Traffic examiners and police officers will soon start issuing fines of up to £300 for a single offence to bus and lorry drivers who have not rested properly, and consider rest patterns in the past 28 days.
Currently, the agency can only issue on the spot fines of up to £300 for the offences committed on that day, or for manipulating tachograph readings.
From 1 November 2017, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will introduce new fines and powers to officers to curb the amount driving hour offences among professional drivers. Lorry, bus and coach drivers must take a 45-hour rest break every fortnight, but the DVSA said that too many drivers spend their breaks in cabs, which may not allow them to rest properly.
Fines will also apply to drivers that are from outside the UK, and if they committed such offence, they will be immobilised and required to pay any fees before they will be allowed to continue their journey. It will not matter if the offence was committed in Britain or elsewhere.
The DVSA also said that it will soon have powers to fine bus and lorry drivers for any driving hours offences they have committed in the last 28 days.
DVSA chief executive, Gareth Llewellyn, said: "These tougher fines will help us to take stronger action against any drivers or operators who break drivers' hours rules and will help make our roads safer".
"There's no excuse for driving while tired. The results of falling asleep at the wheel of 44-tonne lorry can be devastating to families and communities. Any driver breaking these rules is putting other road users at risk and could face losing their license and livelihood."
For more information on the driving hours see:
