Quelle est la différence entre amplitude et temps de service ?

L'amplitude est la durée totale écoulée entre le début et la fin de la journée de travail, coupures comprises. Le temps de service (temps de travail effectif) ne compte que les périodes réellement travaillées : conduite, chargement, attente commandée, etc. L'amplitude est donc toujours supérieure ou égale au temps de service.

Au bout de combien de temps de conduite faut-il faire une coupure ?

La règle européenne prévoit une coupure d'au moins 45 minutes après 4h30 de conduite. Cette coupure peut être fractionnée en deux périodes (par exemple 15 minutes puis 30 minutes, dans cet ordre). Ces pauses de conduite ne se confondent pas avec la notion de temps de service.

La coupure repas est-elle du temps de travail payé ?

Cela dépend de la nature de la période. Une vraie coupure pendant laquelle tu es libre de ton temps n'est en général pas du temps de travail effectif. En revanche, une attente commandée par l'employeur, où tu restes à disposition, peut être considérée comme du temps de service. La qualification exacte dépend de la situation et de la convention applicable.

Guides / Working Time

Shift span, working time, breaks: the words that decide your pay

Updated on 13 June 2026

Shift span, working time, driving time, break, rest… We use them every day, but we often mix them up. Yet each concept follows a different rule, and it is precisely on these differences that pay disputes hinge.

Understanding these terms means understanding why you are paid what you are and where an error may be hiding. Here are the four essential concepts, in the order they nest within each other.

1. The shift span: the length of your day

The shift span is the total time elapsed between the start and the end of your working day, breaks included. You start your shift at 6 am and finish at 6 pm: your shift span is 12 hours, even if you took a 1h30 break in the middle. It is the overall envelope of your day.

2. Working time: what is actually worked

Working time (or effective working time) counts only the periods actually worked: driving, loading/unloading, manoeuvres, waiting ordered by the employer, maintenance. It is always less than or equal to the shift span, since genuine breaks are deducted. It is on this figure that your hours and overtime are calculated.

Example:

Shift span 12h − 1h30 genuine break = 10h30 working time. It is these 10h30 that feed your hours counter, not the 12h.

3. Driving time and breaks

Driving time is a sub-part of working time: solely the time spent behind the wheel. It is subject to strict European safety rules, in particular the break of at least 45 minutes after 4h30 of driving (splittable into 15 min then 30 min, in that order).

Beware the trap: these driving breaks serve road safety, not the calculation of your pay. A period may be a "break" in the tachograph sense without actually deducting from working time if you remain at the employer's disposal.

4. Ordered waiting ≠ genuine break

This is the point that generates the most disagreements. A genuine break, where you are free to use your time as you wish, is generally not working time. But ordered waiting — you are waiting at the dock, on standby, without being able to freely use your time — can count as working time. If it is treated as a simple pause, hours disappear from your pay.

✅Likely working time: imposed dock waiting, manoeuvres, loading, ordered availability.

➖Generally not working time: break where you are free to do as you please.

The exact classification depends on the specific situation and the applicable collective agreement. If in doubt, seek support (union, legal advice).

🛠 Visualise shift span and working time day by day

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