Please can anyone explain to me in “dummy guide” language:
- What does a 15hr spread mean?
- I know i can drive for 90 hrs in a fortnight, but when does a fortnight start?
eg if I start work on a Wednesday, is a fortnight 2 weeks Wednesday? What if I drive more than 90 hrs?
- If I get stopped by the police and they check my tachos and they ask for the last card for the previous week but i don’t have it because I started work on a Wednesday, what do I do?
- Some drivers tell me that a letter from my employer stating I am a new driver hence no cards, is this ok?
Thank you.
You need to get info on tacho rules. Hve a look at FAQ on this site.
15 hours spread over= maximum time on duty. In every period of 24 hours you must have a minimum of 9hours off but not more than 3 times per week.
eg start at 6am. you must be finished by 2100 hours as you need 9 hours off within that 24 hour period.
You cannot drive more than 90 hours in a fortnight. To do so is an infringement and will make liable to to a fine or worse.
You can start your 14 day period from a Wednesday.
Take your time
Merlin
Hiya newdriver.
The EC 3820/85 regulations are as clear as mud:
Definitions;
Week, a period from 00.00 Monday to 2359 on Sunday
There is no weekly driving restriction as such but a weekly rest must be taken after 6 periods of driving.
You are correct in thinking 90 hours max in a fortnight. i.e 48 hours week one would limit you to 42 hours in the second week.
You can only drive 9 hours per day, however this can be increased twice a week to 10 hours. You are limited to these hours between 2 daily rest periods.
Daily rest periods are a minimum of 11 consecutive hours per day but this can be reduced to 9 hours three times a week with any reduction made up by the end of the following week. And to confuse you more you can take a rest of 12 hours broken up into 2 or 3 periods, one of which must be 8 hours 
You must carry the charts for the current week (monday to sunday) and for the last day of the previous week that you drove. Charts must also be returned to the employer within 21 days and they must keep them for 12 months
The term spreadover carries over from the days of old. stick to the simple rules above and you will be grey by the time you are 25. 
Spreadover is the maximum time allowed between the start & the finish of a drivers day.
A fortnight is any two week period, i.e. this week & next, & last.
The week is from the first second of Monday to the last one of Sunday.
If pulled, just tell tem when you started as you hand over the current weeks, if they ask for them. They can check if they need to.
merlin:
You can start your 14 day period from a Wednesday.
No you can’t, as Alan says a week, runs from 00.00 Monday to 2359 on Sunday and for the purpose of the 90 hour limit, number of reduced rests and number of extended driving days that is when the calculation starts. If you calculate it from finishing your weekly rest in the middle of a week you could land in trouble, doing 3 10’s in a week for instance.
The frotnightly rule is a rolling one, each single weekend starts a new fortnight.
Wheel Nut:
Hiya newdriver.
The EC 3820/85 regulations are as clear as mud:
Definitions;
Week, a period from 00.00 Monday to 2359 on Sunday
…
Daily rest periods are a minimum of 11 consecutive hours per day but this can be reduced to 9 hours three times a week with any reduction made up by the end of the following week. And to confuse you more you can take a rest of 12 hours broken up into 2 or 3 periods, one of which must be a minimum 8 hours
…
above and you will be grey by the time you are 25.
I’ve added two words to the quote, but also the other breaks must be a minimum of 1 hour and only 2 other breaks count.
What that all means is:-
your total of twelve hours can be broken up like this
1+3 + 8 or 2+2 + 8 or 4 + 8 = 12
but also
1+2 + 9 or 3 + 9 = 12
1+1 + 10 or 2 + 10=12
are equally valid, which can be useful if you know you are going to be stuck with a short, overnight break. A split break like any of these is not counted as a short break, so you don’t need any compensation. Oh, nearly forgot, 8 hours off leaves you with a 16 hour spreadover. That is 15:59hrs from when you started work till you finish.
I’ve put this in purely to confuse matters even more for you 
