The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has approved, by means of a resolution of the Directorate General for Road Transport published in the Official State Gazette, the relaxation of driving and rest times for road freight hauliers.

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Transport makes driving and rest times

The measure establishes a series of temporary exceptions to mitigate the negative effects that may arise from the traffic disruptions caused by the Spanish farmers’ protests, which affect the normal operation of certain flows of goods in the affected areas. The aim is to guarantee the supply and provision of food products within the national territory.

This resolution applies throughout Spain from 5 to 14 February and from 19 to 26 February, and includes the following measures:

• Replacing the maximum daily driving limit of nine hours with a maximum of ten hours.
• Replace the maximum weekly driving limit of 56 hours with a maximum of 60 hours.
• Reducing the daily rest requirement from eleven hours to nine hours.
• Possibility to postpone the start of the weekly rest period beyond six 24-hour periods.

These exceptions will apply to drivers carrying out freight transport operations that have been affected by the roadblocks and delays in Spain, always ensuring that road safety is not put at risk.

Commitment to the Freight Transport sector
This is the second measure adopted by the Ministry to mitigate the effects on transport caused by the farmers’ protests. On 30 January, it issued a resolution to make driving hours more flexible for hauliers affected by the roadblocks and delays in France and on both sides of the border with that country. These exemptions applied from 22 January to 4 February 2024 inclusive.

Both resolutions are the result of this Department’s commitment to the future of the road freight transport sector, with which it will continue to work hand in hand to successfully meet the challenges it faces.