International drivers working in the European Union must comply with the work and rest schedule. Compliance with the rules of the Work and Rest Schedule Regulation is a task for both representatives of the transport companies and the drivers themselves. Regulation (EC) No. 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (of 15.03.2006) introducing new rules on the work and rest schedule for drivers applies to all commercial vehicles. The rules specify the hours of operation; driving time during a day, a week and by a collective crew of several drivers; as well as the required resting periods (daily, weekly). It should be noted that the total working time and driving time are not counted as the same. Working time includes time spent, for example, loading and unloading freight, assessing the technical condition of the vehicle, etc. The driving time refers directly to the time spent driving and participating in road traffic. Article 6 specifies the driving time: - The maximum driving time without taking a break is four and a half hours. After that, the driver has to take a break of at least 45 minutes. - The daily driving time should not exceed 9 hours. It may be increased to a maximum of 10 hours twice a week. - The weekly driving time however must not exceed 56 hours. - The cumulative total driving time for two consecutive weeks must not exceed 90 hours. Driving time includes all driving time in the EU or in other countries. Break periods are described in Article 7: • After a driving period of four and a half hours, the driver must take a break of at least 45 minutes, unless a resting period occurs. • This break may be replaced by a break of at least 15 minutes, followed by a break of at least 30 minutes. Rest duration: • During the day, the driver must have a continuous rest of at least 11 hours. The daily rest period can be reduced three times a week to 9 hours. A driver may have a maximum of three reduced daily rest periods between any two weekly rest periods. • Rest periods can be split into two separate periods of twenty-four hours, one of which must be at least 3 consecutive hours. In this case, the minimum rest period is increased to twelve hours. • The daily rest period can be added to the weekly rest period. • During each working week, the driver must have a weekly rest of at least 45 hours. This rest period can be reduced to 24 hours once every 2 consecutive weeks with compensation within 3 weeks following the one in question, with reference to another rest of at least 9 hours. Total work duration: • The duration of the total work during the day cannot exceed 13 hours. It can be extended up to 15 hours a day three times a week. • The total duration of continuous work and driving may not exceed six hours without interruption. Drivers of a multi-crew team have a normal weekly rest period of at least 45 hours each week. This period can be shortened to no less than 24 hours (reduced weekly rest period). However, each reduction is offset by an equivalent rest period if used in its entirety until the end of the third week following the week in question. During 30 hours of work, each driver must have a rest of at least 9 hours continuously. The term "week" in this case means a period of time from 00:00 hours on Monday to 24:00 hours on Sunday. Transport companies are obliged to organize cargo transportation in such a way that drivers have the opportunity to observe the work and rest regime. The company shall be held liable for violations of such a plan, unless the fault of the driver alone is unequivocally proven. In order to comply with these requirements, representatives of enterprises must monitor the working hours, driving times as well as monitor the drivers' rest time and, if necessary, immediately take measures to prevent violations. Failure to comply with the rules for using tachographs (deliberate distortion or substitution of data, improper storage of information, etc.) is also considered a violation. In some EU countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy and Spain, it is a serious offense to spend a certain amount of rest for a driver (45-hour rest) in a car. Sanctions for this type of violation are regulated by each country separately, but they all demand a rather large fine against the transport company (in some countries the fine is also applied to the driver), and in France for example, there is also a year in prison for the carrier. Based on the nature of the violations, sanctions can be applied to employers and to drivers as well. In certain cases, penalties can be applied immediately to both parties. Dear drivers, the AWHelp24 information department strongly recommend that you do not cooperate with companies that deliberately violate the rules of work and rest! After all, you will personally bear responsibility for these violations. And getting a restriction on entry to Europe due to the dishonesty of the employer is not the best prospect. AWHelp24 is your travel assistant anywhere in Europe! Call our service hotline for advice or assistance !!! Help is closer than you think!