Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: KMZ Cargo – KMZ CARGO –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Employers were prohibited from including overtime in their schedules, and drivers were allowed to split their breaks into 15-minute segments.
The Russian Ministry of Transport has presented a draft new order (source) regulating drivers' work and rest schedules. The document is scheduled to come into effect on September 1, 2026, and will remain in effect until September 1, 2032. In the draft, the ministry adjusted the rules for summarizing working hours, clarified daily rest periods, and expanded the list of exceptions for certain categories of transportation.
These requirements apply to all drivers employed under an employment contract and their employers—both legal entities and sole proprietors. The document is mandatory for use when developing internal work regulations and creating shift schedules.
The new rules do not apply to drivers engaged in international transportation, fire trucks, ambulances, emergency rescue services, and departmental security drivers. Exceptions are also made for drivers employed by state and local government agencies, employees working on a rotational basis, and military drivers on active duty.
The document stipulates that a driver's normal workweek cannot exceed 40 hours. If it is impossible to comply with the daily or weekly limit, the employer is required to implement a summarized work time accounting system. The accounting period may be monthly, quarterly, or other, but no longer than one year.
When calculated in aggregate, the daily shift duration must not exceed 10 hours. A shift extension of no more than two hours is permitted, but only to complete a transport or travel to a parking spot and subject to rest requirements. Certain categories of drivers—drivers of healthcare facilities, public utilities, emergency services, passenger taxis, cash-in-transit vehicles, and executive cars—are permitted to work shifts of up to 12 hours. For drivers of regular city and suburban routes, a 12-hour shift is only possible with the approval of a trade union or other representative body of drivers.
The draft provides for the possibility of dividing the workday into two parts. The break between the parts must occur no later than five hours after the start of work. The total duration of such breaks cannot exceed five hours, and for drivers of regular passenger transportation in the city and suburbs, three hours. The location of the break must be free for the driver to use at their own discretion, and the break itself is not included in working hours.
For drivers of passenger cars (except taxis) and employees engaged in geological exploration and survey work in the field, irregular working hours may be established.
According to paragraph 8 of the document, driving time during a daily period must not exceed nine hours. This limit can be increased to 10 hours no more than twice per calendar week. To complete a trip or travel to a parking lot, drivers are entitled to exceed the established time by a maximum of two hours; however, employers are prohibited from including such excess driving time in their schedules.
No later than 4:30 hours after the start of travel, drivers must take a special break of at least 45 minutes. This break can be split into sections: the first part should be no less than 15 minutes, and the last part should be no less than 30 minutes. For drivers of regular city transportation, each part of the break must be at least 10 minutes.
Daily rest must be no less than twice the duration of the previous shift. When calculated cumulatively, the minimum rest is 11 hours within 24 hours from the start of the shift. Rest may be reduced to nine hours no more than three times between weekly rest periods, and may also be divided into parts, provided the first part is at least three hours long and the last part is at least nine hours long.
Drivers working as part of a crew are required to take a minimum of nine hours of rest at the same time. Time spent on a trip but not driving is not included in working hours. For these hours, the employer is required to pay additional compensation, the amount of which is determined by a collective agreement or local regulation, taking into account the opinion of the drivers' representative body.
Weekly uninterrupted rest must be at least 45 hours. It must be provided before the seventh working day following the end of the previous weekly rest.
As a reminder, back in 2021, there was talk about the Ministry of Transport intending to monitor truck drivers who fall asleep at the wheel using systems capable of detecting a person's fatigue using pupil size or heart rate. At the time, it was planned that drivers of vehicles equipped with similar "Antisleep" systems would be able to spend more than the prescribed 10-12 hours behind the wheel. The cost of installing such equipment at the time was estimated at between 25,000 and 85,000 rubles. LR
Publication date: 02/25/2026
Please note; this information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It is an accurate account of what the source claims, and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.