EU Regulation 561/2006 (driving & rest times)
EU Regulation 561/2006 sets the rules for professional drivers’ daily and weekly driving times, breaks, and rest periods to improve road safety and working conditions.
What does EU Regulation 561/2006 require?
Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 applies to drivers of goods vehicles with a maximum permissible mass over 3.5 tonnes and of buses and coaches, with a list of exemptions. Since 1 July 2026 it also covers light commercial vehicles over 2.5 tonnes used for international transport or cabotage. The rules were last substantially amended by the EU Mobility Package, Regulation (EU) 2020/1054.
The core limits: a driver may drive at most 9 hours a day, extendable to 10 hours twice a week, at most 56 hours in a week and 90 hours in any two consecutive weeks. After at most 4.5 hours of driving, a break of at least 45 minutes is required, which may be split into 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes. Daily rest is normally 11 hours, may be split into 3 + 9 hours, and may be reduced to 9 hours at most three times between two weekly rests. Weekly rest is 45 hours, or at least 24 hours when reduced, with any reduction compensated within three weeks.
Compliance is recorded by the tachograph and checked at roadside inspections and company audits. Since the Mobility Package, a regular weekly rest may not be taken in the vehicle, and companies must organise work so that drivers can return home or to the operating centre at least every four weeks.
Example: a driver starts at 06:00, drives 4.5 hours, takes a 45-minute break at 10:30 and drives another 4.5 hours until 15:45. The standard 9-hour daily limit is now reached; on one of the two extended days a week, one more hour of driving is allowed after a further break. The next shift can only start after 11 hours of daily rest, or 9 hours if a reduced rest is still available.
Transportial reads each driver's remaining daily, weekly and two-weekly driving time from board computers and tachograph data and shows it on the plan board. Checks on every Trip save flag insufficient remaining drive time, rest due and the weekly limit, and the optional 561/2006 planner in trip optimisation inserts breaks and daily rests into routes and ETAs. The free driving-time calculator checks a single driver's position.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main limits under EU 561/2006?
Daily driving: 9 hours, or 10 hours at most twice a week. Weekly driving: 56 hours, and 90 hours in any two consecutive weeks. Break: 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving. Daily rest: 11 hours, reducible to 9 hours three times between weekly rests. Weekly rest: 45 hours, or 24 hours when reduced. Always check the current official text for exemptions and national enforcement.
Can the 45-minute break be split?
Yes, into a break of at least 15 minutes followed by one of at least 30 minutes, in that order. Taking 30 minutes first and 15 minutes second does not count as a full break.
Who does Regulation 561/2006 apply to?
Drivers of goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and of buses and coaches in the EU, and since 1 July 2026 drivers of light commercial vehicles over 2.5 tonnes on international transport or cabotage. Several categories are exempt; the list is in Article 3, and Member States may grant national exemptions under Article 13.
How can software help with driving-time compliance?
A TMS shows each driver's remaining driving time while planning and checks new trips against the limits before they are dispatched. Transportial reads remaining times from board computers and tacho data, flags violations on save and offers a free driving-time calculator.
See EU Regulation 561/2006 (driving & rest times) in a real TMS
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