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Where Truck Drivers Can Legally Rest Overnight

Line up a legal, secure overnight stop before your 4.5-hour break or 11-hour daily rest runs out.

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Works for cars, HGVs, motorbikes and EVs

01

What EU 561/2006 says about where you sleep

Regulation (EC) 561/2006 governs driving and rest for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes — and from 1 July 2026, light commercial vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes used in international transport and cabotage. The rhythm is fixed: a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours at the wheel (split 15+30 if you prefer), a regular daily rest of 11 hours, and a weekly rest of 45 hours, reducible to 24. The smart tachograph (version 2 mandatory in newly registered vehicles since 21 August 2023) logs every minute, so the question is never whether you stop but where the clock lets you. The catch most drivers learn the hard way: the regular 45-hour weekly rest cannot be taken in the cab. The law requires suitable accommodation with sleeping and sanitary facilities away from the vehicle, paid by the employer — which means truck overnight parking with showers, not a layby. Plan the daily 11-hour rest around a place you can actually use before the 4.5-hour break runs out.

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02

Secure overnight parking and the certified-space shortage

A parking spot and a secure parking spot are not the same thing in EU law. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1012 sets a single standard with four cumulative security levels — Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum — covering fencing, lighting, surveillance and access control plus service requirements like showers and toilets. Most certified sites today sit at Gold. The problem is supply: of roughly 300,000 truck parking spaces across the EU network, only about 7,000 are in certified secure areas — under 3 percent — against a shortage the European Commission now puts at more than 390,000 overnight spaces, a gap projected to widen toward 483,000 by 2040. The updated TEN-T regulation aims for certified secure parking roughly every 150 km on the core network by 2040, but that build-out is years off. On the A2, the A7, the autobahn network around the Ruhr and the major Channel routes, a certified bay can fill by early evening. Knowing nachtparking vrachtwagen options two or three stops ahead — and a fallback — beats arriving on empty.

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03

Planning the overnight stop along your corridor

The honest constraint is that secure bays are scarce and demand peaks in the evening, so the stop has to be planned into the route, not found at the end of it. A German survey of 132 rest areas across 13 regions found truck parking regularly over capacity by more than 50 percent — arrive late and the certified site is full, leaving only the on-ramp shoulder, which is neither legal long-term nor safe. Jornee ranks Highway Service Areas along your actual corridor by added detour time in minutes, filtered to what a truck can use: HGV bays, showers, overnight stay and ADR-relevant flags where the data exists. Instead of a proximity search that shows what is nearby but off your line, you see what is genuinely on the way — so you can line up the daily 11-hour rest at a site that exists before the 4.5-hour break expires, with a second option held in reserve for the evenings when the first one is already full.

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Built for every driver

One app, four driving modes — you pick, Jornee filters.

Switch between car, HGV, motorbike or EV. The map only shows stops that physically fit your vehicle: HGV-rated services, EV chargers with the right connector, height and weight restrictions baked in.

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  • EV · 350 kW
  • Motorbike
  • HGV
Open in the app
Networks
4
Ionity, Tesla, GridServe, Osprey
Peak rapid
350kW
High-power charging
HGV-friendly
3+
Service areas with overnight bays
Live stops
32
Filtered by detour minutes
04

Frequently asked questions

Can a truck driver sleep in the cab for the weekly rest?
Not for the regular 45-hour weekly rest. Regulation (EC) 561/2006 requires that rest to be taken in suitable accommodation with sleeping and sanitary facilities away from the cab, and the employer must pay for it. A reduced weekly rest can go down to 24 hours, and the daily 11-hour rest may be taken in the cab where the vehicle is stationary and has suitable sleeping facilities. The smart tachograph records which rest you took, so the distinction matters at a roadside check.
How often must a truck driver take a break under EU rules?
After 4.5 hours of driving — continuous or accumulated — you must take an uninterrupted break of at least 45 minutes before driving again, unless you start a rest period instead. You can split it into a 15-minute break followed by a 30-minute break within that 4.5-hour window. Daily driving is capped at 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours no more than twice a week.
What is a certified secure truck parking area?
It is a site audited against Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1012, which sets four cumulative security levels — Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum — plus minimum service requirements such as toilets and showers. Higher levels add stronger fencing, lighting, camera coverage and controlled access. Most certified sites today are rated Gold. Certification gives a consistent benchmark, but with only around 7,000 certified secure spaces across the EU network, you cannot assume one is free.
Why is it so hard to find truck overnight parking on busy corridors?
Supply has not kept pace with freight volume. Of roughly 300,000 truck parking spaces in the EU, only about 7,000 are in certified secure areas, and a European Commission study puts the shortage at more than 390,000 overnight spaces, rising toward 483,000 by 2040. A German survey of 132 rest areas found capacity regularly exceeded by over 50 percent. On corridors like the A2, the A7 and the Channel routes, certified bays often fill in the early evening, so a fallback stop should always be part of the plan.
How does Jornee help with finding an overnight stop?
Jornee searches Highway Service Areas along your actual route corridor rather than within a radius of your current position, then ranks them by how many minutes each adds as a detour. You can filter to truck-relevant facilities — HGV bays, showers and overnight stay — so you can schedule the daily 11-hour rest at a site that is genuinely on the way and line up a second option before the first one fills.