Driver scheduling: how it works and what Brazilian law says

Managing the work schedule of fleet drivers is an essential part of fleet management, because it gives you more control over drivers' working hours and reduces improvisation in the operation.

The driver schedule defines on which days and at what times these professionals will actually be working, whether on urban routes, freight trips or collective passenger transport operations. It matters both to the driver, who understands their routine, and to the company's internal organization, which knows where its employees will be on specific dates.

This schedule must meet the legal requirements set out in Brazil's Driver Law (Law No. 13,103) and in labor laws in general. The law governs the working hours and driving time of professional drivers, so the schedule should not be treated merely as an operational calendar.

Read on:

• How fleet driver scheduling works;
• Driver schedule management;
• Importance of work schedule management in the fleet;
• How to manage schedules and routing.

How does fleet driver scheduling work?

The drivers' work schedule determines the days and times when the employee is actually behind the wheel. This is different from their working hours, which comprise the total period during which they are available to provide services to the fleet, whether driving or performing other related tasks.

The work schedule plays a fundamental role in organizing drivers' routines, setting times for departures, returns, breaks, rest and shift changes. In operations with buses, less-than-truckload freight, urban distribution or highway trips, this organization keeps the company from relying solely on last-minute adjustments.

On long-distance trips, the schedule defines not only the day of departure and return to the operation's base, but also the daily work times. It is essential that these times comply with the regulations of the Driver Law, which set specific periods for work and rest. For professional drivers, the daily working day is 8 hours, and the time during which the employee is at the employer's disposal is considered actual work.

Driver schedule management: what is it?

Fleet driver schedule management is a fundamental stage of your fleet management, since its goal is to manage drivers' work times. In addition to defining employees' daily responsibilities, such as carrying out preventive vehicle inspections, the manager must also determine the routes to be covered, whether on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

This practice brings several benefits to the operation, making everyone's routine more organized and understandable. When there is more than one type of operation, the schedule also helps separate different needs: passenger transport, urban deliveries, freight routes, long trips and teams working in rotation may require different scheduling designs.

The role of routing in drivers' work schedules

Routing is the activity of planning the routes that drivers must cover, with a view to optimizing time and making operations more economical.

Among the advantages of this activity are lower operating costs, improved fleet predictability, increased safety in transport operations and better control over drivers' schedules and working hours.

After all, through routing it is possible to calculate the average time needed to cover a route, which also makes it possible to understand how many routes a driver can complete in a day or in a specific period during which they will be available to carry out the company's activities.

In addition, routing helps identify the characteristics and factors that can affect a route, such as traffic and vehicle restrictions on certain roads. This helps improve working hours management and driver scheduling, making it possible to understand whether a route may take more time because of these external factors.

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Importance of work schedule management in the fleet

Controlling the working hours of fleet drivers is one of the most important tasks regarding these company employees. Although they have a distinctive routine, often spending days and nights on the road, they have labor and human rights that must be respected.

These professionals frequently face health problems, including diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension and repetitive strain injuries, which can affect their mental health, resulting in stress.

For all these different reasons, managing drivers' work schedules proves to be of fundamental importance. This stage of your management is responsible for promoting drivers' health and well-being in the workplace, providing them with a routine that, while still challenging, is calmer.

How do you manage schedules and routing in your operations?

1 – Know drivers' working and rest times

To manage drivers' work schedules effectively, you must first know the labor regulations established in the Driver Law.

This law stipulates that a driver can work up to 44 hours per week, which is equivalent to 8 hours per day. In addition, 11 hours of daily rest and 1-hour lunch breaks per day are mandatory. For driving time, the law also sets break rules: freight drivers must observe 30 minutes of rest within every 6 hours of driving, and collective road passenger transport drivers may not drive for more than 5 and a half uninterrupted hours.

In practice, this means the schedule needs to combine working hours, driving time, breaks, rest and return to base. If the company operates buses or other collective passenger transport, the break tied to uninterrupted driving time deserves special attention when putting together shifts. If the operation is freight, rest within the driving period also needs to be factored into the calculation.

2 – Plan the routes for your fleet operations

As we mentioned, routing plays a fundamental role in enabling you to define drivers' schedules. So, before you start drawing up schedules, you should map out the operations that will be carried out and plan the routes.

This includes gathering the distance covered and the average time expected to complete each route. This will let you move on to the next step with more clarity.

3 – Set the drivers' work schedule

With control over drivers' work times and knowledge of the upcoming routes to be covered, you can determine which drivers will handle each operation.

To build schedules more accurately, also consider information such as peak-demand times, the number of drivers available and the days off scheduled for each one. This will allow a fairer distribution of work, avoiding overloading one driver while others remain idle in the fleet.

It is also worth organizing the schedule by service type. In a fleet with passenger transport, for example, the manager can separate peak hours, rest windows and driver changeovers. In a freight fleet, the manager can cross-reference planned deliveries with distance, travel time, circulation restrictions and the need to return.

With good planning, you can ensure that all operations run efficiently and in an organized way.

Want to improve control over your fleet and drivers' work schedules? Check out our complete kit, which includes essential information on the Driver Law and a variety of practical materials to use in your fleet's day-to-day work — such as the fleet driver management spreadsheet. Check it out now.