How long does a truck journey take with breaks and rest?
A truck journey takes longer than distance divided by speed. The driver must stop after a set time of continuous driving, cannot drive more than a daily limit, and must then rest for a set number of hours. Loading, unloading and any company no-driving hours add to the time.
This planner builds the journey step by step from the departure time. It inserts each break and daily rest where the rules require them and gives you the arrival time, a timeline for the driver and the fuel needed. Use it to quote an arrival time to a customer, to plan a long-haul trip, or to fill the route section of a journey management plan.
Which driving and rest rules does the planner use?
The defaults are the Saudi Transport General Authority (TGA) limits as reported in the Saudi press and reviewed in October 2026. They are the same values the Driving and Rest Hours Checker uses.
| Rule | Reported limit | How the planner applies it |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous driving | A 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving | Inserts a 45-minute break after every 4.5 hours of driving |
| Daily driving | 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours twice a week | Stops driving at 9 hours. Uses 10 hours when you allow it |
| Daily rest | At least 11 consecutive hours | Inserts an 11-hour rest when daily driving is used up |
| Weekly rest | 48 hours reported for goods transport; no more than 6 working days in a row | Makes the rest after the sixth driving day a 48-hour weekly rest |
The limits come from the pre-2025 regulations as reported, so confirm the current rules with TGA. In the UAE, Oman, Qatar and other markets, enter the limits that apply to your operation in the Breaks and rest tab.
What data do you need to plan a truck journey?
| Input | Where to find it | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | A map route for trucks, or the distance of past trips | Use the truck route, which can be longer than the car route. |
| Average speeds | Trip reports from a tracking system, or driver logs | Use the moving average, not the speed limit. |
| City share | The route on the map | Count the kilometers inside cities at both ends. |
| Loading and unloading | Warehouse records or past trips | Include waiting time at the gate. |
| No-driving window | Your journey management or night-driving policy | Leave empty if your company has none. |
How is the journey plan built?
The finished plan is then checked day by day with the rules of the Driving and Rest Hours Checker: daily driving, extended days, continuous driving, breaks, daily rest and working days in a row.
Worked example: Riyadh to Jeddah
A loaded truck covers 950 km, 5% of it in cities at 35 km/h and the rest at 80 km/h. Loading starts at 05:00 and takes 1 hour. Unloading takes 1 hour.
- Driving time is 47.5 km at 35 km/h plus 902.5 km at 80 km/h: 12 h 38 min.
- The truck leaves at 06:00 and drives until 10:30, then takes a 45-minute break.
- It drives again from 11:15 to 15:45. The driver has now driven 9 hours, and the 3 h 38 min left is more than the extended day allows, so the driver takes an 11-hour daily rest until 02:45.
- The last 260 km take until 06:23. Unloading ends at 07:23 the next day: 26 h 23 min after loading started.
- With a company rule of no driving from 20:00 to 04:00, the rest still ends at 02:45 but the truck waits until 04:00, so unloading ends at 08:38.
- At 33 L/100 km the trip uses 313.5 L of diesel. A 600 L tank used to 80% covers 1,455 km, so no fuel stop is needed.
How to read your journey plan
- Arrival is when unloading ends. Quote the customer a window around it, not a minute.
- Each driving day shows driving time, breaks and the rest after it. A green check means the plan meets every limit used.
- The driver sheet lists every stop with its time and kilometer. Print it with the journey management plan and agree the stop places before departure.
- An extended day is used only when it lets the driver finish. Choose "Whenever allowed" to see the fastest legal plan, or "Never" for a cautious one.
Common mistakes when planning truck journey times
- Using the speed limit as the average. Climbs, checkpoints and city traffic lower the average. Use real trip data.
- Forgetting loading and waiting. Time at the gate counts toward the driver's day.
- Planning breaks at a place that does not exist. Check that a safe rest area is near each planned stop, and stop earlier rather than later.
- Counting rest on the move. Rest taken while the truck moves, in a sleeper cab or as a second driver, is not rest for the driver at the wheel.
- Ignoring city entry times. A truck that arrives during a city's truck ban waits outside. Check the truck entry times for the destination.
Assumptions and limits
This planner is a planning aid, not legal advice or a compliance certificate. Default limits are the TGA rules as reported in Saudi press coverage (Okaz and Ajel, January 2023, for bus drivers; Al Yaum, July 2018, for goods transport), reviewed in October 2026; verify current requirements with TGA or the authority in your country. Speeds are averages over each part of the route, so traffic, weather, checkpoints and border crossings are not modeled. The plan assumes one driver, starts the day's driving count at departure, treats loading and unloading as other work, and does not apply the 56-hour weekly or 90-hour two-week limits beyond its check of the first 14 days. Fuel is estimated from average consumption with a full tank at departure. Times are shown in the local time of departure.