The Road Transport Directive, commonly known as the Working Time Directive, came into force on the 4th April, 2005. It applies to any worker involved in operations subject to EU Drivers’ Hours Regulations and any worker forming part of the travelling team, ie crew members, other travelling staff, trainees, apprentices etc.

The Working Time Directive is a framework of Regulations that helps control overall working hours.

What is Working Time?
Working time is calculated by adding driving time and duty time together. It does not include breaks or periods of availability (POA).

Total Working Time must not exceed 60 hours in any one week, and must not exceed an average of 48 hours per week, this being calculated over the duration of the Reference Period.

Reference Period
A Reference Period is a period of time (typically a combination of 17/18/17 weeks [totaling 52 weeks] or 26/26 weeks [totaling 52 weeks])* over which the average Working Time must not exceed 48 hours per week.

* There are also other durations for Reference Period.

Working Time Directive (For Managers)
The course describes the framework of Regulations that helps control and limit operational working patterns. There are two parts to this course:

• practical application of the Regulations for drivers;
• company policy decisions relating to the application of the Regulations in a particular operation or type of company.

The latter also covers formal agreements that need to be in place between the company and the drivers.

As part of this course detailed information is taken from the operation to:

• produce an overall assessment of the impact of the Working Time Regulations;
• help formulate company policy relating to the application of the Working Time Regulations, the selection of Reference Period starting dates and durations etc.

Other areas covered by the course include:

• combined driving and duty limits;
• periods of availability (POA);
• break periods;
• recording using the tachograph mode switch and other documents;
• Reference Periods;
• Work Force Agreements;
• exemptions and opt-outs;
• holiday days (zero value days);
• holiday days (Working Time value days);
• sickness days;
• statutory holiday days and company holiday days;
• night workers;
• driver responsibilities;
• company responsibilities.