Proper planning of international trips for 3.5-metric-ton vehicles must be based on legal driving times, mandatory breaks, and rest periods, not just on the distance or the vehicle’s speed.
In short, the rules for planning trips using a tachograph include:
- Planning the actual number of days and nights needed to complete the race.
- Calculate the trip in driving days, not just in kilometers or hours.
- Compliance with the daily limit of 9 hours of driving.
- The option to extend the workday to 10 hours, up to twice a week.
- Take a 45-minute break after 4 hours and 30 minutes of driving.
- Introduction of a daily rest period for trips involving more than 9–10 hours of driving.
- Use a realistic average speed to estimate the trip duration.
- Strategic use of 10-hour driving days.
- Prioritizing rest periods on long flights.
- Avoid replacing pauses with waiting periods.
3.5-metric-ton Vehicles – International Transport / Cabotage
RULE 0 – Know what's holding you back
Speed is NOT the limiting factor.
The real limitations are:
• 9–10 hours of driving per day;
• mandatory breaks;
• 9–11 hours of daily rest.
If these factors are not properly understood, any time calculation will be incorrect.
1. RULE 1 – Kilometers ≠ time
Wrong approach:
“We have 2,300 km to go, the car runs fast, we’ll get there in 48 hours.”
Correct approach:
Total duration = driving days + breaks + rest periods.
Always calculate the DAYS first, not the kilometers.
2. RULE 2 – Break the race down into DAYS, not HOURS
Quick planning procedure:
• Km ÷ 70–75 km/h → truck reference;
• Km ÷ 85–95 km/h → 3.5-metric-ton vehicle reference.
Divide the result as follows:
• maximum 2 days × 10 h;
• remaining days × 9 h.
This is how you determine how many nights the driver will be away.
3. RULE 3 – If you go more than one day without rest, you must take a day off
• Any trip involving more than 9–10 hours of driving requires at least one daily rest period.
• Any trip involving more than 18–20 hours of driving requires at least two rest periods.
There is no legal concept of “just a little longer.”
4. RULE 4 – When Speed Matters and When It Doesn't
Speed matters in the following situations:
• trips under 900 km;
• trips that are at the limit of a single day’s driving;
• situations where a second rest period can be avoided.
In these cases, you can save a day.
Speed matters very little for:
• trips over 1,800–2,000 km;
• trips with more than two rest periods.
Whether you drive at 90 or 110 km/h, the rest periods remain the same.
5. RULE 5 – Breaks are fixed
After every 4 hours and 30 minutes of driving, a 45-minute break is mandatory.
Two breaks are required for 10 hours of daily driving.
Breaks are NOT negotiable.
Waiting time does NOT count as a break.
Breaks are a “mandatory time requirement.”
6. RULE 6 – 10-hour days are gold
Days with 10-hour driving periods are limited to a maximum of 2 per week.
They should be used strategically, only when they actually shorten the duration of the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Founder and CEO of Paneuropa Logistics
I am György Bokor, Founder and CEO of Paneuropa Logistics. I have been active in the logistics industry for more than 20 years, focusing on international transportation, freight forwarding, last-mile deliveries and customs services. I am passionate about developing efficient solutions that connect businesses across Europe.