Truck drivers manipulated rest periods: up to 18 hours at a time!
Truck drivers manipulated rest periods: up to 18 hours at a time!
On May 30, 2025, a 51-year-old truck driver was reported for serious violations of the EU regulations for steering and rest periods. This happened as part of a check on May 29, 2025 at the Hörbranz toll control center. The driver steered a Bulgarian saddle vehicle and admitted that he had manipulated the prescribed rest periods to obscure his long travel times.
During the check, it turned out that the driver had directed his vehicle up to 18 hours at a time, although, according to the regulations, a maximum steering time of 10 hours a day was allowed. He also drastically lowered the required rest periods of at least 9 hours by only making a recovery for 2 to 4 hours. The manipulation methods included the early detection of the driver card and fake supplements.consequences for the driver and the transport company
After the confrontation with the evidence, the driver granted the manipulations and paid a security deposit of around 2,500 euros. He was allowed to continue his journey afterwards. In addition, advertisements were reimbursed against the driver and the transport company at the Bregenz district administration and the public prosecutor.
regulations on steering and rest periods
Compliance with steering and rest periods is not only of crucial importance for safety on the streets, but also legally regulated. According to the regulations, a driver may drive a maximum of 9 hours a day, although this can be extended to 10 hours twice a week. A maximum of 56 hours of steering time is allowed within a week, whereby a maximum of 90 hours may be driven in two consecutive weeks.
A break of 45 minutes is required after 4.5 hours of steering time each. These times must also be integrated into the working time system, which is required for vehicles over 3,500 kg. The prescribed daily rest period is at least 11 hours, but can be shortened three times a week to at least 9 hours to ensure flexibility.
The strict regulations are designed to improve the safety in road traffic and protect the health of the drivers. Violations, as found in the case of the 51-year-old driver, not only endanger the driver himself, but also other road users and are therefore of great importance for law enforcement and compliance with the traffic rules.
In summary, the incident at the Maut control area Hörbranz shows the serious consequences of rule violations in the transport industry and the need to comply with the steering and rest periods to ensure safety on our streets.For more detailed information about the regulations of steering times and rest periods, reference can be made to the wko.
More information about the incident can be found on VOL.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Ort | Hörbranz, Österreich |
| Quellen | |