Driving and rest times

Fatigue is one of the biggest risks for professional drivers. That is why the EU has common rules on how long you may drive and how much you must rest. The rules are in Regulation (förordning) (EG) nr 561/2006, which has been amended several times, including by Regulation (förordning) (EU) 2020/1054. In this chapter we go through the rules as they apply to goods transport by lorry.

Who is covered?

The rules apply to goods transport where the vehicle's maximum permissible weight, including a trailer or semi-trailer, exceeds 3.5 tonnes (Article 2.1 a). Since 1 July 2026 they also apply to international goods transport and cabotage with vehicles over 2.5 tonnes including a trailer (Article 2.1 aa). These lighter vehicles need a version 2 smart tachograph (smart färdskrivare). Heavy vehicles have their own transition deadlines for switching to version 2. National transport within Sweden with vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes is not covered by the EU rules.

Some transport operations are exempt, but assume that the rules apply to you when you drive a heavy lorry.

A week and a driving period

A week runs from Monday at 00:00 to Sunday at 24:00 (Article 4 i). The daily driving time (daglig körtid) is all driving time between the end of one daily rest period and the start of the next daily or weekly rest period (Article 4 k).

Driving time

• Per day: no more than 9 hours. Twice a week you may extend this to 10 hours (Article 6.1).
• Per week: no more than 56 hours (Article 6.2).
• In two consecutive weeks: no more than 90 hours in total (Article 6.3).

Example: if you have driven 56 hours this week, you may drive no more than 34 hours next week, because 90 − 56 = 34.

Break

After 4 hours and 30 minutes of total driving you must take a break (rast) of at least 45 minutes, unless you begin a rest period (Article 7).

The break may be split into two parts:

1. first at least 15 minutes,
2. then at least 30 minutes.

The order is important. If you take 30 minutes first and 15 minutes afterwards, the break requirement is not met for goods transport. Once you have taken a valid break, a new driving period begins.

The break is your own time. You may not load, unload or refuel during the break. That counts as other work.

Daily rest

A regular daily rest period (normal dygnsvila) is at least 11 consecutive hours (Article 4 g). Within each 24-hour period after the end of the previous rest, you must have taken a new daily rest (Article 8.2).

You can split the regular daily rest into two periods: first at least 3 hours and then at least 9 hours. In total that makes at least 12 hours.

You may also take a reduced daily rest period (reducerad dygnsvila) of at least 9 hours, but no more than three times between two weekly rest periods (Article 8.4). A reduced daily rest does not need to be compensated.

If there are two drivers in the same vehicle (multi-manning, multibemanning), each of them must have taken a new daily rest of at least 9 hours within 30 hours of the end of the previous rest (Article 8.5). During the first hour, the presence of the second driver is optional.

Weekly rest

A regular weekly rest period (normal veckovila) is at least 45 consecutive hours. A reduced weekly rest period (reducerad veckovila) is at least 24 consecutive hours (Article 4 h).

• A weekly rest must begin no later than at the end of six 24-hour periods from the end of the previous weekly rest (Article 8.6).
• In any two consecutive weeks you must take at least two regular weekly rests, or one regular and one reduced. In international goods transport you may take two reduced weekly rests in a row outside the country of establishment, if they are compensated and followed by two regular weekly rests (Article 8.6).
• A reduced weekly rest must be compensated. The difference must be taken as one continuous rest, attached to another rest of at least 9 hours, before the end of the third week following the week in which you took the reduced rest.

Example: you took a reduced weekly rest of 30 hours. You must then compensate with 45 − 30 = 15 hours.

Where may you rest?

You may take daily rest and reduced weekly rest in the lorry if it has suitable sleeping facilities and is stationary. A regular weekly rest and any weekly rest of more than 45 hours taken as compensation may not be taken in the vehicle. It must be taken in suitable accommodation, and the employer pays the cost (Article 8.8).

The transport undertaking must also organise the work so that you can return home, or to the employer's operational centre, at least once in each period of four consecutive weeks (Article 8.8a).

Ferry and train

If you accompany the lorry on a ferry or a train, you may interrupt a regular daily rest or a reduced weekly rest no more than twice, and the interruptions may not exceed one hour in total. You must have access to a sleeping cabin, bunk or couchette during the rest (Article 9.1). A regular weekly rest may be interrupted in the same way if the ferry or train journey lasts at least 8 hours and you have access to a sleeping cabin.

When something unexpected happens

Provided that road safety is not jeopardised, you may depart from the rules to the extent necessary to reach a suitable stopping place (Article 12). You must then write down the reason, for example on a printout from the tachograph (färdskrivare), at the latest on arrival at the stopping place.

In exceptional circumstances you may also drive up to one hour extra to reach the employer's operational centre or your home to begin a weekly rest. If you are going to take a regular weekly rest, you may drive up to two hours extra, provided you take a continuous 30-minute break immediately before (Article 12). This must not become a habit.

Working time is a separate matter

Driving and rest times concern driving and rest. Total working time (arbetstid) is regulated in the Act on working time in certain road transport work (lag (2005:395) om arbetstid vid visst vägtransportarbete). Working time may be no more than 60 hours in any single week and on average no more than 48 hours per week over four months. There is more about this in the YKB chapter on working time and rest.

Fatigue comes before the rules

Driving and rest times are maximum limits. You must never drive if you are so tired that you cannot drive safely (Traffic Ordinance (trafikförordningen) 3 kap. 1 §), even if you have driving time left.

Remember

• No more than 9 hours of driving per day, 10 hours twice a week.
• No more than 56 hours per week and 90 hours over two weeks.
• Break after 4.5 hours: at least 45 minutes, or first 15 and then 30 minutes.
• Regular daily rest 11 hours, split 3 + 9 hours, reduced at least 9 hours no more than three times.
• Regular weekly rest 45 hours, reduced at least 24 hours, which must be compensated.
• The weekly rest must begin no later than after six 24-hour periods.
• A regular weekly rest may not be taken in the lorry.
• The rules are limits, not targets. If you are tired, stop.