Do fleets need to adhere to both the Working Time Directive and the Driving Times Regulations?

Frotcom; Supporting Fleet Compliance

We sometimes get the question from our fleet clients: 

“Do we need to adhere to both the Working Time Directive and the Driving Times Regulations?”

The Simple Answer is “Yes”.    

And Frotcom analyses both,  from Tachograph data, to help you stay compliant. 

These two terms often get mixed up because they both deal with working hours in the transport industry, but they regulate different things:

• WTD = Working time law (all work activities, ensures drivers don’t work excessive hours).
• EU 561 = Driving law (driving limits & mandatory rest to keep roads safe).
• Our tachograph analysis assesses both the Working Time Directive and the driving regulations around EU regulation 561. 

Here’s more detail:

1. Working Time Directive (WTD)

• General EU law (2003/88/EC) that applies to most workers across all industries.
• For road transport, there’s a specific version called the Road Transport Working Time Directive (2002/15/EC).
• Focus: The total working time of mobile workers (like truck/bus drivers).
• Key rules:
  • Max 48 hours average working time per week (can go up to 60 hours in a week, but the 48-hour average must be maintained over a reference period).
  • Breaks: at least 30 minutes if working 6–9 hours, or 45 minutes if over 9 hours (can be split into 15-minute chunks).
  • Daily/weekly rest periods are referenced but less detailed than EU 561.
  • Covers all work, not just driving (loading, paperwork, waiting if not free to dispose of time, etc.).

2. EU Regulation 561/2006 (EU 561)

• Applies specifically to drivers of goods vehicles over 3.5t (soon to be 2.5t+) and passenger vehicles with 9+ seats.
• Focus: Driving time and rest to improve road safety and driver welfare.
• Key rules:
  • Max 9 hours driving per day (can extend to 10 hours twice a week).
  • Max 56 hours driving per week, and 90 hours over 2 consecutive weeks.
  • Daily rest: 11 hours (can reduce to 9 hours up to 3 times per week).
  • Weekly rest: 45 hours (can be reduced to 24 hours every other week, but must be compensated).
  • Specific rules for breaks: 45 minutes break after 4.5 hours of driving.

Both apply at the same time.
For example: a driver might only drive 9 hours (complying with EU 561), but if they also did 3 hours of loading/unloading, their total working time that day is 12 hours — which counts under the WTD.

✅ Need assistance on working or driving time compliance?
Contact us today to schedule a demo or start a trial of Frotcom’s fleet management platform.