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Work time rules (driver hours)
How DayRunner checks each plan against NZ work time rules: the 5.5-hour break, 13-hour day, 10-hour rest and 70-hour period.
If you carry paying passengers, your drivers are covered by the Land Transport Rule: Work Time and Logbooks 2007, whatever the size of the vehicle. DayRunner checks every plan against it. It's a planning aid, not legal advice, and your logbooks are still the record.
Our plain-English guide to the NZ driver work time rules links the NZTA sources.
What DayRunner checks
| Rule | Limit | In the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous work | 5.5 hours, then a 30-minute break | A break is put inside the run and shown on the run sheet |
| Work day | 13 hours in a cumulative work day | Hard stop. Red DECIDE exception. |
| Rest | 10 hours' continuous rest | Red exception when yesterday's finish was too late |
| Work period | 70 hours between 24-hour breaks | Amber warning, from the work log of the previous 13 days |
What counts as work
The whole shift: vehicle check, the pickup run, driving, guiding, sitting through the cruise with the group, the return run and the tidy-up. Guiding while someone else drives is still work. A break only counts if the driver is off for 30 minutes in a row.
DayRunner adds Prep time (min) at each end. Set it in Setup, under Rules.
Your own limit and the law
- Max hours (policy) on each driver is your rule. Going over it is an amber warning.
- The 13-hour day is the law. It's always checked when Work-time rules is set to NZ logbook rules (most operators).
Work done before the plan
Use Hours already worked (min) in Setup for anything before the plan starts, like a 5am airport run. It counts toward the 13-hour day and the 5.5-hour break rule. Enter minutes: 90, not 1.5.
Switching the rules off
Set Work-time rules to None: outside logbook scope only if your operation really is outside the Rule. Then only each driver's max hours are checked.
Not covered yet
Ferry crossings counted as rest, and the 7-hour option for small passenger service drivers on short fares. DayRunner uses 5.5 hours for everyone, the stricter option.
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