How to plan routes around legal driver hours
By TruckThrust · Last reviewed 9 July 2026
The fastest route is rarely the legal one. Planning around driving-time limits — with the right rest stops and parking built in — keeps the schedule realistic and the driver compliant.
Plan backwards from the rest requirement
- Start from the driver's remaining daily and weekly driving time
- Place the 45-minute break before the 4.5-hour limit
- Place the daily rest where a secure parking option exists
- Only then optimise for distance, toll and fuel
A worked example
A driver with 9 hours of driving left and a 584 km leg: rather than routing for shortest distance, plan a 45-minute break at ~4.5 hours near a services with parking, then confirm a secure overnight stop within the remaining hours. The route is built around those two fixed points.
TruckThrust automates this: it plans the rest stops and parking around the remaining hours first, then optimises the rest of the route.