New rules behind the wheel: who needs tachographs and how many hours can drivers work
On July 26, 2026, updated rules regarding working hours and rest time for drivers of wheeled vehicles came into force in Ukraine. The rules were approved by Order No. 1727, as reminded by the Ministry of Development.
The update of the rules is an important step towards harmonizing Ukrainian transport legislation with the social standards of the European Union in the field of work and rest of commercial vehicle drivers.
The new version of the Regulation introduces key EU norms, including provisions of Regulation (EU) No 561/2006, Directive 2002/15/EC, as well as decisions of the Ukraine-EU Joint Committee regarding the application of smart tachograph standards (G2V2).
What is simplified?
Requirements for the use of tachographs and compliance with work and rest regimes do not apply to:
- security and defense forces transport, emergency and rescue services;
- agricultural, municipal, postal, and certain specialized transport within 100 kilometers from the vehicle storage location;
- passenger cars up to 7.5 tons within a 100-kilometer radius from the storage location for transporting own cargo (for example, a bakery delivering its products to stores), provided that driving is not the main activity of the enterprise;
- training and low-speed vehicles;
- transportation in combat zones;
- transportation for the needs of security and defense forces;
- internal business transportation of own cargo lasting up to 4 hours 30 minutes.
What remains unchanged?
Current norms regarding drivers' work and rest regimes remain:
- daily driving time – no more than 9 hours (up to 10 hours twice a week);
- no more than 56 hours of driving per week and 90 hours over two weeks;
- mandatory 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving;
- possibility to split the break into 15 and 30 minutes;
- mandatory use of serviceable tachographs.
Among the key innovations:
- requirements for work and rest regimes and the use of tachographs apply to drivers (including individual entrepreneurs) who perform international passenger transport on order and international taxi transport. Previously, this issue was not regulated by law;
- regular weekly rest of at least 45 hours must be provided in proper conditions at the carrier’s expense, not in the vehicle cabin;
- if working at night (from 22:00 to 06:00), the shift duration cannot exceed 10 hours;
- for international freight transport, vehicles first registered in Ukraine after June 30, 2026, must use G2V2 smart tachographs. Currently, more than 50 centers provide maintenance services for them;
- the retention period for records of drivers' working and rest time has been extended to 56 days. Enterprises must keep the relevant records for two years.
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