Working Time 48-Hour Average for Mobile Workers
What this limit is
Mobile workers in scope of the road transport working-time rules are subject to an average 48 hours of working time per week, calculated over a reference period (commonly 17 or 26 weeks under the applicable framework).
This article covers that 48-hour average only. It is not the night-work 10-hour cap and not the 561/2006 driving limits.
What counts as working time
Working time generally includes activities connected with the transport operation — for example driving, loading/unloading help, walkaround checks and related paperwork. Genuine breaks, rest and qualifying periods of availability are treated differently and are not simply piled into “work” the same way.
60 hours in a single week
In a single week you may work up to 60 hours, provided the average across the reference period still respects 48. A heavy week is not automatically illegal — a string of heavy weeks that push the average over 48 is.
How this differs from drivers’ hours
- Drivers’ hours (561) — driving, breaks, daily/weekly rest, 56/90 driving totals
- Working time (48h average) — how much work you accumulate on average over the reference period
You can be legal on driving limits and still create a working-time problem if other work piles up week after week.
Opt-out? Not like the general WTR opt-out
For mobile workers under the road transport working-time rules, the 48-hour average is not handled like a casual individual opt-out on a standard office contract. Treat it as a hard compliance average your operator must monitor — not something you waive in a WhatsApp message.
Practical examples
OK pattern: One 58-hour work week offset by lighter weeks so the reference-period average stays at or under 48.
Problem pattern: Repeated 55–60 hour work weeks with no lighter offset — average climbs above 48.
Driver habit
Separate two questions at the end of a heavy week: “Was my driving/rest legal?” and “How much work did I actually accumulate?” The second question is what the 48-hour average cares about.
