How to organise drivers' holidays, rest periods and unavailability

In brief

For a small fleet, a driver's availability cannot be shown simply as “present/absent”. A driver may be at the company but unavailable for a new mission because they must take a rest period; they may be on holiday; they may have training, an appointment or an absence; or they may only be available for activities compatible with their driving and working plan.

The solution is to build a capacity calendar that clearly separates work-related unavailability from constraints arising from the social rules of road transport.

Holidays and driving rest are different things

Holidays are an employment entitlement governed by law and the applicable collective agreement. The daily or weekly rest provided for by Regulation (EC) No. 561/2006 is instead a safety measure and a way of organising driving time.

The two concepts can overlap in time, but they are not interchangeable. It is not correct to say “the driver is resting, so they are on holiday”, nor to use holidays as a generic entry for any unavailability.

To avoid confusion, the management system or calendar can use distinct codes, for example:

• holidays;
• leave/absence;
• illness, according to the applicable confidentiality rules;
• training;
• daily rest;
• weekly rest;
• operational unavailability;
• other work.

The capacity calendar

The capacity calendar answers a practical question: which people can I actually use for orders over the next few days?

It should show at least:

• planned working days;
• holidays and authorised absences;
• scheduled rest periods;
• returns from trips away;
• any licence/qualification constraints;
• important expiry dates;
• estimated remaining capacity for the week.

There is no need to enter detailed health or personal information. If someone is unavailable, operations often only need to know “unavailable”, leaving sensitive reasons to authorised people only.

Daily and weekly rest periods

Regulation 561/2006 contains detailed rules on drivers' daily and weekly rest periods within its scope. The legislation distinguishes regular and reduced daily rest, regular and reduced weekly rest, compensation and specific conditions.

An important point introduced and clarified with the Mobility Package concerns regular weekly rest, which cannot be taken in the vehicle. The cost of accommodation outside the vehicle, where required by the rules, is borne by the employer under the applicable framework.

Planning must therefore consider not only “when the trip ends”, but where and how the next rest period can be taken.

Driver return

The Regulation requires the undertaking to organise work so that the driver can return periodically to the operational centre in the Member State of establishment or to their place of residence, under the conditions and frequency set out in Article 8 and the Mobility Package amendments.

The European Commission has published interpretative Q&As on this obligation. For a small international carrier, this means the multi-week plan must include return as a structural constraint, not as a last-minute correction.

Holidays and work absences

The number of holiday days, request procedures, leave, absences and the related records depend on the employment relationship, national law and the applicable collective agreement. This part should not be managed by the dispatcher based on a rule found online.

Operationally, the ideal flow is:

1. request/record the absence according to the HR procedure;
2. approval by the relevant people;
3. transfer to operations of only the information needed: the period of unavailability;
4. recalculate fleet capacity.

How to plan the week

On Friday, or the day before the new week, a small company can check:

Available people. Who is present and what qualifications they have.

Rest periods. Which drivers are starting or must complete mandatory rest.

Missions already assigned. Trips spanning several days.

Returns. Drivers to bring back towards home or the operational centre according to planning and the applicable obligations.

Buffer. Do not use 100% of theoretical capacity if the work is subject to frequent waiting times and changes.

Practical example

A fleet has six drivers. One is on holiday on Wednesday and Thursday, one is returning from an international trip and must complete their rest, and one has training on Friday morning. The attendance calendar would say that everyone is available on Monday; the capacity calendar shows that the week's buffer is already reduced.

The company can therefore avoid accepting a long international trip on the assumption that it has six completely free people.

Weekly checklist

• Are approved holidays and absences visible to operations?
• Are sensitive reasons protected?
• Are daily and weekly rest periods distinguished from holidays?
• Are driver returns planned?
• Are training and qualification expiry dates in the calendar?
• Does the plan leave room for waiting times and unforeseen events?
• Does the employment consultant validate the rules on holidays and working time?