Ask the MAC – 26 Mar 2026

Penalty!

Q. We have received several penalty charge notices (PCN) for our drivers who are delivering to a new customer of ours. Would you be able to clarify the signs below as we are looking at challenging these.

A. The sign on the left ‘Controlled Zone’ means that you are entering a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ), an area where on-street parking is restricted to designated bays and yellow lines during specified times.

The sign on the right means that no motor vehicles are allowed past this point. Sometimes, like the sign in the main picture, it is accompanied by an exemption. In this case, the sign denotes that only buses, taxis and permit holders are allowed.

 The great concession

Q. We have been asked by one of our depots about how we should record a driver’s hours for the time spent as an Army Reservist.

A. As a member of the Reserve Forces, certain concessions apply under the assimilated drivers’ hours rules (but not under AETR). DVSA guidance allows limited flexibility around daily and weekly rest for professional drivers who are reservists or Cadet Corps instructors.

The concession conditions are:

• The requirement to take daily rest within 24 hours is suspended when the driver begins weekly reservist/cadet training.

• The requirement to take weekly rest after six 24‑hour periods is suspended when the driver begins driving for reservist/cadet duties.

• A regular daily rest must be taken before returning to work for their main employer, and a regular weekly rest must be taken no later than the end of the sixth day following training.

• The concession is limited to:

• 10 weekend training sessions per year, and

• 15 days of annual camp per year.

• No attendance on consecutive weekend sessions.

• No annual camp immediately following a weekend session just attended, and no weekend session immediately following annual camp.

• No annual camp allowed on the weekend immediately after a previous annual camp.

• A regular daily rest of at least 11 hours must follow every weekend or annual camp period.

• A regular weekly rest of at least 45 hours must be taken by the end of the sixth day after the training period ends.

No concessions apply to retained firefighters, volunteer police, RNLI, mountain rescue, or other voluntary emergency/rescue services. Their activities must not interfere with legally required daily or weekly rest unless responding to an emergency.

Duties for emergency services or the Armed Forces, including reservist duties, also do not count towards working time limits.