Regular vs reduced weekly rest for truck drivers: 45 hours or 24 hours?
Regular vs reduced weekly rest truck driver rules: 45 hours versus 24, how the shortfall is repaid, and when two reduced rests in a row are legal.
Logifie Team
Logistics Technology Experts
A regular weekly rest is at least 45 hours; a reduced one is 24 hours or more but under 45. The missing hours must be repaid in one block, attached to a rest of at least 9 hours, before the end of the third week after the week of the reduction.
What is the difference between a regular and a reduced weekly rest?
Regular and reduced rests differ in length, location, and whether anything must be paid back.
| Type | Length | Where it may be taken | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular weekly rest | At least 45 hours | Not in the vehicle; employer-paid accommodation | None |
| Reduced weekly rest | 24 hours to under 45 hours | Not covered by the cab ban | Shortfall to 45 hours, in one block, with a rest of at least 9 hours |
| Compensation rest above 45 hours | Above 45 hours | Not in the vehicle | None (it is the repayment) |
In any two consecutive weeks a driver must take two regular rests, or one regular and one reduced rest of at least 24 hours ( Regulation (EC) No 561/2006, Article 8(6) ). The European Commission states the same limit, and our guide to EU driving hours and rest periods covers the wider framework.
The Regulation does not name reduced rests in the cab ban, but national guidance expects a stationary vehicle with sleeping facilities. See weekly rest in the cab and fines by country .
How does compensation for a reduced weekly rest work?
Your compensation equals 45 hours minus the rest you took, and the deadline counts in calendar weeks. Weeks run from 00.00 Monday to 24.00 Sunday (Article 4(i)), so a reduction in week 1 must be repaid by 24.00 on the Sunday of week 4. The word "following" in the Regulation is what moves the deadline from week 3 to week 4.
The arithmetic here is ours, from Articles 4(h) and 8(6b). A 24-hour rest leaves 21 hours owed, 30 hours leaves 15, and 35 hours leaves 10. Attach 21 hours to a 9-hour daily rest and the block is 30 hours long. The Regulation does not prescribe which rest carries the block. A block longer than 45 hours must be taken outside the vehicle.
Can a driver take two reduced weekly rests in a row?
Yes, but only in international goods transport. Every condition below must hold. Both rests must start outside the Member State where the employer is established and outside the driver's country of residence. In any four consecutive weeks the driver needs at least four weekly rests, at least two of them regular. The next weekly rest must be preceded by a compensation rest covering both reductions.
The employer must also organise work so the driver can return home within each period of four consecutive weeks, for one regular weekly rest at the operational centre or place of residence. After two reduced rests, the return must come before the compensating rest starts. This duty is separate from the compensation deadline. Enforcement readings of how to compensate two reductions differ, so plan conservatively.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take a reduced weekly rest in the truck cab?
The Regulation bans only regular rests and compensation rests above 45 hours from the vehicle. National guidance still expects a stationary vehicle with sleeping facilities, so check the rules where you are stopped.
How many hours do I owe after a 24-hour weekly rest?
You owe 21 hours, which is 45 minus 24. Take them in one block, attached to another rest of at least 9 hours, before the end of the third week following the week of the reduction.
What happens if the compensation is never taken?
Inspectors read tachograph and driver card data back over weeks. On 2026-07-31, WITD Radom found three uncompensated reduced rests in 57 days of data, with fines of 5,950 PLN on the driver and a 13,500 PLN deposit against carrier and manager penalties.
Plan your rest blocks against these deadlines with the Logifie Driver Assistant app
