EU driving and rest times: the 561/2006 guide for dispatchers

A European framework, precise rules

Regulation (EC) 561/2006, amended by Regulations (EU) 2020/1054 and 2024/1258, sets driving times, breaks and rest periods for lorry and coach drivers in the EU. The aim: road safety and working conditions. For a dispatcher these aren't legal details — they're the physical limits of any plannable route.

Driving times

• Daily driving: 9 hours maximum, extendable to 10 hours twice a week;
• Weekly driving: 56 hours maximum;
• Driving over two consecutive weeks: 90 hours maximum.

Breaks

After 4.5 hours of driving, the driver must take a break of at least 45 minutes, splittable into 15 then 30 minutes. This break isn't rest: it interrupts continuous driving.

Rest periods

• Daily rest: 11 hours consecutive, reducible to 9 hours three times between two weekly rests;
• Normal weekly rest: 45 hours, reducible to 24 hours every other week, with compensation.

What it means for dispatch

A route that "works on paper" but forces the driver past these thresholds isn't feasible. The right reflex: build driving-time constraints into planning, not discover them at day's end. Dispatch software that knows these rules avoids promising the customer the impossible.

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