DVSA compliance, explained
Practical guides to walkaround checks, defect reporting and staying audit-ready — written for UK transport managers and drivers.
- Earned RecognitionCompliance··8 min read
Choosing Earned Recognition Compliance Software
How to choose software for DVSA Earned Recognition: validated KPI systems vs daily-evidence tools, and the questions to ask before you buy.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionCompliance··7 min read
DVSA Earned Recognition Benefits for Operators
What operators get from DVSA Earned Recognition: fewer roadside stops, fewer premises visits, a GOV.UK listing, tender credibility — and the trade-offs.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionDrivers' hours··8 min read
Earned Recognition Drivers' Hours KPIs Explained
The DVSA Earned Recognition drivers' hours KPIs — the four infringement bands, their thresholds and the aggregate limits — and how to hit them every period.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionCompliance··7 min read
Earned Recognition for Small Fleets: Worth It?
Can a small fleet join DVSA Earned Recognition, and is it worth it? The size-based KPI allowances, the audit reality and how to decide at 1–20 vehicles.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionCompliance··8 min read
Earned Recognition Maintenance KPIs Explained
The five DVSA Earned Recognition maintenance KPIs — four at 100%, plus the 95% MOT pass rate — what each measures and how to hit them every four weeks.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionOCRS··6 min read
Earned Recognition vs OCRS: What's the Difference?
Earned Recognition and OCRS both shape how often DVSA stops you — but one you opt into and one you can't. Here's the difference and how they interact.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionCompliance··8 min read
How to Apply for DVSA Earned Recognition
A step-by-step route into DVSA Earned Recognition: the eligibility check, the validated IT system, the authorised auditor and the application itself.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionCompliance··7 min read
What Is DVSA Earned Recognition? A Plain Guide
DVSA Earned Recognition is a voluntary scheme for UK operators who prove consistent compliance — in return for fewer roadside stops. Here's how it works.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Can I Drive 10 Hours Two Days in a Row?
Yes — you can use both your 10-hour driving days back to back, as long as they fall in the same fixed week. Watch your weekly and fortnightly totals though.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Can I Drive 56 Hours Two Weeks in a Row?
No — 56 hours is the single-week maximum, but the fortnight cap is 90 hours. So a 56-hour week must be followed by no more than 34 hours' driving.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursWorking time··5 min read
Can I Opt Out of the 48-Hour Working Week?
No — mobile workers under the Road Transport Working Time Regulations have no individual opt-out, unlike the general Working Time Regulations.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Can I Spend My Weekly Rest in the Truck?
A reduced weekly rest can be taken in a stationary cab with sleeping facilities. A regular 45-hour weekly rest cannot — it must be in proper accommodation.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Can I Take My Daily Rest in the Cab?
Yes — daily rest and reduced weekly rest can be taken in a stationary vehicle with suitable sleeping facilities. A regular weekly rest can't. Here's the detail.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Can I Take Two Reduced Weekly Rests in a Row?
No — over any two consecutive weeks you must take at least two weekly rests, and at least one must be a full 45-hour regular rest. Here's how the pairing works.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursCompliance··5 min read
Do Drivers' Hours Fines Put Points on My Licence?
Drivers' hours graduated fixed penalties are non-endorsable — no licence points. They're fines up to £300 and can come with a prohibition.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursWorking time··5 min read
Do I Need a Tacho Break AND a Working-Time Break?
Yes — the driving break and the working-time break are two separate legal limits you must both satisfy. One period can sometimes count for both. Here's how.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Do Reduced Daily Rests Reset After a Weekly Rest?
Yes — you can take a reduced daily rest (9 hours) up to three times between any two weekly rests, and the count resets after each weekly rest.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursWorking time··5 min read
Do Walkaround Checks Count as Working Time?
Yes — a daily walkaround check counts as working time. On the tacho it's other work, not driving, so it won't affect your 45-minute break clock.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Does a 45-Minute Break Count as Daily Rest?
No — a break and a rest are different things. Your 45-minute driving break interrupts the shift; your daily rest is the long period between shifts. Here's why.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Does My 45-Minute Break Have to Be Out of the Cab?
No — you can take your 45-minute driving break in the cab. What matters is that you do no driving and no other work during it. Here's what counts as a break.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Is the 90-Hour Fortnight Fixed or Rolling Weeks?
The 90-hour fortnightly driving limit is measured over two consecutive fixed weeks (Mon-Sun), not a rolling 14-day window. Here's what that means for your rota.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Does a Split Daily Rest Count as a Reduced Rest?
No — a split daily rest of 3 hours plus 9 hours (12 total) counts as a regular daily rest, so it doesn't use up one of your three reduced daily rests.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursWorking time··5 min read
Does Driving Count as Working Time?
Yes — driving is the core of working time. Every hour at the wheel counts towards your 48-hour average and 60-hour week, as well as your driving limits.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursWorking time··5 min read
Does Fuelling Count as Working Time?
Yes — fuelling the vehicle is other work in connection with the transport operation, so it's working time. Record it as other work, not a break. Here's why.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursWorking time··5 min read
Does Night Work Cap My Working Day at 10 Hours?
Yes — if any working time falls between 00:00 and 04:00, your working time is capped at 10 hours in that period, unless a workforce agreement lifts it.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Does Other Work Count Towards the 4.5-Hour Rule?
Only driving counts towards the 4.5-hour break trigger — loading and paperwork don't. But other work is not a break and won't reset your driving clock either.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursWorking time··5 min read
Does POA Count as a Break?
No — a period of availability is neutral time. It's not working time, but it's not a break or rest either, so it doesn't satisfy your break rules.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursWorking time··5 min read
Does the 48-Hour Working Week Include POA?
No — periods of availability aren't working time, so POA doesn't count towards your 48-hour average or 60-hour week. Only driving and other work do. Here's why.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Drivers' Hours Rules for Double Manning Explained
On a double-manned trip both drivers share the driving, each gets a 9-hour daily rest within 30 hours, and 45 minutes of a co-driver's POA counts as a break.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
What Happens If I Drive 5 Minutes Over 4.5 Hours?
Drive past 4.5 hours without your 45-minute break and you're technically in breach — but DVSA usually allows 15 minutes' leeway. Here's what it means.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursTachographs··5 min read
How Many Days of Tacho Records Must I Carry?
You must produce your driver card and records for the current day and previous 28 calendar days at a roadside check — 56 days for international EU journeys.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Is There a 15-Hour Rule for HGV Drivers?
There's no standalone '15-hour rule' in the assimilated EU rules. The 15 hours comes from the 24-hour period minus a 9-hour reduced daily rest.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursWorking time··5 min read
Is Waiting to Be Loaded POA or Other Work?
It depends whether you knew the length of the wait in advance. Foreseeable waits can be POA; open-ended waits or active involvement are other work.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Can I Split My 45-Minute Break Into Three Parts?
No — a split driving break is two parts only: 15 minutes then 30 minutes, in that order. Three 15-minute breaks don't satisfy the rule. Here's why.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
Can I Take My 45-Minute Break Early, Before 4.5h?
Yes — you can take your 45-minute break any time before 4.5 hours' driving. Taking it early resets the clock, but you can't bank extra credit. Here's how.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursTachographs··5 min read
What Happens If I Drive Without My Driver Card?
Driving an in-scope vehicle without your driver card is an offence — but lost, stolen or faulty cards let you drive up to 15 days on printouts.
Read the guide - Drivers' hours··5 min read
What Is a Fixed Week in Drivers' Hours?
A fixed week runs Monday 00:00 to Sunday 24:00. It's the block used to count your 56-hour week and your two 10-hour driving days — and it never moves.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursCompliance··5 min read
What Is a Most Serious Infringement (MSI)?
An MSI is the top severity band of drivers' hours and tachograph offence in assimilated law, carrying the heaviest consequences for driver and operator.
Read the guide - ComplianceOCRS··9 min read
PG9 Prohibitions Explained: Costs, OCRS Impact, and How to Avoid Them
What a PG9 prohibition really costs UK operators — the fines, the OCRS damage, the Traffic Commissioner risk — and how daily checks prevent most.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursTachographs··10 min read
Van Tachograph Rules from 1 July 2026: Who Needs One
From 1 July 2026 some 2.5–3.5t vans need a tachograph and full EU drivers' hours. Exactly who is caught, who is not, and how to prepare.
Read the guide - Drivers' hoursCompliance··12 min read
UK Drivers' Hours & Working Time Rules Explained
The two rule sets every HGV driver must satisfy at once — the assimilated EU drivers' hours rules and the working time regulations — in plain English.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionAudits··12 min read
Common DVSA Earned Recognition Audit Failures
Why operators fail the DVSA Earned Recognition audit — the recurring failure modes, the root cause behind them, and how to self-diagnose before the auditor does.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionAudits··12 min read
How to Prepare for a DVSA Earned Recognition Audit
A timeline-based preparation playbook for the DVSA Earned Recognition audit — what to do six months out, three months out, the month before, and on the day.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionCompliance··11 min read
DVSA Earned Recognition KPIs Explained
Every Earned Recognition KPI in detail — the maintenance and drivers' hours targets, the infringement band system, four-week reporting and the alert triggers.
Read the guide - Earned RecognitionAudits··18 min read
DVSA Earned Recognition Audit: The Complete 2026 Guide
What the DVSA Earned Recognition audit covers, the records auditors sample, the KPIs you must hit, why operators fail — and how to pass first time.
Read the guide - Walkaround checksCompliance··8 min read
The DVSA Daily Walkaround Check List (Free PDF + App)
The full DVSA-aligned daily walkaround check list for HGVs, vans and PCVs — free to download, plus how to run it in two minutes on a phone.
Read the guide - Walkaround checksCompliance··11 min read
DVSA Daily Walkaround Checks: The Complete 2026 Guide
What a DVSA daily walkaround check is, the legal duties behind it, what to inspect, how to report defects, and how long to keep the records.
Read the guide
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