How many 15 hour days can a HGV driver do?

HGV drivers’ breaks explained

HGV drivers are required to take a certain number of breaks covering set times as follows:

• Drivers must take a 45-minute break for every 4.5 hours they have spent driving.
• Stops less than 15 minutes long do not qualify as breaks.
• They are able to split this break into two. However, the first break must be at least 15 minutes, leaving the remaining 30 minutes for the second bre
• The assimilated rules will only allow a split-break pattern that shows the second period of break being at least 30 minutes, such as in the following examples:
• Taken an 11-hour rest period without interruption
• Taken a reduced daily rest period of a minimum of 9 hours if entitled to
• Split their rest period of 12 hours across two periods with a minimum of 3 hours first, and nine hours second

They are able to split this break into two. However, the first break must be at least 15 minutes, leaving the remaining 30 minutes for the second break. Split-break patterns like the following are permitted because the second break period is at least 30 minutes.

HGV drivers’ rest periods explained

Here is how rest periods work for HGV drivers:

• Drivers need to take a daily rest period of 11 hours.
• This can be taken in two parts, with the first needing to be a minimum of 3 hours.
• They can reduce their daily rest period to 9 hours of uninterrupted time, hence allowing for a 15-hour workday. This can be done no more than three times a week though.
• A driver must rest for 45 hours a week. This can be reduced to 24 hours providing they take full rest within a two-week period.
• There cannot be more than six 24-hour rest periods between weekly rests consecutively.

As an example, if a driver starts work at 8:00 am, within a 24-hour period they will have to have done one of the following;

1. Taken an 11-hour rest period without interruption.
2. Taken a reduced daily rest period of a minimum of 9 hours if entitled to.
3. Split their rest period of 12 hours across two periods with a minimum of 3 hours first, and nine hours second.

What happens if an HGV driver exceeds hours?

There are some harsh penalties for breaking the hourly rules – and rightly so as working more hours increases the risk of a road accident due to driver fatigue.

All HGVs with a gross mass of 3,500kg and above will have a tachograph fitted. This device records a vehicle’s speed, distance travelled, and gives operators a detailed understanding of a driver’s activity. Remember: The tachograph might record periods of standstill in traffic as no movement, but this does not count towards a driver’s rest breaks.

What are the penalties for infringements?

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is the governing body responsible for upholding the rules in the UK, including the penalties for infringements of drivers’ hours. Depending on the offence, a harsher punishment can be served. There are steeper punishments for repeat offenders, both for operators and drivers.

The fines work in the following bands where the amounts represent the maximum that can be fined for an offence within level:

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