According to Article 6 of Regulation 561/2006, the daily driving time can be extended up to a maximum of 10 hours, and this is allowed up to two times per week. Therefore, there is no restriction on how many consecutive days you can extend your driving time, nor on which specific days it can happen. The regulation only limits the number of extensions allowed within one week.
It is important to understand that each article of Regulation 561/2006 is interpreted separately (without conditionality). Therefore, after driving for 10 hours, it is possible to have a reduced daily rest of 9 hours if the driver is still eligible for it (the reduced rest can be used up to a maximum of 3 times per week).
Night work refers to the driver’s work within the period from 00:00 to 05:00 in Croatia (the period may vary in other member states). It is limiting in the sense that if the driver is engaged in activities during this night period, they are allowed a maximum of 10 hours of work (driving + other work). This limit applies to effective work, not the driver’s presence, meaning the total working hours in the night period cannot exceed 10 hours.
According to Article 12 of Regulation 561/2006, the driver is allowed to deviate from the rules regarding rest time, driving, etc. (Articles 6-9) in the case of an unpredictable situation (e.g., a traffic accident, road blockage, etc.), as long as it does not compromise road safety.
In such a case, the driver must do the following:
When reaching the nearest suitable place to stop, the driver must either remove the tachograph chart or print the data from the digital tachograph, and then write the reasons for this action on the chart or printout (e.g., “traffic accident on road D1 at 14:00” or “no parking available,” etc.).
The twelve 24-hour weekly periods can only be used by drivers in passenger transport, but under certain conditions.
Conditions:
