HI All,
My warning after starting work is, be on the ball with your tacho hours. I suggest some training. Hours are (to me at least) a bit of a shady area, they seem very complex. Fortunately, I am doing multi drop at the moment and long distances so it is pretty simple, drive for 4.5 then 45 min break then get home in under 4.5 or take another 45 and hope you make it back to base within an hour. Also be aware that you may have learned in a lovely automatic truck, but it doesn’t mean that’s what you will be driving! Mt first shift was in a manual vehicle with an auto box that the synchros had gone on (requiring much effort to get into gear) and a clutch peddle that needed a lot of effort to depress. THAT SAID, I far prefer an auto box to a manual one! God help me when I do class 1 at the end of Jan though, I have no clue about spliters etc. Off to read how to properly operate a digital tachograph now!
ATB,
Tommy.
P.S, Is there a way to display how many hours driving you have left on a digital tacho instead of the millage or similar?
TommyTanker:
so it is pretty simple, drive for 4.5 then 34 min break then get home in under 4.5 or take another 45 and hope you make it back to base within an hour.
I ASSUME THE 34 MINS IS A TYPO AND YOU MEANT 45 MINS 
Yes, press down on the tacho unit after your card has installed and give it a minute or two, to display the information. It won’t tell you how much driving time you have left but it will tell you how much driving time you’ve used of your 4.5 hours.
You’ll need to keep doing this every time you turn the ignition off.
.
ROG:
TommyTanker:
so it is pretty simple, drive for 4.5 then 34 min break then get home in under 4.5 or take another 45 and hope you make it back to base within an hour.I ASSUME THE 34 MINS IS A TYPO AND YOU MEANT 45 MINS
YES! Oh my, it is a typo lol.
You can also do this to find out how long you’ve been on your break and if it’s time to set off or if you still need to wait a bit longer.
I wait until it’s clicked over to 46 minutes to give it an extra minute to make sure.
.
Well-Jell:
Yes, press down on the tacho unit after your card has installed and give it a minute or two, to display the information. It won’t tell you how much driving time you have left but it will tell you how much driving time you’ve used of your 4.5 hours.You’ll need to keep doing this every time you turn the ignition off.
.
Fantastic, thanks for that. It would be handy if it gave an audible warning as well as flashing at 4.25, I did notice that it was flashing but I could have easily missed it had I not been mindful. I have the app on my phone but for some reason it was well out yesterday :S
I suggest some training.
Barmy not to imo. Which is why we have a session “Introduction to Drivers’ Hours and Tachos” included (FOC) in our Starter Pack. It can also be purchased separately by folks who aren’t our customers. There’s plenty of info in the session to give confidence to a new driver but not to achieve “expert” status.
Of course, there’s loads of stuff online as well. I recommend the GV262. But the classroom session is better cos it’s interactive and you can ask questions.
Pete 
Peter Smythe:
I suggest some training.
Barmy not to imo. Which is why we have a session “Introduction to Drivers’ Hours and Tachos” included (FOC) in our Starter Pack. It can also be purchased separately by folks who aren’t our customers. There’s plenty of info in the session to give confidence to a new driver but not to achieve “expert” status.
Of course, there’s loads of stuff online as well. I recommend the GV262. But the classroom session is better cos it’s interactive and you can ask questions.
Pete
I am going to book some, I am doing agency work atm, I don’t think they are bothered if I get infractions, I told the first firm I went to it was my first day and they said ok, drive safe… lmao.
When you go on break make sure youve pressed the button correctly. I went to set on break other week and hadnt pressed it properly so sat there for half hour on OTHER WORK 
So another half hour was taken for break on the right setting haha.
ValleysTrucker:
When you go on break make sure youve pressed the button correctly. I went to set on break other week and hadnt pressed it properly so sat there for half hour on OTHER WORK
Hi, yes I have been on the ball with that. they seem to go to other work when the truck stops and returns to driving when driving. But I do check when I go into a break.
TommyTanker:
Well-Jell:
Yes, press down on the tacho unit after your card has installed and give it a minute or two, to display the information. It won’t tell you how much driving time you have left but it will tell you how much driving time you’ve used of your 4.5 hours.You’ll need to keep doing this every time you turn the ignition off.
.Fantastic, thanks for that. It would be handy if it gave an audible warning as well as flashing at 4.25, I did notice that it was flashing but I could have easily missed it had I not been mindful. I have the app on my phone but for some reason it was well out yesterday :S
Different trucks have different tachos fitted.
se5000.com/simulator/default.html
Theres a link to the Stoneridge tacho. Play with it for a while so when you get in a truck with one itll be familiar. No infringements on simulators.
TommyTanker:
Peter Smythe:
I suggest some training.
Barmy not to imo. Which is why we have a session “Introduction to Drivers’ Hours and Tachos” included (FOC) in our Starter Pack. It can also be purchased separately by folks who aren’t our customers. There’s plenty of info in the session to give confidence to a new driver but not to achieve “expert” status.
Of course, there’s loads of stuff online as well. I recommend the GV262. But the classroom session is better cos it’s interactive and you can ask questions.
Pete
I am going to book some, I am doing agency work atm, I don’t think they are bothered if I get infractions, I told the first firm I went to it was my first day and they said ok, drive safe… lmao.
Some agencies may be ignor infrigments but I was told by my agency that some customers especially monitor the indiviual infrigments of the their drivers (that includes agency drivers).
If you have to many or too serius ones like “going over your driving time”, “insufficent rest between shifts” etc. they block these agency drivers (meaning you can’t work there for a certain time. i.e. a month or two etc.)
And putting all these compliance rules, agency rules blabla aside > make sure your your card stays “clean” and you don’t have to pay any fines to the DVSA if they pull you over.
As an advise > sometimes I run out of shifttime or driving time and let the company I’m working for, know in advance. They either say “ok have a night out” or send somebody out in a van, to drive the truck back. Never had any problems with this method and the companies are rather happy you react sensible than carriying on regardless.
If I know for example I’m going to a long distance job and have only 13hrs left (“shifttime”) and I probably will go over it > I tell the agency/customer about the circumstances and they assign me to another “shorter” job or I take my night out gear just in case.
Driving Time:
Some Trucks show you how much driving time you habe done on this day/shift, you can also set up the Tripmeter and it shows you all the info for sour trip.
I also look in the Tacho itself how much driving time U’ve done so far (for this week and the previous) note this down and know ok in x time my driving time is up.
Example:
Tacho shows at the beginning of your shift 29:15 done so far (in the this + previous week) > note the 29:15 and add + 9hrs of driving time to it > 38:15!
This 38:15 hrs is your mark for this shift and you know ok, if I go near 37:00 hrs I used nearly all my time up > time to look for parking (night out) or back to base.
I hope you can understand it.
Hi, I do, thank you for that. Funnily enough the firm I went to this morning (then came home again) did just that. I have nothing bad apparently.
Tommy.