Weekly driving excess is an insidious infringement. Unlike daily limits, it often goes undetected during manual checks but emerges with forensic clarity when authorities analyze .DDD files. Exceeding these accumulated limits is a primary trigger for labor audits and compromises your company's Good Repute.
The Two Accumulation Filters
European safety standards establish two distinct "ceilings" to prevent long-term driver fatigue. Violating either one results in a sanction:
Weekly Limit (56h)
Total driving time in a fixed week (Monday 00:00 to Sunday 24:00) must not exceed 56 hours.
Bi-weekly Limit (90h)
The sum of driving time in any two consecutive weeks must not exceed 90 hours.
Pro Tip: If a driver reaches 56 hours in Week 1, they are legally restricted to a maximum of 34 hours in Week 2. This "sliding window" is where most planning errors occur.
Sanction Scale: Financial & Operational Impact
Inspectors calculate fines based on the percentage of excess over the 56h or 90h limits. Since 2020, these are strictly enforced across the EU:
| Excess Percentage | Infringement Category | ERRU Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 5% | Minor (MI) | Low Impact |
| 5% to 10% | Serious (SI) | Medium Risk |
| Over 10% | Very Serious (VSI) | High Risk (License Revocation) |
Common Planning Mistakes
Data analysis from TGD/DDD records shows that most bi-weekly excesses are caused by:
- Fixed Week Confusion: Assuming the week starts when the driver starts their shift, rather than the strict Monday-to-Sunday UTC rule.
- Isolation Bias: Planning Week 2 without looking back at the hours consumed in Week 1.
- Sunday Returns: Pushing a driver to "get home" on a Sunday evening without realizing they are crossing the 56h threshold.
Predictive Compliance with TachoTools
Manual spreadsheets cannot keep up with the "sliding window" of bi-weekly limits. TachoTools automates the math to keep your fleet safe:
- Live Accumulators: Instant totals for the current week and the 14-day rolling period.
- Proximity Warnings: Visual alerts when a driver is within 5 hours of their bi-weekly limit.
- Gap Detection: Identifies missing manual entries that could hide real driving time.
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