Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981

Certification and regulation of goods vehicles N.I.

Articles 53-55 rep. by 1995 NI 18

Limitation of continuous hours of duty of drivers of goods vehicles N.I.

56 .F1 —(1) No person shall drive, or cause or permit any person employed by him or subject to his order to drive, a goods vehicle—

(a) for any continuous period longer than the number of hours prescribed for a continuous period of driving; or

(b) for continuous periods in any period of 24 hours amounting in the aggregate to more than the number of hours prescribed for such continuous periods of driving; or

(c) so that the driver has not at least the prescribed period for rest in any period of 24 hours calculated from the commencement of any period of driving; or

(d) for continuous periods in any period of 7 days amounting in the aggregate to more than the number of hours prescribed for such continuous periods of driving; or

(e) so that the driver has not at least the prescribed period of rest in any period of 7 days.

(2) For the purposes of this Article and of any regulations made under Article 58—

(a) any two or more periods of time shall be deemed to be a continuous period unless separated by an interval of not less than half an hour in which the driver is able to obtain rest and refreshment;

(b) any time spent by a driver on other work in connection with a vehicle or the load carried by the vehicle, shall be reckoned as time spent in driving;

(c) any time spent in driving or resting outside Northern Ireland may be taken into account in calculating any period prescribed under paragraph (1).

(3) Any person who drives, or who causes or permits any person employed by him or subject to his orders to drive, a goods vehicle contrary to the domestic drivers' hours code shall be guilty of an offence under this Order.

(4) This Article shall not apply to motor vehicles used for fire brigade or ambulance purposes and a person shall not be liable to be convicted of an offence under this Article, if he proves that the contravention was due to unavoidable delay in the completion of the journey to which the offence alleged relates by reason of circumstances which he could not reasonably have foreseen.

(5) The Department may by regulations—

(a) exempt from the provisions of this Article goods vehicles of such a class or description as may be specified in the regulations;

(b) provide that this Article shall apply to motor vehicles of such a class or description as may be so specified (not being goods vehicles) as it applies to goods vehicles;

(c) provide that this Article shall apply to goods vehicles of any class or description with such modifications as may be so specified;

(d) require drivers and employers of drivers to keep or to cause to be kept in such manner as may be so specified records with respect to such matters relevant to the provisions of this Article as may be so specified;

(e) require to be installed in vehicles of such classes or descriptions and in such manner and place as may be so specified, equipment of such type and manner as may be so specified, for recording information as to the use of the vehicle and impose duties on the owners and drivers of the vehicle with respect to the use and operation of the equipment;

(f) provide for the inspection of any records required to be kept or equipment to be installed under sub-paragraphs ( d) and ( e) respectively.

(6) In this Order “the domestic drivers' hours code” means the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) (including those provisions as applied by Article 63) F2 ... and the provisions of any regulations made under paragraph (5) or made under Article 58 for purposes of those paragraphs.

F1 mod. by SR 1981/199

F2 Words in art. 56(6) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Drivers Hours and Tachographs (Amendment) (EU Exit) (No. 2) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/596), regs. 1(3), 4; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

Article 57 rep. by 1995 NI 18

Regulations for purposes of Articles 53 to 57 N.I.

58 .F3 —(1) The Department may make regulations for the purpose of prescribing anything which is to be prescribed in [F4 Article 56] and otherwise for giving effect to those ArticlesF4 . . . .

(2) Regulations made under paragraph (1) for the purposes of Article 56 may prescribe periods of driving of different duration for different classes of vehicles and for vehicles of the same class operating under different conditions and any such regulations may be expressed to apply for the purposes of Article 63 as they apply for the purposes of Article 56.

F3 mod. by SR 1981/199

F4 1995 NI 18