Drivers' hours

Skip contents

AETR rules

The European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport (AETR) rules on drivers’ hours, breaks and rest are mostly the same as the EU rules.

The differences are that you:

  • can work for more than 4 consecutive weeks without returning to your home or where the vehicle is usually based

  • can only take one reduced weekly rest period (less than 45 hours) at a time - this must be followed by one full weekly rest period

  • can only interrupt your regular daily rest period (11 hours) during ferry crossings

Most types of vehicle that are exempt from EU rules are also exempt from AETR rules. However, all vehicles weighing 3.5 tonnes or more that are carrying hand-crafted goods must follow AETR rules.

Where you must follow AETR rules

The AETR rules cover:

  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belarus
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Georgia
  • Kazakhstan
  • Liechtenstein
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Moldova
  • North Macedonia
  • Norway
  • Russia
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Switzerland
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom
  • Uzbekistan
View a printable version of the whole guide

Related content