Coach Drivers for European Tours

The right qualification for Europe

Driver CPC periodic training courses are now either national or international, so not every UK coach driver can work in Europe. A driver who completes national-only periodic training receives a national Driver CPC card, and that card does not allow professional driving in Europe. Every driver we place on a European tour holds an international Driver CPC, and we check it.

Experience we look for

• Ferry and Channel Tunnel crossings, with passengers and luggage
• Driving on the right, including city centres and mountain routes
• Planning around low emission zones and city access rules with the operator
• Long programmes with nights away and hotel arrivals
• Keeping passengers informed when plans change on the road

Drivers' hours on international tours

European coach tours run under the assimilated drivers' hours rules (previously called the EU rules): 9 hours' daily driving, extendable to 10 hours twice a week, a 45-minute break after no more than 4.5 hours' driving, and limits of 56 hours a week and 90 hours over two weeks.

For international occasional passenger journeys, coach drivers can take their weekly rest after 12 consecutive 24-hour periods instead of the usual 6. It is a useful derogation for touring, but it comes with conditions, and the operator remains responsible for planning the tour to meet them. Our drivers know how it works and will raise any part of a schedule that does not fit.

More detail is in our guide to coach drivers' hours.