Driving and rest times remain one of the most heavily enforced areas of road transport, and in 2026 the rules in Regulation (EC) No 561/2006, supplemented by the Mobility Package, apply just as strictly to every professional driver. In short: you may drive a maximum of 9 hours a day (10 hours no more than twice a week) and a maximum of 56 hours a week, you must take a break of at least 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving, and daily rest is at least 11 hours, while regular weekly rest is at least 45 hours.
This guide explains, step by step, all the legal limits and how breaks and rest periods can be split, but above all the part that causes drivers and dispatchers the most headaches: compensating for a reduced weekly break (rest). At the end you’ll find a summary table and an FAQ section covering the most searched-for situations on the road.
What do driving and rest time rules regulate in 2026?
The main legal framework is Regulation (EC) No 561/2006, amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/1054 of Mobility Package 1.
These rules set the maximum driving limits and minimum rest periods for truck drivers (over 3.5 tons) and coach drivers, and they are checked on the road based on tachograph data.
The rules apply uniformly throughout the European Union, whether the transport is domestic or international. In Romania, compliance is enforced by ISCTR and the traffic police, and the penalties for exceeding driving times or failing to observe rest periods can be substantial. The full texts are available on the official EUR-Lex portal: Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 and Regulation (EU) 2020/1054.
Who do the driving time rules apply to?
As a general rule, the regulations apply to road freight transport with vehicles whose maximum authorized weight exceeds 3.5 tons and to passenger transport with vehicles built to carry more than 9 people (including the driver). There are also specific exemptions, but for most commercial fleets in Romania the regulation applies in full.
How long can you drive? Daily and weekly driving limits
Driving time is the actual time spent behind the wheel, as recorded by the tachograph, and it is limited over several periods: daily, weekly and over two consecutive weeks.
How many hours can you drive per day?
Daily driving time may not normally exceed 9 hours. It can be extended to a maximum of 10 hours, but no more than twice a week. Daily driving is calculated between two daily rest periods (or between a daily and a weekly rest period).
How many hours can you drive per week and per two weeks?
Weekly driving time may not exceed 56 hours. In addition, total driving time over two consecutive weeks may not exceed 90 hours. In practice, if you drove 56 hours in one week, you can drive at most 34 hours the following week so you don’t exceed the 90-hour cap.
The mandatory 45-minute break
After a 4.5-hour driving period, the driver must take an uninterrupted break of at least 45 minutes, unless they begin a rest period.
The 45-minute break can be split in two: a first break of at least 15 minutes, followed by a second break of at least 30 minutes, both taken within the 4.5 hours of driving. Important: the order matters – the first must be at least 15 minutes and the second at least 30 minutes. During the break, the driver may not perform any other work.
What is a break with the card removed from the tachograph?
Many drivers ask whether they can take a break “with the card removed from the tachograph.” Removing the card is not necessary to record a break or rest: the digital tachograph lets you manually select the break/rest symbol with the card inserted. Breaks and rest periods are properly proven by recording the activity as “availability” or “break/rest,” not by removing the card.
In practice, we recommend that you keep the card inserted and manually select the correct symbol, so the break period is clear during a check. The card is usually removed only at the end of the working day or when changing vehicles, and any discrepancy between actual activity and the record can be penalized. You’ll find details about card-related obligations in our guide on the tachograph card: documents, cost and how to get one.
Daily rest: 11 regular hours and the reduced options
Regular daily rest is at least 11 consecutive hours and must be taken within each 24-hour period from the end of the previous rest.
- Regular daily rest: at least 11 uninterrupted hours.
- Split daily rest: can be taken in two parts – the first of at least 3 uninterrupted hours and the second of at least 9 uninterrupted hours (at least 12 hours in total).
- Reduced daily rest: at least 9 hours but less than 11 hours, allowed no more than 3 times between two weekly rests. Reduced daily rest does not have to be compensated.
For two-driver crews (multi-manning), each driver must have a daily rest of at least 9 hours within 30 hours of the end of the previous daily or weekly rest.
Weekly rest: regular (45h) and reduced (24h)
Weekly rest must be taken no later than at the end of six 24-hour periods from the end of the previous weekly rest and can be regular or reduced.
- Regular weekly rest: at least 45 hours.
- Reduced weekly rest: at least 24 hours but less than 45 hours. Reduced rest must be compensated (made up).
In any two consecutive weeks, the driver must take at least two regular weekly rests, or one regular and one reduced weekly rest. The fundamental rule is that any reduced weekly rest must be compensated, by adding the missing hours to another rest period, as explained below.
Compensating for a reduced weekly break (rest)
Whenever you take a reduced weekly rest (between 24 and 45 hours), the difference up to 45 hours must be made up with a compensatory rest period, taken as a single block and attached to another rest period of at least 9 hours, within no more than 3 weeks.
In other words, “making up the 45-hour break” means that the hours by which you shortened your weekly rest are added later to another rest period. The compensation:
- is equal to the difference between 45 hours and the length of the reduced rest actually taken;
- is taken as a single block (not split up) and is attached to a rest period of at least 9 hours;
- must be completed before the end of the third week following the week in question.
A concrete example of compensating for a reduced weekly break
Suppose that in a given week you take a reduced weekly rest of 24 hours instead of the regular 45 hours. The difference to be made up is:
- 45 h − 24 h = 21 hours to make up.
You add these 21 hours as a single block to another rest period of at least 9 hours (for example, a daily rest or your next weekly rest), effectively getting an extended rest. If you attach the 21 hours to a regular 45-hour weekly rest, you will rest for 66 hours in total. The compensation must be completed by the end of the third week following the week in which you took the reduced rest.
If, instead of the 24-hour rest, you took a reduced rest of, say, 30 hours, the compensation is 45 h − 30 h = 15 hours, attached in the same way to a rest of at least 9 hours.
Summary table: driving, break and rest limits
| Item | Regular limit | Option/exception |
| Daily driving | Max. 9 hours | Max. 10 hours, no more than 2 times/week |
| Weekly driving | Max. 56 hours | Max. 90 hours over two consecutive weeks |
| Driving break | Min. 45 min after 4.5 h of driving | Split: 15 min + 30 min |
| Daily rest | Min. 11 hours | Reduced to min. 9 hours (max. 3 times); split 3 h + 9 h |
| Weekly rest | Min. 45 hours (regular) | Reduced to min. 24 hours, compensated within 3 weeks |
What’s new in the Mobility Package
Regulation (EU) 2020/1054 introduced additional rules that supplement the classic limits of 561/2006, with a focus on rest conditions and the driver’s return home.
The driver’s return home
The employer must organize work so that the driver can return to the employer’s operational center in the country of establishment or to their own place of residence within each period of four consecutive weeks (or within each period of three weeks if the driver has taken two consecutive reduced weekly rests), to spend at least one regular weekly rest there.
Ban on spending regular weekly rest in the cab
Regular weekly rest (of more than 45 hours) may not be spent in the vehicle cab. It must be taken in suitable accommodation with adequate sleeping and sanitary facilities, and the cost of accommodation outside the vehicle is borne by the employer. Reduced rest may still be spent in the cab, provided the vehicle is properly parked.
Two consecutive reduced weekly rests in international transport
In international freight transport, drivers may, under certain conditions, take two consecutive reduced weekly rests, provided that in any four consecutive weeks they take at least four weekly rests, at least two of which are regular. Both reduced rests must be compensated, and the compensation for both is attached as a single block before the next regular weekly rest.
These rules are closely linked to how data is downloaded and stored. We also recommend our articles on Mobility Package 1 and the rest period, roadside checks under the Mobility Package and tachograph data download and the legal deadline.
How GPS and tachograph monitoring help you comply with these driving times
Complying with all these limits – driving times, breaks, rest periods and, above all, compensating for reduced rests – becomes difficult when you manage an entire fleet and several drivers at once. A GPS monitoring solution integrated with tachograph data lets you track these driving times, breaks and rest periods in real time, receive alerts before limits are exceeded and plan trips so that compensation for reduced rest fits within the 3-week deadline.
This reduces the risk of fines during ISCTR checks and optimizes driver schedules without breaking the regulation. If you want a GPS and tachograph monitoring solution tailored to your fleet, contact the CargoTrack team for a personalized quote.
Frequently asked questions about driving and rest times in 2026
How many hours can you drive per day and per week?
You can drive a maximum of 9 hours a day, with the option of extending to 10 hours no more than twice a week. The weekly limit is 56 hours, and over two consecutive weeks you may not exceed 90 hours of driving.
How are driving times calculated with a driving time calculator?
A driving time calculator starts from tachograph data and automatically checks the four limits: the 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving, daily driving (9/10 hours), daily rest (11/9 hours) and weekly rest (45/24 hours), including the compensation hours remaining for reduced rests.
How long is the weekly break for truck drivers?
The regular weekly rest (break) for truck drivers is at least 45 consecutive hours. Alternatively, a reduced weekly rest of at least 24 hours may be taken, but it must be compensated later.
What does the 45-hour weekly break mean?
The 45-hour weekly break is the regular weekly rest provided for by Regulation (EC) No 561/2006. It is the minimum uninterrupted rest the driver must take no later than after six 24-hour periods from the previous weekly rest, and at 45 hours or more it cannot be spent in the cab.
How do you compensate for a reduced weekly break?
A reduced weekly break is compensated by adding the missing hours (the difference between 45 hours and the length of the reduced rest taken) as a single block to another rest period of at least 9 hours. The compensation must be completed before the end of the third week following the week in which you took the reduced rest.
How do I make up the 45-hour break if I took 24 hours?
If you took a reduced weekly rest of 24 hours, the compensation is 45 − 24 = 21 hours. These 21 hours are added as a single block to another rest period of at least 9 hours, within no more than three weeks.
Can I take my break with the card removed from the tachograph?
It is neither necessary nor recommended. Breaks and rest are recorded correctly by manually selecting the break/rest symbol with the card inserted in the tachograph. Removing the card does not prove the break and may create discrepancies that are penalized during a check.
Can the 45-minute break be split?
Yes. The 45-minute break can be split into two parts: first a break of at least 15 minutes, followed by a break of at least 30 minutes, both taken within the 4.5-hour driving period.
