Weekly driving: 56 hours, 90 in two weeks and exemptions
CABINA Editorial Team
The daily, weekly and fortnightly driving limits of Regulation (EC) 561/2006 and the exemptions in Articles 12, 13 and 14.
Machine translation, not verified [NV].
A professional driver’s weekly driving is capped at 56 hours by Regulation (EC) 561/2006, which also sets daily and two-week limits and some exemptions [V].
The limits
- Daily driving: must not exceed 9 hours; it may be extended to 10 hours no more than twice during the week (Art. 6, paragraph 1) [V].
- Weekly driving: must not exceed 56 hours or the maximum working time of Directive 2002/15/EC (Art. 6, paragraph 2) [V].
- Two consecutive weeks: no more than 90 hours (Art. 6, paragraph 3) [V].
These times include all driving done both in the Community and in third countries (Art. 6, paragraph 4) [V].
Driver exemption: reaching a stopping place
Article 12 allows the driver to depart from Articles 6 to 9 in order to reach a suitable stopping place, provided road safety is not compromised and only to the extent necessary to protect the safety of persons, the vehicle or its load [V]. The reason must be recorded by hand [V].
National exemptions (Art. 13)
Each Member State may grant exemptions from Articles 5 to 9 for certain categories of vehicles (Art. 13, paragraph 1) [V]. Examples in the text include [V]:
- vehicles of public authorities that do not compete with private undertakings;
- vehicles of agricultural, forestry or fishery undertakings, within a radius of 100 km from the base of the undertaking;
- agricultural tractors, within a radius of 100 km;
- universal postal service vehicles up to 7,5 tonnes.
The list continues with further points that were not read: data not found / pending verification [NV].
Exceptional circumstances (Art. 14)
For transport operations in exceptional circumstances, Member States may grant exemptions only with prior authorisation from the Commission (Art. 14, paragraph 1) [V].
Spain
Which Article 13 exemptions Spain actually applies: data not found / pending verification [NV]. The text consulted is the consolidated Italian version; the official Spanish version was not read [NV].
The consolidated text is only a documentation tool; the binding text is the one published in the Official Journal of the EU. This article does not replace advice on specific cases.
Base Spanish not verified by a native speaker [NV].
CABINA Editorial Team
Sources
- EU Publications Office, Regulation (EC) 561/2006, consolidated text as of 31/12/2024: https://publications.europa.eu/resource/cellar/8c19a9e9-bcb1-11ef-91ed-01aa75ed71a1.0014.02/DOC_1, consulted on 30/10/2026 [V].
Informational content, not advice. Always check the text of the source given; for your own case, consult a professional or the competent authority.