Coming back up the M6 this morning I was passed both ways by numerous tractor units all obviously going to some show in Cheshire area?
Many smart ones, cool old ones, and one or two ■■■■ monuments to bad taste scrawled with ■■■■ horrible murals …but each to his own and all that.
I just wondered how these lads would stand if their fortnightly driving time for instance was up, does driving time non work to shows actually count on your tacho, and when does the weekly rest start, end of work shift or when arriving at show for the weekend.
Yep you’re right, I should have listened at my cpc that Saturday afternoon instead of sat with earphones in listening to football results , then I would not have had to ask… but I think I’ll manage.
.
IIRC some years ago VOSA took the view that driving to truck shows was driving, and standing about polishing the tank and chatting to your mates was ‘other work’…promoting the company.
I don’t know if it was ever sorted out in court, though.
they used to be very slack…when truck racing first started, some people were taking their weekend rest banging each other’s door handles round Donington Park.
GasGas:
IIRC some years ago VOSA took the view that driving to truck shows was driving, and standing about polishing the tank and chatting to your mates was ‘other work’…promoting the company.
I don’t know if it was ever sorted out in court, though.
they used to be very slack…when truck racing first started, some people were taking their weekend rest banging each other’s door handles round Donington Park.
I don’t about being slack, but IIRC when the regs changed about 2007, if you drove anything over 7.5t you came under EU driving regs. Think it could be private use before, the East Coast Truckers used to have a bit on their website where they advised those taking part in their convoy, that if they were stopped by VOSA in the following week they could refer them to the Chief Constable of Norfolk who would vouch that they most definitely doing unpaid charity work. not sure if anyone tried it though.
Not sure once you get to a show whether it’s counts as rest or work I suppose it all depends if you’re getting paid and if you’re doing it under company instruction. I’m sure had the court case gone DVSA’s way we’d have heard the result.
robroy:
Coming back up the M6 this morning I was passed both ways by numerous tractor units all obviously going to some show in Cheshire area?
Many smart ones, cool old ones, and one or two [zb] monuments to bad taste scrawled with [zb] horrible murals …but each to his own and all that.
I just wondered how these lads would stand if their fortnightly driving time for instance was up, does driving time non work to shows actually count on your tacho, and when does the weekly rest start, end of work shift or when arriving at show for the weekend.
Yep you’re right, I should have listened at my cpc that Saturday afternoon instead of sat with earphones in listening to football results , then I would not have had to ask… but I think I’ll manage.
.
Are you asking for a mate ,or are you coming out the closet as a propshaft polisher
robroy:
Coming back up the M6 this morning I was passed both ways by numerous tractor units all obviously going to some show in Cheshire area?
Many smart ones, cool old ones, and one or two [zb] monuments to bad taste scrawled with [zb] horrible murals …but each to his own and all that.
I just wondered how these lads would stand if their fortnightly driving time for instance was up, does driving time non work to shows actually count on your tacho, and when does the weekly rest start, end of work shift or when arriving at show for the weekend.
Yep you’re right, I should have listened at my cpc that Saturday afternoon instead of sat with earphones in listening to football results , then I would not have had to ask… but I think I’ll manage.
.
Are you asking for a mate ,or are you coming out the closet as a propshaft polisher
Propshaft polisher?..Is that some sort of Dan euphanism or what?
robroy:
Coming back up the M6 this morning I was passed both ways by numerous tractor units all obviously going to some show in Cheshire area?
Many smart ones, cool old ones, and one or two [zb] monuments to bad taste scrawled with [zb] horrible murals …but each to his own and all that.
I just wondered how these lads would stand if their fortnightly driving time for instance was up, does driving time non work to shows actually count on your tacho, and when does the weekly rest start, end of work shift or when arriving at show for the weekend.
Yep you’re right, I should have listened at my cpc that Saturday afternoon instead of sat with earphones in listening to football results , then I would not have had to ask… but I think I’ll manage.
.
Are you asking for a mate ,or are you coming out the closet as a propshaft polisher
Propshaft polisher?..Is that some sort of Dan euphanism or what?
counts as normal driving even though you’re not being paid for it. We attend 2 or 3 shows per year and drive to show on Friday then back Sunday in order to get a reduced weekly rest in. They’ve tightened up on it all now, rigid drivers used to take artic units even if it meant putting a lock on the fifth wheel to disable it, they aren’t even allowed to do that now. Daft really when you think the vehicle only becomes articulated (and thus a C+E) when the trailers hitched on. Also with Devious-A being pedantic as ever it now, in their eyes at least comes under ‘for hire or reward’ as the trophies or rosettes etc count as a reward. Where is it all going eh,?
Rob, please note that I also have never taken a wagon to a show but if I decided to do so some weekend as a way “to freely dispose of my time” (unpaid and not at the bosses behest) then it is all out of scope and counts as REST from the time I finish work in the yard on Friday until I start work from the yard again on Monday.
If I am pulling a trailer to load or unload after the show then the rest will commence when I park up at the show or when I drop the trailer nearby and rest will finish when I leave show with trailer or when I pick up the trailer again.
In the very highly unlikely event the boss asked me to take a wagon to a show and hang around for whatever reason then it’s all in scope and counts as driving and other work.
Just like a CPC day. I pay for mine on a day off so it counts as Rest.
But some I know get rostered for it by the company and a days pay as well as course paid for by the company so it’s counted as OTHER WORK!!!
For sure that means there is no God but I’m told that’s life and to get on with it.
I’m also sure there are plenty of other versions of the above from the ultra conservative to the Wild West men but that is my understanding of it and so far so good.
wide-load85:
counts as normal driving even though you’re not being paid for it. We attend 2 or 3 shows per year and drive to show on Friday then back Sunday in order to get a reduced weekly rest in. They’ve tightened up on it all now, rigid drivers used to take artic units even if it meant putting a lock on the fifth wheel to disable it, they aren’t even allowed to do that now. Daft really when you think the vehicle only becomes articulated (and thus a C+E) when the trailers hitched on. Also with Devious-A being pedantic as ever it now, in their eyes at least comes under ‘for hire or reward’ as the trophies or rosettes etc count as a reward. Where is it all going eh,?
A tractor unit, with no trailer*, is a rigid vehicle, and hence can be driven on a rigid licence.
No mention anywhere about it having a flatbed body or fifth wheel; no mention of permitted train weights, nor anything else.
A rigid is a rigid.
Franglais, whilst I agree you are correct and yes obviously a solo unit is a rigid vehicle weighing approx 7.5t, it’s one of those grey areas. A rigid driver wanted to take an artic unit to show this year, our tm phoned police and asked, they didn’t have a clue so he phoned dvsa themselves and couldn’t even get a straight answer out of them. So until they gave us a definitive yes he couldn’t take it to show. Whilst I am in agreement with you, I wouldn’t want to be arguing the point with dvsa on the roadside.
Hurryup&wait:
Rob, please note that I also have never taken a wagon to a show but if I decided to do so some weekend as a way “to freely dispose of my time” (unpaid and not at the bosses behest) then it is all out of scope and counts as REST from the time I finish work in the yard on Friday until I start work from the yard again on Monday.
Incorrect. Your rest would start when you park at the show. You would have to insert a card to avoid mileage discrepancies and with the truck automatically going onto drive when the wheels turn, how can you state you were on rest whilst driving? you may be doing it in your own time but end of the day you’re still driving on public highway so is not ‘out of scope’
wide-load85:
Franglais, whilst I agree you are correct and yes obviously a solo unit is a rigid vehicle weighing approx 7.5t, it’s one of those grey areas. A rigid driver wanted to take an artic unit to show this year, our tm phoned police and asked, they didn’t have a clue so he phoned dvsa themselves and couldn’t even get a straight answer out of them. So until they gave us a definitive yes he couldn’t take it to show. Whilst I am in agreement with you, I wouldn’t want to be arguing the point with dvsa on the roadside.
Although I dont agree that its grey area: a tractor is a rigid, that`s all there is to it, I can see a T.M. who is not so sure may take the easier option of avoiding the situation by saying C+E holder only.
One may wonder about the T.M. however?
wide-load85:
Franglais, whilst I agree you are correct and yes obviously a solo unit is a rigid vehicle weighing approx 7.5t, it’s one of those grey areas. A rigid driver wanted to take an artic unit to show this year, our tm phoned police and asked, they didn’t have a clue so he phoned dvsa themselves and couldn’t even get a straight answer out of them. So until they gave us a definitive yes he couldn’t take it to show. Whilst I am in agreement with you, I wouldn’t want to be arguing the point with dvsa on the roadside.
Although I dont agree that its grey area: a tractor is a rigid, that`s all there is to it, I can see a T.M. who is not so sure may take the easier option of avoiding the situation by saying C+E holder only.
One may wonder about the T.M. however?
It comes down to. “Well, you could…”. I remember being sent back from a fitters yard in a tractor unit when I only had my C, my boss went nuts and called them to give a right good ear bashing. I argued that I could drive it as it counts as a rigid under the new(er) rules, he turned round and said that I could of put that unit under any of the trailers in the yard and thus would be illegal. It was a circle argument where both parties are correct. Until you actually remove the 5th wheel, there is always that option that you could attach a trailer without the proper license.
Having read all this, it just goes to show how this crap industry is just one big cluster ■■■■ of over regulation.
Going to a truck show at weekends driving a truck there, or even attending full stop, aint exactly my cup of tea personally, but many drivers are up for it…
It’s blatantly obvious that it’s a social non working event done voluntarily, so why tf can they not relax their stupid petty pedantic ■■■■ rules and show a bit of common sense.
At the other extreme I remember the days when some drivers even used their units at werkends as a car.
I myself used to travel 10 miles in my unit to my old home town on a Sat night, have a few pints with mates, kip in unit, and drive it back next day…no work involved, just used for my own convenience.
Ok it’s all micro managed ■■■■■■■■, fuel figures and all the rest of it these days, but surely there is room for a bit of discretion in the case of a truck show, carnival, or truck related charity events.
It’s the same with everything these days, no leeway and any excuse to ■■■■ do you.
wide-load85:
Franglais, whilst I agree you are correct and yes obviously a solo unit is a rigid vehicle weighing approx 7.5t, it’s one of those grey areas. A rigid driver wanted to take an artic unit to show this year, our tm phoned police and asked, they didn’t have a clue so he phoned dvsa themselves and couldn’t even get a straight answer out of them. So until they gave us a definitive yes he couldn’t take it to show. Whilst I am in agreement with you, I wouldn’t want to be arguing the point with dvsa on the roadside.
No grey area at all.
A unit can be driven by a C licence holder absolutely no issue, when it was Class 1 and 2 they were separate licences and yes a Class 2 driver could not drive a unit solo. When the classes changed to C and C+E a unit falls under C designation the same as a rigid vehicle that can be driven by a C licence holder and tow up to 750kg as per the rules. The additional E part of the licence enables you to tow a trailer over 750kg. There is no grey area. A unit requires a C licence to be driven simple as that.
wide-load85:
Franglais, whilst I agree you are correct and yes obviously a solo unit is a rigid vehicle weighing approx 7.5t, it’s one of those grey areas. A rigid driver wanted to take an artic unit to show this year, our tm phoned police and asked, they didn’t have a clue so he phoned dvsa themselves and couldn’t even get a straight answer out of them. So until they gave us a definitive yes he couldn’t take it to show. Whilst I am in agreement with you, I wouldn’t want to be arguing the point with dvsa on the roadside.
…but each to his own and all that. 
, then I would not have had to ask… but I think I’ll manage. 
not sure if anyone tried it though. 