Drivers’ hours relaxation rules extended

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that it will continue its relaxation of drivers' hours rules.

This latest move will see the relaxation now run until midnight on 10 February 2022.

If you made use of the previous relaxation, you must complete and submit the follow-up notification form by 16 January 2022.

The DfT said the temporary relaxation of the rules reflects the urgent situation arising from the impacts of Covid-19, including the recent highly infectious Omicron variant. This is resulting in increased absence rates and outbreaks in specific workforces including in respect of the carriage of goods by road and the supply chains of which they are a part, the government said.

Additionally, the DfT was keen to stress it was: “not related to the previous temporary relaxations that lapsed on 9 January 2022, which were put in place to address the cumulative impacts of Covid-19 coupled with an acute shortage of HGV drivers.”

We oppose extensions to drivers’ hours as we believe they can be counter-productive, making the job less attractive and exhausting the drivers.

But given the current Omicron levels, it was inevitable that the Government would continue with the relaxation.