Work-time is the

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

equivalent of

drivers' working hours Drivers' working hours is the commonly used term for regulations that govern the activities of the drivers of commercial goods vehicles and passenger carrying vehicles. In the United States, they are known as hours of service. Within the Europ ...

, or time spent doing work-related tasks in an occupation subject to ''Land Transport Rule Work Time and Logbooks 2007, Rule 62001''.

Work-time application

The rules are applied to drivers and transport operators and govern maximum periods of work time and minimum rest times. The rules apply if, at any time during a cumulative work period, a person drives or operates a vehicle that: * requires a class 2, 3, 4 or 5 heavy vehicle driver licence, or * is driven or operated in a transport service (other than a rental service), or * is used in circumstances in which the vehicle must, or ought to be operated under a transport service licence, or * is used to carry goods for hire or reward.

Exemptions

There are numerous potential exemptions to work-time requirements where any of the following applies. It is a: * vehicle used within a 50km radius of its normal base of operations * vehicle not used for hire or reward *

school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus ...

* police or army vehicle *

motorhome A motorhome (or motor coach) is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which offers mobile living accommodation. Features Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space is either fixed or conv ...

* mobile crane * vintage heavy vehicle * special-type vehicle such as a

forklift A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various ...

truck,

road roller A road roller (sometimes called a roller-compactor, or just roller) is a compactor-type engineering vehicle used to compact soil, gravel, concrete, or asphalt in the construction of roads and foundations. Similar rollers are used also at la ...

or roadside maintenance vehicle * vehicle recovery service vehicle *

urban bus Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

Logbooks and time-keeping

All drivers of vehicles subject to work-time rules must keep one current logbook in the vehicle while driving. The logbook must be up-to-date to the most recent period of rest time. Drivers complete a logbook course as part of class 2 heavy vehicle licence training. Paper logbooks are available in two variants: * Heavy vehicle (vehicles over 3500kg) * Small passenger service vehicle (e.g.

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...

) They are triplicate (employee) or duplicate (self-employed). Each logbook sheet has a white top copy, a yellow duplicate for the employer and a pink copy that may be requested by enforcement officers. Electronic logbooks are available and must be approved by

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (commonly known as Waka Kotahi, and abbreviated as NZTA) is a New Zealand Crown entity tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, including the responsibility for driver and vehicle licensing, an ...

. They are seen as a way to avoid falsification of logbook records. Completed logbooks must be kept for at least 12 months after the date of the last entry.

Work-time limits

Drivers and operators are permitted to work up to 5.5 hours before they must take a rest period of at least 30 minutes; taxi drivers taking short fares can work up to 7 hours before taking a break. The maximum number of work hours before a minimum break of 10 hours is taken is 13. This is called the ''cumulative work day''. Work-time can be extended through: * unavoidable delays * civil emergency * essential repair work * authorised work-time variations The maximum number of work hours before a minimum break of 24 hours is taken is 70. There are no exemptions or exceptions. This is called the ''cumulative work period''. Secondary employment is counted towards the cumulative work day and cumulative work time.

References

{{traffic law Road safety Commercial vehicles Trucks Truck drivers Traffic law