3.1 Standard Hours and Approved Alternative Hours

Identify which fatigue rules apply

A fatigue-regulated heavy vehicle generally includes a vehicle above 12 t GVM, a combination whose vehicle GVM ratings total more than 12 t, and a bus above 4.5 t GVM built or fitted to carry more than 12 adults including the driver. Exceptions exist, so identify the actual vehicle and operation rather than applying a truck table to every vehicle with a heavy licence.

Work time includes driving and relevant vehicle tasks such as inspecting, loading, unloading, cleaning, refuelling, paperwork and attending to the load. Sitting in the driver’s seat with the engine running also counts under the work definition. Rest is time that is not work. Being paid or unpaid does not decide which category applies.

Standard hours for a solo driver

Every applicable requirement must be satisfied. A driver cannot ignore the shorter-period break because the daily work total remains below 12 hours. Nor does satisfying the daily table remove the weekly requirements. The table above is the general standard solo table; two-up driving and the bus/coach sector alternative have their own tables. Do not mix selected rows from different schemes.

Stationary rest is time out of the heavy vehicle or in an approved sleeper berth in a stationary heavy vehicle. Sitting in a moving cab is not equivalent to the required stationary major rest. A night rest break is seven continuous hours stationary rest between 10 pm and 8 am in the driver’s base time zone, or 24 continuous hours stationary rest. The 14-day row requires four night rest breaks in total, including the pair on consecutive days.

Bus/coach and two-up standard hours

The shorter 5.5-, 8- and 11-hour rows also apply to these standard options. Their longer rows differ:

A blank work maximum in one row does not remove the limits in other rows. Solo bus/coach drivers choose their sector option or the general solo option; they cannot combine preferred rows from each. When two drivers share driving, both must use and satisfy a two-up option. A seat beside the driver is not an approved sleeper berth. Plan each driver's work, including loading, separately and verify actual fitness even where the moving-berth rest provision is available.

Count from the correct reference points

For periods shorter than 24 hours, count forward from the end of any rest break. For standard hours and ACH, periods of 24 hours or longer are counted forward from the end of the longest major rest break required for that counting period. For example, standard solo seven-day periods start after at least 24 continuous hours rest, while 14-day periods start after a qualifying night rest break. If the required major rest has not been taken, count from the end of any rest break. Transitional BFM and AFM use their relevant-major-rest rules.

A subsequent major rest does not erase work in an unfinished 24-hour period. Continue checking that whole period and any overlapping period created when work resumes. Do not assume a seven-hour rest always starts a fresh daily allowance. Check shorter periods from each rest break as well as the longer periods; the initial duty-start calculation alone is insufficient.

A driver starts work at 06:00 after a qualifying major rest and works continuously until 11:15. That is five hours 15 minutes of work. A 15-minute continuous break from 11:15 to 11:30 meets the first short-period row. If work then continues to 14:00, total work is seven hours 45 minutes within the first eight hours, exceeding the seven-hour-30-minute ceiling. The first break did not by itself satisfy the eight-hour row. An additional qualifying 15-minute break must be planned before that limit is exceeded.

For the 11-hour period beginning at 06:00, the plan must provide at least 60 minutes of rest in qualifying blocks and no more than ten hours work. Include loading and inspections when calculating. A schedule labelled 'nine hours driving' may still exceed a work limit when three hours of other vehicle tasks are added.

Written-diary rounding

Written work diaries use 15-minute clock blocks. Round work outward and rest inward, rather than rounding isolated durations without considering clock boundaries. For an illustrative work spell from 06:07 to 10:02, the written blocks cover 06:00 to 10:15. Rest from 10:02 to 10:37 provides the complete 10:15-to-10:30 block. This recorded treatment does not change the actual obligation to take continuous rest.

Record in the base time zone as required when crossing time zones. Use the official diary instructions, and for an approved Electronic Work Diary follow its approved recording and counting rules rather than assuming written-diary rounding applies identically.

Alternative Compliance Hours after August 2026

From 1 August 2026, Alternative Compliance Accreditation — Fatigue (ACA-Fatigue) under the Heavy Vehicle Accreditation scheme replaced the arrangements for new Basic Fatigue Management and Advanced Fatigue Management modules. Existing BFM/AFM accreditations can continue under the specified transition until expiry, cancellation or transition. They are not all instantly invalid, but they should not be presented as the unchanged route for new approvals.

An accredited operator can apply for Alternative Compliance Hours (ACH) supported by its approved fatigue management system. General Safety Accreditation is a prerequisite. The driver must operate under the actual approved certificate, carry the required evidence and comply with its conditions. Accreditation is not a personal entitlement to choose a longer day whenever convenient. The approved schedule and controls govern the work.

Key decisions

Identify the correct scheme, count all work, satisfy every relevant period and preserve the required major and night rest. Check actual fitness as well as hours.

Official sources

NHVR current work and rest hours; counting time; ACA-Fatigue and ACH. Sources checked 10 October 2026.