What is a heavy truck, bus and commercial bus

• A heavy truck is a motor vehicle (except a bus or tram) with a GVM over 12 tonnes; or a motor vehicle (except a bus or tram) forming part of a combination if the total of the GVMs of the vehicles in the combination is over 12 tonnes.
• A bus is a motor vehicle built mainly to carry people that seats over 12 adults (including the driver).
• A commercial bus is a bus used to carry people for reward or in a business.

What is driving and driving time

• Driving is driving a heavy truck or commercial bus, and includes being in the driving seat of a stationary heavy truck or commercial bus while the engine is running or instructing or supervising someone else to drive it.
• Driving time of a driver is time spent by the driver driving, whether or not the time is spent on a road or road‑related area.

What is work time

• Work time of a driver is the driver's driving time, and other time spent by the driver loading, unloading, inspecting, servicing, cleaning, refuelling, performing marketing tasks or attending to the load, or the passengers of a heavy truck or commercial bus.
• This includes time helping with, or supervising, an activity mentioned above. Recording information, or completing a document, in accordance with the driving hour regulations.

What is rest time

1. Rest time of a driver is a continuous period of at least 15 minutes that is not work time of the driver.

What is local area work

• The driver of a heavy truck or commercial bus is engaged in local area work if the driver is driving the vehicle within the driver's 100 kilometre limit.

What is a driver's 100 kilometre limit

• The 100 kilometre limit is the circumference of a notional circle of which the centre is the driver's base and the radius is 100 kilometres.

What is non-local area work

• The driver of a heavy truck or commercial bus is engaged in non‑local area work if the driver is driving the vehicle beyond the driver's 100 kilometre limit.

What is a driver's logbook

• A driver's logbook is a logbook issued to the driver. A driver must not have in his or her possession more than 1 logbook in which information can be recorded on a daily sheet.

Obligation for Drivers to have logbooks etc

• A driver must not engage in non‑local area work unless the driver has a logbook in which the driver can record information. The driver must carry the logbook while engaging in non‑local area work.

Driving records : non-local area work

• If a driver is engaged in non‑local area work, or has been engaged in non‑local area work at any time in the last 28 days, the driver must, while driving a heavy truck or commercial bus, carry his or her driving records for the last 28 days, irrespective of the number of days in that period on which the driver drove a heavy truck or commercial bus.

Driving records for non‑local area work to be kept

• An employer must keep the copy of a driver's driving records given to the employer for the driver's non-local area work on a day for at least 12 months after that day at the place where the employer manages the employment of the driver.


• A self-employed driver must keep the driver's driving records for non‑local area work on a day for at least 12 months after that day at the driver's base.