Emergency exemption and temporary relaxation of drivers' hours and working time rules
How and when to request a temporary relaxation of the drivers鈥� hours and working time rules for commercial operators.
Documents
Details
National journeys within the UK and between the UK and EU are governed by the assimilated (EU retained) drivers鈥� hours and tachograph rules.
AETR鈥痳ules apply to international journeys that are not wholly between the UK and EU and are to or through a country that is a signatory to the鈥�AETR鈥痑greement, including journeys involving Norway and Switzerland.
These documents include:
- an explanation of drivers鈥� hours and working time rules
- guidance on dealing with emergency and urgent situations
- information on how to request a temporary relaxation of the drivers鈥� hours rules
- a template statement of a case for requesting a relaxation
Drivers鈥� hours and working time rules are in place to protect drivers and reduce the risk of them being involved in accidents due to tiredness.
Updates to this page
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Assimilated (EU retained) drivers' hours rules: advice updated.
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Updated to give further guidance on possible relaxations of the working time rules and exemptions for vehicles used on a 'craft basis'.
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Guidance updated to give further guidance on the use of the emergency exemption in EU drivers鈥� hours rules to deal with weather related events.
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Guidance revised to take into account revisions to the exemptions and national derogations to the EU drivers鈥� hours rules.
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First published.