Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Working Hours

(asked on 20th October 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing (a) the application of the working time directive and (b) drivers' hours regulations in the context of time travelling with a vehicle on a short ferry crossing being interpreted as working time.


Answered by
Trudy Harrison Portrait
Trudy Harrison
This question was answered on 27th October 2021

The retained EU drivers’ hours rules (Regulation (EC) 561/2006) and the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 are based on well-established international rules that ensure drivers of in scope vehicles are not required to drive and work excessively long hours. We have no current plans to review these rules in the context of short ferry crossings. Currently, drivers on a short ferry crossing can record any time where they are not doing any work as either a ‘break period’ or a ‘period of availability’. The times of breaks, rests, and periods of availability are not included in the calculation of working time.

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