Hi All,
First post on here, and unfortunetly it’s about something as boring as this.
I’ve only been driving a few weeks and I’m trying to make a spreadsheet to keep track my compliance with all of these rules.
I know you get fed up of repetitive questions but I just wanted to try and clarify some points about working hours, hopefully you can help.
I have to say the complexity of EU Driving Hour regulations is an absoulute joke!
I’ve been reading theGuide to Drivers’ Hours on the gov.uk and it reguarly hops between using a fixed week for some rules and then a working week for others. At times it’s hard to work out which definition it’s using.
I have no problems with the definition of each type of week, but I do have a few questions about which definition to use and how it affects some rules:
The guide says "Alternatively, a driver can take a reduced weekly rest period of a minimum of 24 consecutive hours. If a
reduction is taken, it must be compensated for by an equivalent period of rest taken in one block before
the end of the third week following the week in question. "
Does this mean 3 fixed weeks or 3 working weeks?
And if it means fixed weeks, what is meant by the ‘week in question’ when the reduced weekly rest period straddles two fixed weeks?
When you work a shift with 10 hours driving time with a duration that passes from one fixed week into the start of the next, which week does the ‘increased daily driving limit day’ count towards?
Similarly, when you have shifts that start in one fixed week and finish in the next, are the following rules calculated by separating those shifts such that everything up to midnight on Sunday counts towards the first week and everything after counts towards the second? or is an entire shift counted into just one fixed week based on the time the shift started?
a)Weekly Driving Time
b)Fortnightly Driving Time
c)WTD Weekly Working TIme
Depending on the answers I may have some follow up questions too - lucky you 
Thanks in advance.
Cheers
CFW
CleanFifthWheel:
Hi All,
First post on here, and unfortunetly it’s about something as boring as this.
I’ve only been driving a few weeks and I’m trying to make a spreadsheet to keep track my compliance with all of these rules.
I know you get fed up of repetitive questions but I just wanted to try and clarify some points about working hours, hopefully you can help.
I have to say the complexity of EU Driving Hour regulations is an absoulute joke!
I’ve been reading theGuide to Drivers’ Hours on the gov.uk and it reguarly hops between using a fixed week for some rules and then a working week for others. At times it’s hard to work out which definition it’s using.
I have no problems with the definition of each type of week, but I do have a few questions about which definition to use and how it affects some rules:
The guide says "Alternatively, a driver can take a reduced weekly rest period of a minimum of 24 consecutive hours. If a
reduction is taken, it must be compensated for by an equivalent period of rest taken in one block before
the end of the third week following the week in question. "
Does this mean 3 fixed weeks or 3 working weeks?
And if it means fixed weeks, what is meant by the ‘week in question’ when the reduced weekly rest period straddles two fixed weeks?
There is only one type of week in the regulations.
The ‘week in question’ is the week the rest period is used for and the compensation is applied using fixed weeks. If for instance you have a reduced weekly rest for Week 1 this means the compensation must be completed before midnight Sunday of Week 4. Week 4 is the third week following/b][/i] Week 1.
> CleanFifthWheel:
> 2)
> When you work a shift with 10 hours driving time with a duration that passes from one fixed week into the start of the next, which week does the ‘increased daily driving limit day’ count towards?
The regulations say that twice per week you can extend the driving time beyond 9 hours to a maximum of 10 hours so when do you extend your driving time during the shift?
If you start a shift at say 16:00 Sunday and at 04:30 Monday morning you go from 9:00 hours driving to 9:01 then that is the week you have extended your driving hours, the new week that just began, and you have one extension left until midnight the following Sunday.
If you did a shift from 12:00 Sunday until 02:00 Monday but you went from 09:00 driving to 09:01 at 23:45 then the extension is for the week about to finish.
> CleanFifthWheel:
> 3)
> Similarly, when you have shifts that start in one fixed week and finish in the next, are the following rules calculated by separating those shifts such that everything up to midnight on Sunday counts towards the first week and everything after counts towards the second? or is an entire shift counted into just one fixed week based on the time the shift started?
> a)Weekly Driving Time
> b)Fortnightly Driving Time
> c)WTD Weekly Working TIme
The calculation for all those things are based on the fixed week so new calculations begin at midnight Sunday. Any driving time before midnight in the shift is counted in the previous week and after midnight for the new week, same for WTD working time.
About the only thing that is worked on a ‘working week’ is reduced daily rest periods where you are allowed to reduce three times between weekly rest periods and could in fact have say 6 reductions in a fixed week with the right pattern of weekly rests.
For example you could take reduced daily rests, having not taken any since your last weekly rest ended, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, have a reduced weekly rest Thursday then take reduced daily rests on Friday Saturday and Sunday.
There are rules for the fixed week and rules for between weekly rests
It would probably be a help to you if you downloaded the actual regulations, (EU) 561/2096, rather than just reading the guide. Article 4 of (EU) 561/2006 is the most important section when it comes to understanding the regulations as it gives the definitions of every term as used in the rules including terms such as ‘week’. Everytime the term ‘a week’ is used in the regulations only that definition is applied to it and Article 4 (I) defines it as.
‘a week’ means the period of time between 00.00 on Monday and 24.00 on Sunday;
It only means that and not any other idea of a week, including a ‘working week’ which is a term never used in the regulations.
The regulations are not that complicated when you apply only the definitions of the terms from Article 4. When you apply the definition for ‘a week’ to the questions you asked, and only that definition, then the questions answer themselves.
Thanks Coffeeholic, that document is much clearer and answers most of the questions.
And thanks for your explanation of extending the driving time in each week. Something that isn’t properly explained in either document really.
Does anyone know any decent spreadsheet templates to download for recording Drivers Hours?
Cheers,
CFW