42 | JULY 2019
Motoring
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
VAN DRIVERS MUST
FOLLOW HGV RULES
Tradespeople who use work vans to get to and from jobs could be hit with a fine of up
to £300 if they exceed the UK daily driving hours limit, experts have warned.
Motoring specialists from
LeaseVan.co.uk have highlighted
the law which states that drivers
operating a van for commer-
cial purposes must observe the
same working hour restrictions
and rest period requirements as
professional HGV drivers.
Drivers operating a work van
for more than four hours per
day are not permitted to be
behind the wheel for more than
ten hours and aren’t allowed
to be on duty for more than 11
hours on any day in which they
drive. Working drivers can only
reach the ten-hour limit twice
per week. For other days that
week, they are then restricted
to nine hours – or 56 hours in
a week and 90 hours in any
fortnight.
Van drivers on the roads for
business purposes must also
get at least 11 hours rest daily,
take breaks totalling at least 45
minutes after a maximum of four
and a half hours of driving and
take an unbroken rest period of
45 hours weekly.
Skipping breaks and exceed-
ing these limits could see van
drivers hit with a fine of up to
£300.
It could also prove dangerous
for both the driver and other
road users, with tiredness and
fatigue among the leading caus-
es of road accidents and being
potentially as deadly as drink or
drug driving.
Some tradesmen and wom-
en don’t currently track their
time on the roads between jobs,
but all have now been urged to
keep an eye on their van driving
hours. Though vans don’t require
a tachograph to be fitted like
HGVs, written records should still
be kept.
The limits are suspended for
the duration of emergencies,
where the driver needs to take
immediate preventative action to
avoid danger to someone or an
animal’s life or health, or serious
damage to property.
Restrictions are also relaxed
when a major interruption to
essential public service must
be avoided – examples include
gas, water and electricity supply,
drainage, telecommunications or
post, and roads, railways, ports
and airports.
Drivers of military, police and
fire brigade vehicles are also ex-
empt from the UK driving hours
rules, as well as those who never
drive on public roads, whilst
separate rules apply to Northern
Ireland.
Tim Alcock from LeaseVan.
co.uk said: “Some van drivers
might not realise that if they’re
using their vehicle for business
more than four hours daily, they
have to follow the same rules
as lorry drivers. When travelling
from job to job or making a long
delivery, it could be quite easy
for a van driver to rack up a few
hours behind the wheel in a day.
But exceeding the applicable
legal limit or not getting enough
rest in could see van drivers hit
hard in the pocket and facing a
much-increased risk of crashing.
“In short, you should nev-
er drive for business for more
than ten hours a day and you
shouldn’t work for more than
eleven hours a day in which you
drive. Van drivers also need to
take at least eleven hours off be-
tween shifts on the road, though
this can be reduced to nine on
occasion. They should take at
least 45 minutes in breaks if they
drive for four and a half hours
and take consecutive days off at
least once a fortnight too.
“It’s also important to keep a
written record of driving hours
if you expect to exceed four
hours behind the wheel in a day,
even though a tachograph isn’t
required on light goods vehi-
cles. It’s essential that all drivers
remember, though, that driving
when tired or fatigued can cause
accidents and prove as danger-
ous as operating a vehicle while
intoxicated.”
Sources: www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-a-van; www.gov.uk/guidance/drivers-hours-goods-vehicles/2-great-britain-domestic-rules; www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/eu-rules