The Road Transport Working Time Regulations Explained
Working time and drivers' hours are two different sets of rules covering overlapping ground — meeting one doesn't automatically mean you're meeting the other.
Working time is broader than driving time
Drivers' hours rules limit driving and require rest. Working time is a separate, broader concept: it covers driving, loading and unloading, cleaning and technical maintenance, all other work carried out to ensure the safety of the vehicle/load/passengers, and time spent complying with regulatory formalities — not just time behind the wheel.
A mobile worker's working time under these regulations can therefore be higher than their recorded driving time, and both need to be tracked separately.
The core limits
Average working time is limited to 48 hours a week, averaged over a reference period (commonly 17 weeks, extendable by workforce agreement in some circumstances) — but no single week can exceed 60 hours.
Night work is limited to 10 hours in any 24-hour period where night work is performed, unless a collective or workforce agreement provides otherwise.
Breaks are required after 6 hours of work (extending to 9 hours in some circumstances) — closely aligned with, but not identical to, the drivers' hours break rules.
The employer's record-keeping duty
The employer carries the duty to keep adequate records demonstrating compliance — for both employed and, in some circumstances, self-employed drivers working under their direction. 'We assume they're fine' isn't a record. This sits alongside, not instead of, tachograph records.
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