Rottweiler22:
There was a new lad at our place who was telling everyone that he had his probationary period extended because he doesn’t take breaks on bays. Never heard anything like that from my planners and manager, the whole place seems quote common-sensical. He claimed they’d been checking his tacho, after an incident where he was on a bay for 5 hours, and then claimed he couldn’t get back to the yard as he’d need a 45 minute break when he left. He ran out of time, had an unscheduled night out as a day man, and caused all sorts of mayhem.Still, surely if he asked for this reason to be put in writing, it would be an employment tribunal / DVSA’s ■■■■■■■■■?
If it suits me, I’ll do t. If it doesn’t, I won’t. At certain places I definitely would due to having access to toilets, canteen, the tip will obviously be longer than the break I need, and more importantly if it’s quiet enough that I can ask them if I’m alright to stay on the bay for a few more minutes to get a 15/30/45 out of it.
However, if locked in a holding cell, or at a place too busy that it’s just ridiculous trying to drag out a break on it it, then no. If you have to clock watch, there’s generally something a bit wrong.
Should every driver have a 15min WTD break before he went into a delivery? As technically once it got to 5hr50 he would have to pull off site, even if half the load is part way through tipping/loading.
I think (or would hope) DVSA would take a common sense view with this kind of thing, and this could be the reason why you don’t really hear of them fining drivers on the way out of RDC’s for having it on break (except Aldi/Lidl) as they simply don’t want to open that can of worms. If it was to go to court with DVSA vs a driver then we would have our concrete answer…and the fiasco described in my first paragraph would begin…