Drivers’ Hours and Tachograph Policy Pack

What it is

When DVSA stops one of your vehicles or opens a desk-based assessment, the examiner asks two questions early on: what are your rules on drivers hours, and can you show them in writing. This pack answers both. It is a ready-to-issue drivers hours policy and tachograph policy in one editable Word document, written for UK operators running under EU 561/2006, AETR or the GB domestic rules.

We wrote it the way we write for our own clients: short enough that drivers read it, structured to support evidence of a working compliance system under competent management.

What is inside

• Drivers hours rules in plain English: daily and weekly driving limits, breaks, daily and weekly rest under EU 561/2006, plus the GB domestic rules and when each set applies
• Tachograph duties: card use, mode switching, manual entries, lost or damaged cards, and download intervals for driver cards and vehicle units
• Mixed driving guidance for drivers who move between in-scope and out-of-scope work
• Infringement handling: how infringements are identified, debriefed and recorded, with a clear link into your disciplinary process
• Driver declaration page confirming the drivers hours policy has been read, understood and accepted

Every clause reflects what we have seen examiners and Traffic Commissioners actually probe, not a generic restatement of the regulation.

Who it is for

Any operator whose drivers record time on a tachograph or under GB domestic rules: general haulage, own-account fleets, coach and bus, and mixed fleets running vans alongside HGVs. Transport managers use it to close the gap public inquiries expose most often, which is a verbal understanding of the rules with nothing signed. New operators use it to put a credible drivers hours policy in place before the first vehicle turns a wheel.

Format and updates

The pack arrives as an editable Word document with your operator details left as clear placeholders, so you can brand it and issue it the same day. A version control sheet sits at the front to record each revision and reissue date, which matters because an out-of-date drivers hours policy raises more questions at a public inquiry than no policy at all.

How to put the pack into use

1. Replace every marked placeholder.
2. Compare the controls with your vehicles, work, licence commitments and current official guidance.
3. Remove irrelevant options and add local responsibilities and escalation routes.
4. Approve a controlled version and brief affected people.
5. Use the registers, sample completed records and correct failures.

Questions about this pack