Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport and amending Council Regulations (EEC) No 3821/85 and (EC) No 2135/98 and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3820/85 (Text with EEA relevance)

Article 8

1.A driver shall take daily and weekly rest periods.

2.Within each period of 24 hours after the end of the previous daily rest period or weekly rest period a driver shall have taken a new daily rest period.

If the portion of the daily rest period which falls within that 24 hour period is at least nine hours but less than 11 hours, then the daily rest period in question shall be regarded as a reduced daily rest period.

3.A daily rest period may be extended to make a regular weekly rest period or a reduced weekly rest period.

4.A driver may have at most three reduced daily rest periods between any two weekly rest periods.

5.By way of derogation from paragraph 2, within 30 hours of the end of a daily or weekly rest period, a driver engaged in multi-manning must have taken a new daily rest period of at least nine hours.

6.In any two consecutive weeks a driver shall take at least:

  • two regular weekly rest periods, or

  • one regular weekly rest period and one reduced weekly rest period of at least 24 hours. However, the reduction shall be compensated by an equivalent period of rest taken en bloc before the end of the third week following the week in question.

A weekly rest period shall start no later than at the end of six 24-hour periods from the end of the previous weekly rest period.

7.Any rest taken as compensation for a reduced weekly rest period shall be attached to another rest period of at least nine hours.

8.Where a driver chooses to do this, daily rest periods and reduced weekly rest periods away from base may be taken in a vehicle, as long as it has suitable sleeping facilities for each driver and the vehicle is stationary.

9.A weekly rest period that falls in two weeks may be counted in either week, but not in both.