TruckerGuy:
From what I’ve read about it, the tacho regs are written to catch you out, so obey it absolutely to the letter and tell your employer to shove it if they want any shenanigans. It’s you that gets the points/fines/jail time and there is apparently no blow-back on the employer for individual infringements, so just do not do it.It may make me unpopular, but any jobs I go for I’ll make it known I will not run bent. If they end up not hiring me, perhaps I don’t want to be there in the first place!
They’re not written to catch you out; they’re written so as to keep you within the law, and keep you and the general public safe from drivers having accidents because they nodded off at the wheel, etc.
The basics, which is all the majority of us use, are actually pretty simple. I’ve said before, DCPC (particularly for newbies) ought to include not only the drivers’ hours regs but also more comprehensive training on how to actually use a digital tachograph properly. It’s all very well people saying RTFM but they can be a bit intimidating if you don’t already have a decent working knowledge of the regs, and the experience which helps you to plan your hours without forever doing printouts.
I agree with your mindset about not running bent.