Guide
HGV drivers' hours rules explained simply (UK)
Updated
Every limit a UK HGV driver runs up against in a normal week, in one page, without the legalese.
Driving limits
| Limit | Figure | Flexibility |
|---|---|---|
| Daily driving | 9 hours | 10 hours, no more than twice in a fixed week |
| Weekly driving | 56 hours | None |
| Fortnightly driving | 90 hours | None, counts any two consecutive fixed weeks |
| Break | 45 minutes after 4.5 hours' driving | Splittable as 15 minutes then 30, in that order |
| Daily rest | 11 hours in each 24-hour period | 9 hours (reduced) up to 3 times between weekly rests; or split 3 + 9 hours |
| Weekly rest | 45 hours | 24 hours (reduced), compensated by the end of the third week |
A 'day' for driving purposes is the 24-hour period after the end of your last daily or weekly rest, and the fixed week runs Monday 00:00 to Sunday 24:00. Both matter: the 9-hour limit is per 24-hour period, not per calendar date (gov.uk/drivers-hours).
Rest, and where the 15-hour day comes from
You need 11 hours of daily rest in every 24-hour period, which leaves a duty window of up to 13 hours. Take a reduced daily rest of 9 hours instead and the window stretches to 15 hours, but you can only do that 3 times between weekly rests. That is the whole story behind the '15-hour day': it is not a separate allowance, it is what a reduced rest leaves behind.
Daily rest can also be split into two blocks of at least 3 hours then at least 9 hours (12 in total). Weekly rest must start no later than the end of six consecutive 24-hour periods after your last weekly rest.
The break rules in practice
- After 4.5 hours of driving (not duty time) you must take a break of at least 45 minutes, unless you begin a rest period.
- You can split it: at least 15 minutes first, then at least 30. A 30 then 15 split does not count.
- The 4.5-hour clock resets after a full 45 minutes (or the completed 15 + 30 split), not after the first 15.
- During a break you can do no other work, and 'other work' includes loading, paperwork and walkaround checks.
Not sure how much you have left right now? The calculator takes your driven hours and gives you today's, this week's and the fortnight's remaining allowance in one go.