I am told by some drivers, that you can’t count a break on your tacho untli you have done 1 hours work.I thought you could.
Could i put my card in at start of shift, do a few laps round the yard, then put it on a fifteen minute break, then just have half hour later on before my four and half hours drive time is up?
There is no set minimum time before you take a break but you must have done some driving otherwise you cannot count a driving break before you drive the vehicle.
LeedsChris:
I am told by some drivers, that you can’t count a break on your tacho untli you have done 1 hours work.I thought you could.Could i put my card in at start of shift, do a few laps round the yard, then put it on a fifteen minute break, then just have half hour later on before my four and half hours drive time is up?
I have heard this too but have never been able to find it in print anywhere. I can only assume its an urban myth.
LeedsChris:
I am told by some drivers, that you can’t count a break on your tacho untli you have done 1 hours work.I thought you could.Could i put my card in at start of shift, do a few laps round the yard, then put it on a fifteen minute break, then just have half hour later on before my four and half hours drive time is up?
Yes it’s perfectly legal to do that.
As long as you have a minutes driving recorded on the tachograph you can have the first part of a split driving break.
Yes, I do it all the time.
I cannot see how a driver could record break right at the start of a shift because something must have been done within the first minute of arriving
ROG:
I cannot see how a driver could record break right at the start of a shift because something must have been done within the first minute of arriving
You are correct Rog, as you would need a break from doing something else for it to count, but the op’s scenario had him doing a lap or two of the yard first. Ergo, a 15 min break would be perfectly legal and acceptable.
but if drivers taked 15 minut after 10 minut driving ,so he can work till he reach 9 hours working time (excluding POA) if not reach 4.5 driving time.it is correct??
Andrejs:
but if drivers taked 15 minut after 10 minut driving ,so he can work till he reach 9 hours working time (excluding POA) if not reach 4.5 driving time.it is correct??
Apart from the legally required WTD breaks, yes.
If you’ve driven at least a minute 
no problem 
it was changed to 15 mins first, as you could leave your yard 
hit the butty bar at Burford roundabout in 5 mins driving have half an hour break, drive to Manchester in 4.25hrs tip whilst having a sneaky fifteen to complete your forty five mins then home empty to the yard! 
Fatboy slimslow:
If you’ve driven at least a minute
Yep. old rules you could of done 8.59 hrs driving with just a 15 min break. 1min drive,30min break,4.29 drive, 15 min break, 4.30hrs drive.
WHY you would want to is beyond me!!!
Andrejs:
but if drivers taked 15 minut after 10 minut driving ,so he can work till he reach 9 hours working time (excluding POA) if not reach 4.5 driving time.it is correct??
No…he’d need to take a break at a maximum of 6 hours after his last break, as under the WTD, he can’t work more than 6 hours without a break.
Which is what Conor said, but with numbers 
I was told on a dcpc day (by the trainer) that you must do a minimum of 15 minutes work for a break to ‘register’ and be legal. I knew he was wrong but couldn’t be bothered to even try and put him right as he’d already given me the metaphorical dunce’s cap for questioning his 30 minutes every 6 hours speech. 
Perhaps he was mixed up with the old rules alluded to above which I know nothing of.
Why would you want to take a break as soon as you start work. And surely the older driver’s have heard of Mayfield chicks, they were all doing something similar and they all got caught and prosecuted. But please just tell me why you would want to do it.
Dafman:
Why would you want to take a break as soon as you start work. And surely the older driver’s have heard of Mayfield chicks, they were all doing something similar and the all got caught and prosecuted. But please just tell me why you would want to do it.
What were they prosecuted for? Perfectly legal to take a break after 1 minutes driving.
It was years ago but they were going in having a drive around the yard then putting it on break while it got loaded but they weren’t necessarily loading it, then that meant they could drive for 9 hours with just a fifteen minute break, the drivers and the company got done. I just don’t understand why anyone would want to work like tha.
Why on earth would you take a break one minute into starting work, what can you gain 
Dafman:
It was years ago but they were going in having a drive around the yard then putting it on break while it got loaded but they weren’t necessarily loading it, then that meant they could drive for 9 hours with just a fifteen minute break, the drivers and the company got done. I just don’t understand why anyone would want to work like tha.
I can’t find the court case at the moment but I don’t think that was the same as we’re talking about here.
I think it had something to do with driving for nearly 9 hours without a break.
mr lordi:
Why on earth would you take a break one minute into starting work, what can you gain
I don’t think anyone is suggesting that you should, just that it is legal, so the drivers who told the OP that you can’t have a break before you’ve worked for an hour are wrong.
Dafman:
Why would you want to take a break as soon as you start work. And surely the older driver’s have heard of Mayfield chicks, they were all doing something similar and they all got caught and prosecuted. But please just tell me why you would want to do it.
Because if you arrive in Falkirk on Thursday night, park up for the night and tip in the morning. You can then wake up in the morning, drive across the yard, have 15 while tipping and then only have to stop at Lymm for 30 mins and get back to Guildford ASAP on a Friday, and 15 mins on Friday afternoon on the M25 is a hell of a lot of time, could be the difference between being stationary for 1 hour or rolling at 30mph for 20 mins. that’s why.