HGV Driving Hours Calculator UK – Breaks & Rest Period Tool

Professional accuracy note

This HGV Driver Hub practice material is designed as a revision and decision-training aid. It is not the official DVSA test, but the guidance and scoring logic are aligned with current UK HGV topics including drivers’ hours, tachographs, Driver CPC, vehicle checks, hazard awareness and vulnerable road users.

For final legal guidance, always check GOV.UK/DVSA: drivers’ hours, goods vehicle tachograph guidance, and Driver CPC training rules.

HGV Driving Hours Calculator UK – Breaks & Rest Period Tool

This calculator helps UK goods vehicle drivers review driving time, qualifying breaks and rest under the assimilated drivers’ hours rules. Working time is governed by separate rules and should be checked with the dedicated WTD planner. This tool is designed for new and experienced drivers who want to stay compliant, avoid fines, prevent fatigue and understand exactly how many hours they can drive legally in a day or week.

For a complete explanation of legal breaks and rest periods, read our full HGV breaks and rest periods UK guide. You can also use this page alongside our HGV Compliance Score to understand your overall DVSA compliance risk.

Daily Driving Limits

Under the assimilated drivers’ hours rules, an HGV driver can drive a maximum of 9 hours per day. This can be increased to 10 hours twice per week. For more wider driver rules, visit our HGV Driver Guide UK.

Break Requirements — 4.5 Hour Rule

After 4 hours 30 minutes of driving, you must take a break of at least 45 minutes. This can be split into 15 minutes + 30 minutes. Our detailed HGV driving hours and rest periods guide explains this rule in more detail.

Daily Rest Requirements

Drivers must take a minimum daily rest of 11 hours. This can be reduced to 9 hours up to three times between any two weekly rest periods. If you are preparing for professional driver training, see our HGV Driver Training UK page.

Weekly & Fortnightly Driving Limits

Weekly driving is limited to 56 hours, and the maximum for any two consecutive weeks is 90 hours. These limits are important for DVSA roadside checks and operator compliance.

Working Time Directive (WTD) — 48 Hour Average

The Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations are separate from driving-time rules. Weekly working time must not exceed an average of 48 hours over a 17- or 26-week reference period. A maximum of 60 hours may be worked in a single week provided the average is maintained. Use the WTD Break Planner for working-time checks.

GB Domestic Rules

This calculator does not assess GB domestic rules. For goods vehicles in scope of those rules, GOV.UK states a 10-hour daily driving limit and, for most working days involving driving, an 11-hour daily duty limit. Exemptions and different passenger-vehicle provisions apply, so confirm which regime covers the work before using any calculator.

Who Should Use This HGV Driving Hours Calculator?

This tool is useful for new HGV drivers, experienced drivers, transport managers, operators and anyone who needs to understand UK driving hours rules. It is also helpful for drivers preparing for CPC exams using our CPC Practice Test UK.

Official Guidance

For official rules, visit: GOV.UK — Drivers’ Hours Rules.

UK goods vehicles · planning aid

HGV Drivers’ Hours Calculator

Review daily driving, qualifying breaks, weekly and fortnightly totals, and daily rest under the assimilated drivers’ hours rules.

Scope checked: assimilated rules for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.This calculator does not assess GB domestic rules, AETR, passenger operations, multi-manning, ferry/train interruptions, emergencies, exemptions or every tachograph scenario.

1. Today’s shift

Use decimal hours, for example 4.5 for 4 hours 30 minutes.

Overnight shifts are supported.
A split in the reverse order does not satisfy this driving-break rule.

2. Weekly and fortnightly totals

Enter driving already completed before today. Do not include today’s planned driving.

The fixed week normally runs Monday 00:00 to Sunday 24:00.

3. Daily rest

Reduced daily rest is at least 9 but less than 11 hours and is limited between weekly rest periods.

Driving today
—
daily allowance
Shift span
—
start to finish
Driving left today
—
against selected allowance
Weekly total
—
maximum 56 hours
Two-week total
—
maximum 90 hours
Daily rest
—
regular or reduced

Rules reviewed from the information entered

Daily driving allowance
4.5-hour driving block
Qualifying driving break
56-hour weekly driving limit
90-hour two-consecutive-week limit
Daily rest allowance
Rest available within the 24-hour window
Important: This is a planning aid, not a tachograph analysis or legal determination. Check your records, applicable exemptions and the latest DVSA guidance before driving or assigning work.
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