DfT has said.

The enforcement of working time rules has also been relaxed for this period to allow drivers to work up to 66 hours instead of the usual 60-hour weekly maximum. This extra time should be recorded, but does not count for the purposes of determining average working time.

Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, said:

“During these exceptional conditions we must do everything we can to keep Britain moving. That is why I have authorised a temporary relaxation of drivers’ hours and working time rules for all HGV drivers over the next four days. This will ensure that vital supplies get to their destination on time.”