Driver management: 4 methods and Brazil’s Law 13.103

Does your company already manage its drivers?

Managing truck drivers requires a balance between productivity, safety and respect for working hours. Agreements between employees and employers help organize working time, record breaks and provide greater predictability for those on the road.

In Brazil, professional drivers’ routines are governed by labor and traffic rules. Law No. 13.103 (in Portuguese) (official text) addresses these professionals’ working hours, driving time and rest periods. Its provisions include 11 hours of rest within each 24-hour period. In 2023, Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruled on ADI 5322 and invalidated provisions on waiting time, working hours and rest; in 2024, the Court adjusted the effects of the decision to apply from the publication of the minutes of the merits judgment, on July 12, 2023.

Fleet managers therefore need access to drivers’ routines, ensuring that they work according to the requirements imposed by legislation and the agreement between the parties involved.

What is driver management?

It is a management practice for keeping track of trips and each fleet driver’s individual performance. It analyzes data such as fuel used, mileage traveled, completion of necessary tasks, such as the departure checklist and arrival checklist, and so on.

Anything in a driver’s daily routine that can be controlled can be included in a spreadsheet or system designed for that purpose.

Including working hours management:

Drivers’ working hours management consists of recording a truck or bus driver’s routine. In other words, drivers must record when they start, take breaks and leave the highways each time one of these actions occurs.

Depending on the agreement, other actions requiring records may be added. What matters is that every company needs people management. The main goal is to provide employee well-being and, in return, achieve good results from each person’s daily duties.

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How do you manage drivers?

1 – Driver management spreadsheet

Depending on how it is built, a spreadsheet is one of the best ways to know which driver is responsible for each trip, making it easier to find possible related problems, incidents or expenses.

Besides viewing the trips completed during the month, you can also have a full incident record, a report of total refueling per driver, records of routines completed and other fields needed by the operation.

Although not so common, well-structured spreadsheets can make it easier to keep track of drivers. They also help implement driver score, ranking and bonus systems when the criteria are clear and safe.

2- Technology systems

Although you will not find systems on the market specifically for this alone, there are fleet management or electronic checklist systems with features geared toward driver management.

Other systems, such as telematics or fleet monitoring, can also provide important information about behavior on the road. To decide what to include in your fleet, you need to identify your needs, distinguish third-party solutions where applicable and understand what the company actually wants to control.

3 – Manual working hours management

Known as an onboard record or logbook, this method uses a paper document for drivers to note everything that happens during their workday.

These entries must be made daily, with the trucks’ tachographs as evidence. Brazilian law also mentions logbooks, record slips, off-site work sheets and unalterable instantaneous speed and time recorders as control methods. This gives the company insight into the driver’s routine, including mandatory stops, meals and rest.

To control working hours, the driver management spreadsheet itself can be added to the logbook, with space for starting, finishing and break times for drivers to fill in. Brazilian legislation also stresses that employees are responsible for the safekeeping, preservation and accuracy of the information in their entries.

4 – Digital working hours management

One digital option for driver management is GPS truck tracking, which transmits the vehicle’s position to those responsible for monitoring the driver, who are generally at the carrier’s base.

Working hours management can also use software or apps. For employed professional drivers, Brazil’s Law No. 13.103 itself provides for records through electronic systems and means installed in vehicles, at the employer’s discretion and according to applicable regulations.

GPS tracking systems make it possible to know whether a driver is following the planned route, whether the vehicle is stopped or moving, and its real-time location. This information can support oversight of operations and road safety conditions.

Why is working hours management important?

First, to comply with Brazilian labor legislation and avoid any court-imposed fine. Beyond that, there are advantages for both parties. Working hours management provides:

• Road safety (in Portuguese);
• Legal safeguards;
• Fewer labor lawsuits;
• Improved results;
• Optimized logistics procedures;
• A relationship of trust between employer and employee.

This type of oversight is not only important but necessary to improve overall business performance. Besides, every worker deserves fair working hours according to the activity they perform.

It is also worth remembering that Brazilian legislation sets limits related to rest and driving time. For freight transportation, for example, 30 minutes of rest must be observed within every 6 hours of driving. For collective road passenger transportation, the law prohibits driving for more than 5 and a half uninterrupted hours. These provisions show why control needs to be organized and verifiable.

How can fleet driver management be improved?

We already know that keeping track of drivers’ activities helps ensure fair control of working hours and provides more accurate data for planning future company actions. It also optimizes employee and business routines.

But have you considered introducing challenges as a way to engage people?

The truth is that everyone loves exceeding their own limits with challenges and rankings, right? And this is a perfect idea to bring into your company.

It is worth considering activities that take into account defensive driving, truck care, adherence to routes, respect for traffic legislation, correct recording of information and other behaviors that value safety and responsibility.

To avoid competition, avoid rewarding productivity-based actions, such as faster deliveries, which, besides creating rivalry, can be dangerous on highways.

Prizes can include days off, lunches, dinners or cash bonuses.

Another good idea is to have a calendar of activities involving courses and skills training, meetings, workplace exercise, etc., in settings outside workers’ everyday routine.

Every now and then, book a restaurant, a bar, an inn or any place that recharges the energy of those who dedicate time, knowledge and professionalism to organizational growth.

These tips can help retain professional drivers, strengthen ties with those who work for the company and contribute to continuity of work and business credibility.

Want to start managing your fleet’s drivers but do not know where to begin?
CLICK HERE and download our driver management spreadsheet (in Portuguese) — it includes a manual showing exactly how to apply it in your daily transportation operations.