Drivers’ Hours Rules Compared: EU, GB Domestic and Working Time

By National Compliance Training · Published 19 August 2026 · Last updated 14 August 2026

UK drivers in 2026 work under one of two drivers’ hours regimes. Assimilated (EU) rules allow 9 hours daily driving (10 twice a week) with a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours, capped at 56 hours a week and 90 a fortnight. GB domestic rules allow 10 hours driving and 11 hours duty in a day. On top of either sits the working time regime: a 48-hour average week, a 60-hour maximum week, and a 10-hour night work limit. Which regime applies depends on the vehicle and the journey, and getting it wrong is one of the most common findings at DVSA investigations.

Three rulebooks, overlapping definitions and different record-keeping requirements make drivers’ hours the topic operators get wrong most often. This guide compares the three regimes side by side.

Which drivers’ hours rules apply to my vehicle?

• Assimilated rules (previously called EU rules) apply to most goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes maximum authorised mass including any trailer, to buses and coaches on routes over 50km, and, from 1 July 2026, to vans over 2.5 tonnes on international hire or reward work. All driving under these rules must be recorded on a tachograph.
• GB domestic rules apply to most goods and passenger vehicles that do not come under the assimilated rules, including the great majority of vans on UK-only work.
• Working time rules sit on top of both. Mobile workers under assimilated rules follow the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005; domestic drivers follow lighter working time provisions.

A driver can move between regimes in the same week, and there are rules on how mixed driving is counted, which is one reason accurate records matter so much. For which vehicles need a tachograph at all, see our weight-by-weight guide, and for the vans newly in scope see the new tachograph requirements for vans from July 2026.

What are the assimilated (EU) drivers’ hours rules?

The assimilated rules are the strictest and the most precisely defined:

• Daily driving: maximum 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours no more than twice a week
• Breaks: a break or breaks totalling at least 45 minutes after no more than 4 hours 30 minutes of driving (which can be split into 15 minutes then 30 minutes)
• Weekly driving: maximum 56 hours in a week
• Fortnightly driving: maximum 90 hours in any two consecutive weeks, so a 56-hour week must be followed by no more than 34 hours
• Daily rest: at least 11 hours in each 24-hour period, reducible to 9 hours up to three times between weekly rests
• Weekly rest: an unbroken 45 hours, reducible to 24 hours every other week with compensation, with special provisions for international drivers taking reduced weekly rests away from base

Every minute of driving under these rules must be recorded on a tachograph, and DVSA can examine the current day plus the previous 28 days at the roadside.

What are the GB domestic drivers’ hours rules?

The domestic rules are simpler and less restrictive, reflecting the shorter, local nature of most in-scope work:

• Daily driving: maximum 10 hours of driving on public roads in a day
• Daily duty: maximum 11 hours on duty in any working day, though this duty limit does not apply on days when the driver does not drive
• Records: no tachograph is required, but goods vehicle drivers must still keep written records of hours, typically on weekly record sheets, unless exempt

Buses and coaches on domestic work have their own version: 10 hours driving, a maximum 16-hour spread between start and finish, a 30-minute break after 5 hours 30 minutes of driving, at least 10 hours rest between working days (reducible to 8.5 up to three times a week) and 24 hours off in any two weeks.

Note what the domestic rules do not contain: there is no weekly driving cap for goods drivers equivalent to the 56-hour limit. That gap is filled by the working time rules below.

How do the working time rules fit on top?

Drivers’ hours rules limit driving; working time rules limit total work, which includes loading, paperwork, vehicle checks and waiting time that cannot be freely used. For mobile workers under the assimilated rules, the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 add:

• Average week: working time must not exceed an average of 48 hours per week over the reference period (normally 17 or 18 weeks, extendable by agreement)
• Maximum week: working time must never exceed 60 hours in any single week, even if the average stays under 48
• Night work: where any night work is performed, working time must not exceed 10 hours in that 24-hour period
• Breaks: no work beyond 6 hours without a break; at least 30 minutes of break where the working day is 6 to 9 hours, and at least 45 minutes where it exceeds 9 hours

Unlike some general employment rules, mobile workers cannot individually opt out of the 48-hour average. Domestic-rules drivers are instead covered by lighter provisions, but periods of availability, breaks and rest do not count as working time in either case, so classifying time correctly is essential.

How do the three regimes compare at a glance?

• Daily driving: assimilated 9 hours (10 twice weekly); domestic 10 hours; working time rules do not limit driving specifically
• Daily duty or work: domestic 11 hours duty; working time 10 hours if night work performed
• Weekly ceiling: assimilated 56 hours driving; working time 60 hours work maximum and 48-hour average for everyone in scope
• Breaks: assimilated 45 minutes after 4.5 hours driving; working time 30 to 45 minutes based on total hours worked; domestic goods rules rely on the working time provisions
• Records: tachograph under assimilated rules; written records under domestic rules

Frequently asked questions

Can a driver be under both EU and domestic rules in the same week?

Yes, mixed driving is common, for example an HGV shift on Monday and a small van round on Tuesday. Time under each regime must be accounted for when assessing the week, so record everything.

Do the 4.5 hour and 45 minute break rules apply to van drivers?

Only if the van is in scope of the assimilated rules, which from 1 July 2026 includes vans over 2.5 tonnes on international hire or reward work. A UK-only van driver follows GB domestic rules and the working time break requirements instead.

What counts as night work for the 10-hour limit?

For goods vehicles the night period is defined in the regulations as the early hours window (midnight to 4am for goods vehicles, 1am to 5am for passenger vehicles). If any of the shift touches that window, the 10-hour working time limit applies to that 24-hour period, unless a collective or workforce agreement varies it.

Is the 48-hour week averaged or absolute?

Averaged, normally over 17 to 18 weeks. The absolute weekly ceiling is 60 hours. A driver can legally work a 58-hour week provided the average over the reference period stays at or below 48.

Who enforces drivers’ hours and what are the penalties?

DVSA at the roadside and through operator investigations, with the police. Penalties range from fixed penalties per offence to prosecution, and serious or repeated breaches go before the Traffic Commissioner, who can curtail or revoke an operator licence and disqualify transport managers.

This article was published in August 2026 by National Compliance Training. Regulations change, so always check the latest guidance from DVSA and GOV.UK for the current position. This article does not constitute legal advice.