France: Co-driver time spent as passenger does not count as driving time anymore

French Transport Ministry clarifies: In a multi-driver crew the co-driver does not have to take a break after 4.5 hours away from the vehicle. The french police had interpreted differently recently.

Enforcement Working Group in Brussels: Co-driver time spent as passenger in a multi-driver crew in France does not count as driving time, but as a standby time.

This provided the French Transport Ministry now clearly; Recently it had come here to uncertainty, because the French control authorities interpreted the new EU regulation 165/2014 on tachographs in road transport the Co-driver as a passenger, will longer considered resting period but as driving period. Revised France’s Transport Ministry this interpretation now in the Enforcement Working Group in Brussels.

The co-driver as a passenger does not have to spend time away from the vehicle after 4.5 hours of driving period, this time now will be counted as break time.

The French control practices have been conducted to date high fines, they say, there are fines issued in six figures and paid. According to information of the French Trade Association the penalties are all re-examination. The French Trade Association recommends companies concerned to take action against outspoken fines.