Same Day Couriers, delivery drivers & tradesmen will now be fined £300 if they go over the UK daily driving hours limit.

Transit type vans don’t require a tachograph to be fitted like HGVs, bot a written record must be kept.

The limits are suspended for emergencies, where the driver needs to take immediate preventative action to avoid danger to someone or an animal’s life or health, or serious damage to property.

Restrictions are also relaxed when a major interruption to essential public service must be avoided – examples include gas, water and electricity supply, drainage, telecommunications or post, and roads, railways, ports, and airports.

The army, police and fire brigade vehicles are also exempt from the UK driving hours rules, as well as those who never drive on public roads, whilst separate rules apply to Northern Ireland.

Some van drivers might not realise that if they’re using their vehicle for business more than four hours daily, they have to follow the same rules as lorry drivers.

If carrying out a delivery which involved a long journey, it could be quite easy for a van driver to accumulate a lot of hours behind the wheel in a day.

Going over the legal limit or not getting enough rest in could see van drivers hit hard in the pocket and facing a much-increased risk of crashing.

Same day couriers should never drive for more than ten hours a day and shouldn’t work for more than eleven hours a day in which they drive.

Delivery drivers also need to take at least eleven hours off between shifts on the road, though this can be reduced to nine on occasion.

They need to take at least 45 minutes in breaks if they drive for four and a half hours and take consecutive days off at least once a fortnight too.

Couriers also need to keep a written record of driving hours if they expect to exceed four hours behind the wheel in a day, even though a tachograph isn’t required on light goods vehicles.

It’s essential that all drivers remember, though, that driving when tired or fatigued can cause accidents and prove as dangerous as operating a vehicle while intoxicated.