A question we hear regularly from UK fleet clients is: "Do we have to follow both the working time rules and the drivers' hours rules?" The short answer is yes — and Frotcom analyses both from your tachograph data, so you can stay on the right side of each.
These two terms often get mixed up because they both deal with working hours in the transport industry, but they regulate different things:
Working Time Law
All work activities — ensures drivers don't work excessive hours overall.
Driving Law
Driving limits and mandatory rest — focused on keeping roads safe.
Analyses Both
Our tachograph analysis assesses compliance with both the Working Time Directive and EU Regulation 561 — from a single platform.
1. Working Time Directive (WTD)
The Working Time Directive started life as EU law, and its road transport version (2002/15/EC) is written into UK law as the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005. These apply to drivers who work under the drivers' hours rules below. Drivers outside those rules — most van drivers, for example — are covered by the general Working Time Regulations 1998 instead.
Focus: The total working time of mobile workers — like truck and bus drivers.
Maximum Average Working Time Per Week
Can go up to 60 hours in a single week, but the 48-hour average must be maintained over a reference period. There is no individual opt-out for drivers in scope.
Break if Working 6–9 Hours
At least 30 minutes required. Can be split into 15-minute chunks.
Break if Working Over 9 Hours
At least 45 minutes required. Can be split into 15-minute chunks.
Covers All Work — Not Just Driving
Loading, paperwork, waiting (if not free to dispose of time) — all count toward WTD working time.
2. EU Regulation 561/2006 (EU 561)
Applies specifically to drivers of goods vehicles over 3.5t and passenger vehicles with 9+ seats. Since Brexit, the UK has kept these rules as the "assimilated" drivers' hours rules — and since 1 July 2026 they also apply to vans of 2.5t or more on international journeys.
Focus: Driving time and rest — to improve road safety and driver welfare.
Maximum Daily Driving Time
Can be extended to 10 hours twice per week.
Maximum Weekly Driving Time
Maximum 90 hours over any two consecutive weeks.
Daily Rest Required
Can be reduced to 9 hours up to three times per week.
Weekly Rest Required
Can be reduced to 24 hours every other week — but must be compensated.
Maximum Driving Before a Break
45 minutes break required after 4.5 hours of continuous driving.
What about vans? Vehicles outside these rules — including most vans up to 3.5t on UK work — follow the GB domestic drivers' hours rules instead: a maximum of 10 hours' driving and 11 hours on duty in a day. These apply in England, Wales and Scotland; Northern Ireland has its own rules.
Both Apply at the Same Time
A driver might only drive 9 hours (complying with EU 561) — but if they also did 3 hours of loading and unloading, their total working time is 12 hours, which counts under the WTD. Both sets of rules apply simultaneously and independently.
Need assistance on working or driving time compliance?
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