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Across most regions and markets, fatigue regulations apply to transport companies. And non-compliance often comes at the cost of a significant fine. Regardless, breaches still happen.
Although in some cases, breaches may be deliberate, we often see that there’s a visibility gap which lies at the heart of the issue.
A planner may want to book a driver for another trip, but may not be able to see within their planning system how many compliant hours they have left. A lack of centralised data means that workflows slow down to ensure drivers are compliant – but, even so, some errors may slip through the cracks.
In this blog, we take a look at the rulebooks across regions and how driver-hours visibility can be built into your planning workflows.
Regulatory landscapes
The specifics vary by market, but the underlying structure is strikingly consistent: a cap on daily driving time, a mandatory break after a set number of hours behind the wheel, and minimum rest periods between shifts. The details – and the technology used to record hours – differ by region:
| Region | Framework | Recording technology |
|---|---|---|
| EU | Regulation (EC) 561/2006 | Digital tachograph (smart tachograph in newer vehicles) |
| UK | Assimilated rules (the UK’s retained version of 561/2006) | Typically a digital tachograph |
| US | FMCSA Hours of Service (HOS) | Typically an electronic logging device |
Drivers’ hours visibility – the “multi-platform problem”
It’s clear that drivers’ activity compliance is an important step of the planning process. So, why does it often sit outside the planning workflow?
Many companies operating with a traditional TMS, or no TMS, often need to leave the system every time a job needs assigning as the information they need isn’t available there. From here, they need to log into a separate tachograph, telematics or electronic logging device (ELD) platform and then manually check the remaining hours before returning to the TMS to replan.
Now, multiply this across dozens of drivers and jobs a day and you get compounding delays and a higher chance of human error.
Planners face a trade off – lost planning efficiency versus the risk of fines for non-compliance.
The fix – bridging the visibility gap
Stricter policies and more training around driver policy may work as a short-term fix. But the key to long term success is being able to see hours data in the same place where planning decisions actually happen. This means driver status and the time until the next break and rest are visible alongside the job board so your planners don’t have to jump between multiple screens and systems.
As a result, hours data becomes a natural factor in planning, not a bolted-on manual check that can lead to errors and inefficiencies.
How Qargo helps close the gap
Through Qargo’s native integrations with select fleet management systems (FMS), you can see real-time driver status (driving, breaks, resting) directly on the Planboard – meaning planners can see current status without having to leave their TMS.
We’ve now taken this one step further. Not only can you see real-time data, but our new feature lets you see full start and end times on both the trip and the resource, giving you a proper (and reviewable) record of the trip history.
Once enabled in your mobile app settings, drivers can also log rest and break time themselves from the mobile app – tapping “Add activity,” choosing Rest or Break, and ending it when done. The status mirrors live on the Planboard, and that time is excluded from the driving-time metric used for driver pay and time-based billing, when set up on your rate cards, with full visibility (and planner override) on the Trip and Order detail pages.
Conclusion
Proactive visibility into driver activity is a win-win – fewer fatigued drivers on the road and a more efficient way to plan resources.
Drivers’ hours compliance extends beyond a legal checkbox – auditable records and increased planning efficiency can actually become a differentiator that sets you apart from the competition.
Want to learn more about how Qargo can make planning more efficient? Get in touch today.
