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Drivers, licences and documents

Who may drive what, for how many hours, and which card or certificate proves it — as EU and national rules write it.

12 articles

Truck driving licences: C1, C1E, C and CE, and minimum agesCategory CE is a C truck with a trailer over 750 kg; C1 ends at 7,500 kg. C and CE need 21, or 18 with a CPC, and a new directive takes over in 2029.28 September 2026 · 9 sources
Driving time and rest rules: how many hours a shift can holdNine hours a day, 56 a week, 90 a fortnight and a break after four and a half: what Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 limits, and why the working-time limit can bind first.19 October 2026 · 8 sources
The digital tachograph and driver card: what EU law requiresWhat Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 says a digital tachograph records, what the four tachograph cards are for, what happens when a driver card is lost or expires, and what a roadside check asks for.28 September 2026 · 26 sources
The smart tachograph: what version 2 records and when it is requiredWhat the second-generation smart tachograph writes down under Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, how it decides a border has been crossed, and which vehicles had to carry one by which date.25 September 2026 · 7 sources
Tachograph symbols explained: the pictogram list in Annex ICA smart tachograph's symbols are the pictograms in Appendix 3 of Annex IC to Regulation (EU) 2016/799: 121 by our count, 63 basic and 58 combinations.29 September 2026 · 7 sources
Driver CPC explained: the hours behind a truck or bus driverThe initial qualification and periodic training a European truck or bus driver must hold under Directive (EU) 2022/2561, who is exempt, and what 2025/2205 changes.25 September 2026 · 5 sources
Bus driving licences: categories D1 and D, and the ages that gate themWhat categories D1, D1E, D and DE cover, the minimum ages that apply to each today, and what Directive (EU) 2025/2205 changes with effect from 26 November 2029.25 September 2026 · 7 sources
The ADR driver training certificate explained: who needs it, what it covers, when it is renewedADR 2025 Chapter 8.2: which drivers must hold the driver training certificate, the basic and specialisation courses, the examination, validity, renewal and the changes proposed for 2027.16 October 2026 · 11 sources
Who may work on high-voltage trucks and busesWho the German DGUV guidance lets work on high-voltage vehicles, level by level with minimum training units, and what Britain's law and the IMI's TechSafe scheme say.29 September 2026 · 13 sources
HGV licences in Great Britain: categories C1, C1E, C and CE, ages, the medical and the testsThe four GB lorry licence categories C1, C1E, C and CE, their minimum ages, the D4 medical, the theory and driving tests, and renewal, as DVLA and DVSA set them.28 September 2026 · 8 sources
Driver CPC in Great Britain: the tests, the 35 hours and the cardHow GOV.UK describes the Driver CPC for lorry, bus and coach drivers in Great Britain: the five tests, 35 hours every five years, the two card types and the exemptions.28 September 2026 · 7 sources
What a CDL is: Class A, B and C, the endorsements and who needs oneThe commercial driver's license under 49 CFR Part 383: the 26,001-pound line for Class A and B, when Class C applies, the endorsement codes, the learner's permit and training.30 September 2026 · 4 sources