Self-employed driver

Self-employed driver - Yleistä

Self-employed drivers participating in road transport operations are subject to the provisions on the working time of self-employed drivers under the Act on Transport Services (320/2017). Self-employed drivers who are not covered by the European Driving Time and Rest Period Regulation fall outside the scope of application of the provisions concerning the working time of self-employed drivers. For more information on the scope of the European Driving Time and Rest Period Regulation, see more on the page Driving times and rest periods.

The purpose of the Act is to maintain and improve the safety and health of road transport professionals. Another aim is to promote fair competition in the transport sector.

The Act regulates drivers’ maximum weekly working hours, breaks and night work. It contains provisions requiring self-employed drivers to record or otherwise reliably account for their working hours and any exceptions to their working hours due to technical or practical reasons.

The working hours of self-employed drivers must average out at no more than 48 hours per week over a period of no more than four months. However, a driver’s total working time must not exceed 60 hours in any given week. Any shift that involves working between the hours of 1.00 and 5.00 am must not be longer than 10 hours in total. These rules can be derogated from for practical reasons, but the reasons must be documented.

Moreover, self-employed drivers are not permitted to work for a period of more than six hours (driving time and other work combined) without a break. A break of at least 30 minutes must be taken during every shift of between six and nine hours. If the shift length exceeds nine hours, a break of at least 45 minutes must be taken. However, the break can be split up into shorter blocks of at least 15 minutes each.

Self-employed drivers must keep records or other reliable accounts of their working hours over the previous two years, showing the hours worked and breaks taken as required by the law. Compliance with the law is enforced by occupational safety and health authorities.