If you only understand one thing about driver hours,
it should be this: weekly driving limits follow the fixed week — not your rota,
not your working pattern, and not when you take a rest.
A real example: where drivers get caught
Let’s look at a common scenario that passes daily rules
but fails when checked against the fixed week.
- Driver starts work on Wednesday
- Drives Wed – Sun
- Takes weekly rest on Sunday night
- Returns to work on Monday
Many drivers assume Monday is a “new week” because a weekly rest was taken.
That’s wrong.
Monday is only a new week because the fixed week resets at 00:00 —
not because of any rest.
The most common misunderstanding
Weekly rest does not reset weekly or fortnightly driving limits.
Only the fixed week boundary does.
Why this still fails a check
When data is analysed, driving time is grouped by fixed weeks.
That’s why a tachograph can look clean day by day —
and still show an infringement.
In short
- Fixed week = legal reference
- Working week = planning tool
- Weekly rest does not move the fixed week
- Mixing them causes most infringements
Need help with your tachograph data?
If something doesn’t add up, looks clean but still failed a check,
or you’re not sure how the rules were applied — we can help.