Did any of the drivers get done for fiddling their hours after some of them where found to be recording breaks instead of work whilst tipping and loading? if not them and the company seem to have got off very lightly…
Yeah I’d say they were lucky with a verbal.
Blinged up fleet…
‘Gimme a Kelsa bar guv and I’ll do it fer next to nowt’
Around here Simon Gibson pay decent money.
As for what they did, we have plenty of drivers on this forum who advocate being on break whilst sat unloading so what they were doing was no different. You hook up to the discharge pipe, start the blower and go inspect the back of your eyelids for an hour on that job and in fact in many places they have staff to do it for you so I find it a bit funny you’re having a go at them. That is probably the reason that they got off and nobody got fined either, it could technically have been classed as PoA so a claim of the time its pumping out being other work wouldn’t have stood a chance of surviving a test in a court should the TC have implemented a penalty and Gibsons challenged it.
Conor:
Around here Simon Gibson pay decent money.As for what they did, we have plenty of drivers on this forum who advocate being on break whilst sat unloading so what they were doing was no different. You hook up to the discharge pipe, start the blower and go inspect the back of your eyelids for an hour on that job and in fact in many places they have staff to do it for you so I find it a bit funny you’re having a go at them. That is probably the reason that they got off and nobody got fined either, it could technically have been classed as PoA so a claim of the time its pumping out being other work wouldn’t have stood a chance of surviving a test in a court should the TC have implemented a penalty and Gibsons challenged it.
It was the TC having a go at them, “Secular said he was satisfied that steps had been taken at the bulk powder tanker operator to change a culture among some of its drivers to record breaks, instead of other work, when they were actually loading and unloading their vehicles in a bid to get around the Working Time Directive” means they admit it was happening, we all know the risk of doing it, and if caught the punishment, “Drivers admitted they were recording breaks whenever they could, to get around the Working Time Directive”, which also gets round the tacho regs.
Conor:
Around here Simon Gibson pay decent money.You hook up to the discharge pipe, start the blower and go inspect the back of your eyelids for an hour on that job and in fact in many places they have staff to do it for you so I find it a bit funny you’re having a go at them.
I agree Simon Gibson drivers are on decent money but you certainly don’t leave a powder tank unattended whilst discharging under pressure. Whilst some blows may take longer, most take about 30 mins. No one tips it for you either.
Sticking it on break while doing other stuff whether its cleaning/ loading tipping saves a shed load of time. We all do it and have done for years, theres never an issue. The only time id consider a break to be a true break is when asleep or sitting there literally doing nothing. Putting the tacho on break, locking the truck, walking to the greasy spoon, lifting a cup of tea and shovelling a trough of fried crap/using the bog, washing hands, walking back to the truck ect…is that really a true break■■?
AndrewG:
Putting the tacho on break, locking the truck, walking to the greasy spoon, lifting a cup of tea and shovelling a trough of fried crap/using the bog, washing hands, walking back to the truck ect…is that really a true break■■?
IMHO Yes 
What would you have tachometer on,
“Other work” or “POA”?
Big Truck:
AndrewG:
Putting the tacho on break, locking the truck, walking to the greasy spoon, lifting a cup of tea and shovelling a trough of fried crap/using the bog, washing hands, walking back to the truck ect…is that really a true break■■?IMHO Yes
What would you have tachometer on,
“Other work” or “POA”?
Always on break when ever im out of the truck, the only time its on other work is for an hour when swopping trailers at the other end but then thats only just to show an hour of other work on the tacho…
AndrewG:
Sticking it on break while doing other stuff whether its cleaning/ loading tipping saves a shed load of time. We all do it and have done for years, theres never an issue. The only time id consider a break to be a true break is when asleep or sitting there literally doing nothing.
I used to think like you… breaks to suit me and not the tacho… crack on… paid by the load… more loads more money… but got sick of looking over my shoulder all the time so play the game now and am a lot more chilled.
AndrewG:
Sticking it on break while doing other stuff whether its cleaning/ loading tipping saves a shed load of time. We all do it and have done for years, theres never an issue. The only time id consider a break to be a true break is when asleep or sitting there literally doing nothing. Putting the tacho on break, locking the truck, walking to the greasy spoon, lifting a cup of tea and shovelling a trough of fried crap/using the bog, washing hands, walking back to the truck ect…is that really a true break■■?
What you consider work or not is irrelevant. In the eyes of the law any work related activities like monitoring the discharge of a tank should be recorded as such. If you get caught then you pay the price. We all know the rules and many will play the system but that is the risk we take. On the rigids I used to do this to some extent as I was on job and knock but now I’m on the artics I play by the rules. I’m on hourly pay after 9 hours so why bother rushing around?
AndrewG:
Big Truck:
AndrewG:
Putting the tacho on break, locking the truck, walking to the greasy spoon, lifting a cup of tea and shovelling a trough of fried crap/using the bog, washing hands, walking back to the truck ect…is that really a true break■■?IMHO Yes
What would you have tachometer on,
“Other work” or “POA”?Always on break when ever im out of the truck, the only time its on other work is for an hour when swopping trailers at the other end but then thats only just to show an hour of other work on the tacho…
The regs are there to try and ensure there’s a level playing field for all operators and to see that drivers are given sufficient rest breaks to avoid accidents due to fatigue. Unfortunately, enforcement and punishment levels are pitiful as can be seen here.
AndrewG:
Big Truck:
AndrewG:
Putting the tacho on break, locking the truck, walking to the greasy spoon, lifting a cup of tea and shovelling a trough of fried crap/using the bog, washing hands, walking back to the truck ect…is that really a true break■■?IMHO Yes
What would you have tachometer on,
“Other work” or “POA”?Always on break when ever im out of the truck, the only time its on other work is for an hour when swopping trailers at the other end but then thats only just to show an hour of other work on the tacho…
Would you employ a driver who puts the tacho on ‘other work’ when he’s (un)loading or fueling up?
AndrewG:
Big Truck:
AndrewG:
Putting the tacho on break, locking the truck, walking to the greasy spoon, lifting a cup of tea and shovelling a trough of fried crap/using the bog, washing hands, walking back to the truck ect…is that really a true break■■?IMHO Yes
What would you have tachometer on,
“Other work” or “POA”?Always on break when ever im out of the truck, the only time its on other work is for an hour when swopping trailers at the other end but then thats only just to show an hour of other work on the tacho…
Got a good idea how you work now and make lots of euros…
the nodding donkey:
AndrewG:
Big Truck:
AndrewG:
Putting the tacho on break, locking the truck, walking to the greasy spoon, lifting a cup of tea and shovelling a trough of fried crap/using the bog, washing hands, walking back to the truck ect…is that really a true break■■?IMHO Yes
What would you have tachometer on,
“Other work” or “POA”?Always on break when ever im out of the truck, the only time its on other work is for an hour when swopping trailers at the other end but then thats only just to show an hour of other work on the tacho…
Would you employ a driver who puts the tacho on ‘other work’ when he’s (un)loading or fueling up?
That’s legally were the tacho mode switch is meant to be when unloading or fuelling up!!!
Diff scenario when sitting dozing on a bay though!!!
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The “break & POA as much as possible” culture that now seems systemic across the ‘for profit’ sector of transport gets on my ■■■■ to be honest.
Drivers in long hour jobs (which they always moan about) recording breaks/POA whilst fuelling up, strapping up, virtually every minute the wheels aren’t turning. Total madness helping our bosses fiddle legislation thats there to protect us from these long hours.
If we all just recorded bare minimum breaks then we wouldn’t be working more than 48 hours a week on average & couldn’t be made to do any more. Just imagine!
I think the question was, would AG employ a driver who couldn’t keep up because he was on other work when he was supposed to be, and not on break, by the end of the week that driver could be a day behind him doing it legal.
weeto:
I think the question was, would AG employ a driver who couldn’t keep up because he was on other work when he was supposed to be, and not on break, by the end of the week that driver could be a day behind him doing it legal.
If doing it by the book lands you a whole day behind the rest of the pack, then your working for a bent operation!
In reality, we are talking 30-45 mins onto your shift.
Well I can name 2 very well known hauliers that both push and encourage working on break,1 which also takes an hours pay off you but still drivers tip on break,
yorkshire terrier:
Well I can name 2 very well known hauliers that both push and encourage working on break,1 which also takes an hours pay off you but still drivers tip on break,
And as long as drivers bow down and put up with that regime it will never change, some drivers seem to have a problem with saying no, and also seem to think that there is nothing else out there, so just stay and put up with it.