Log Books and Driving Times. Made Easy.

Every night on wrap at location there’s a discussion of who can and who can’t drive. To clear up any confusion we’ve made this simple ‘cut-out-and-stick-it-in-the-truck’ guide from the very latest NZTA publications. You’re welcome.

Who do work-time rules apply to?

The work-time rules apply to everyone who is legally required to manage driving hours, including both drivers and transport operators. The rules apply to you if you drive or operate a vehicle that:

• requires a class 2, 3, 4 or 5 driver licence
• or is driven or operated in a transport service (other than a rental service)
• or is used in circumstances in which the vehicle must
• or ought to be operated under a transport service licence
• or is used to carry goods for hire or reward.

What does work time include?

Work time includes all time spent working regardless of whether it is time spent driving or doing other work. For example, it includes:

• driving
• loading and unloading
• maintenance and cleaning of vehicles
• administration
• any paid employment, whether or not related to transport activities.

What rest time must I have?

Rest time means all time that is not work time, is at least 30 minutes long and is not spent in a moving work vehicle.

In general, drivers must take a break of at least 30 minutes after 5½ hours of work time, no matter what type of work takes place during that period.

In any cumulative work day, you can work a maximum of 13 hours and then you must take a continuous break of at least 10 hours (as well as the standard half-hour breaks every 5½ hours).

What is a cumulative work day?

A cumulative work day is a period during which work occurs, and that:

• does not exceed 24 hours and begins after a continuous period of rest time of at least 10 hours.

You can accumulate a total of 70 hours work time (known as a ‘cumulative work period’) before having to take a continuous break of at least 24 hours.

Special work-time conditions

Ferries:

If your journey involves a scheduled ferry crossing between the North and South islands and the trip lasts more than an hour, you can count this as a rest break. Actual ferry departure and arrival times must be recorded as the start and end of a rest break in your logbook.

At the end of the crossing, even if you have exceeded your work-time hours for the day, you can work for up to one further hour to find a safe place to park your vehicle before taking your 10-hour rest break before commencing work again.

Unavoidable delays:

If you are unable to complete your journey within work-time limits due to an unavoidable delay, this must be recorded in your logbook. Unavoidable delays are circumstances that you could not reasonably foresee, or emergencies, which are defined as:

• a state of emergency (ie a civil defence emergency), or
• an incident attended by an emergency service, or
• an event requiring immediate action to save life or prevent serious injury.

What are the penalties for breaching work-time requirements?

A breach of work-time rules is serious. If convicted a driver can be fined up to $2000 for each breach. In addition, you will be disqualified from driving, possibly from all licence classes, for at least one month.

If you employ a driver who breaches work- or rest-time limits and you’re held responsible for this, you could be fined up to $25,000 upon conviction. This is known as the chain of responsibility.

What is a logbook?

Logbooks are a written record of your work-time hours. They provide a record of your work activity and enable enforcement officers to check compliance with the work-time rules.

If you are required to complete a logbook, you must record all your work and rest times in a logbook approved by the Transport Agency. Note that you can only maintain one logbook at a time.

You must produce your logbook to an enforcement officer to inspect, if requested, starting from the last 24-hour rest time up to the present time. An enforcement officer is entitled to remove pages from your logbook, and most logbooks contain a special duplicate or triplicate copy for this purpose.

You must keep any completed logbook for 36 months after the date of the last entry.

How do I use a logbook?

You must fill out the following information in your logbook:

• your name (initials and surname, or first and last name)
• the date the logbook page starts on
• the time of day your logbook page starts (times must be recorded either in the am/pm or 24-hour format)
• the registration number of each vehicle driven
• the start and finish distance recorder readings (if the vehicle is subject to road user charges)
• the start and finish times and location for all work-time hours
• the start and finish times for all your rest breaks and where you took them.

You must also note your name or unique identifier on the space provided on the cover of the logbook. If you are using an approved general logbook form, you must also complete the activity grid.

Recording days off

The logbook entries that you record are required to be a continuous record of your work and rest time between one 24-hour break and the next (the cumulative work period of up to 70 hours). After taking any days off, you must record the dates of the days off in your logbook on the first day back at work.

Record-keeping

An employed driver must remove the ‘record’ (employer) copy of each page and hand it to their employer at the end of a cumulative work period, or within 14 days of the record being made (whichever comes first).

If you employ drivers, or are an owner-operator, you are also required to keep fuel and accommodation receipts that can be produced on demand by an enforcement officer. You are also required to keep a range of employment records.

What do I do if I have an unavoidable delay?

If you experience an unavoidable delay or emergency that causes, or is likely to cause, you to exceed the work-time limits for a cumulative work day or cumulative work period, you need to note the event and the length of the delay in your logbook.