Hi, I just started my first driving job a couple of weeks ago doing multi-drop work in a 18 tonne rigid with regular nights out. It’s going pretty well so far, but I’m having trouble properly managing my driving hours. I was wondering if anyone had any tips to make it easier. I fill in a company time-sheet as I go but I’ve been caught out by the tacho flashing at me a few times even when I’m sure I’ve taken the proper breaks.
Also, I know I can extend driving hours to 10 a couple of days out of the week but I’m unclear how to go about it. On my last shift I was really racing against the clock to get back to the yard within my nine hours and a confusing diversion close to home really threw a spanner in the works. I was running very low on fuel too so it was a very stressful end to the shift.
In any fixed week you can extend the daily max driving hours TWICE over the usual 9 hours to as much as 10
You must remain within the fixed weekly max driving hours of 56 and within the max two fixed weekly hours of 90
For the 90 you could do 34 56 34 45 45 40 50 as no two together add up to more than 90
The digi has the facility for you to access your weekly and two weekly driving time hours if I recall rightly
POA usually messes up the driving time breaks as the digi thinks POA is break !!
Am joining the OP question.
Which is the best source to read and try to understand driving time regulations (EU, UK, Domestic etc) without chance to get your brains boiled!
Also the phone apps.
Which one is good enought for Iphone or Android?
Cheers guys!
Zanfta:
Am joining the OP question.
Which is the best source to read and try to understand driving time regulations (EU, UK, Domestic etc) without chance to get your brains boiled!
Also the phone apps.
Which one is good enought for Iphone or Android?
Cheers guys!
The best way of understanding the regs is KEEP IT SIMPLE
Know what the max (SIMPLE TOTAL) is and stay under
ie 4.5 hrs driv is the max befor a break under tach regs keep under it stop at say 4 or 4.15
breaks have 17 not 15 and 32 not 30 or 47 not 45 min .check to see if the tacho changes mode when the ignition is turned on or off … plan ahead
If you need to park up by X time spend 5 /10 mins planning options for parking just incase
If it’s a Siemens tacho assuming your on a digi , it’s easy to check your 90 hours per fortnight , when stationary press the down button ( you need to give it a minute or two to update its self if you have just pulled up ) that will indicate how many hours you have used so far .
When on break in the truck I leave the ignition on so the tacho display is on the dash , or switch on a few minutes before you think your break time is up that way you can check exactly what time the tacho has registered for break .
Be carefull as the tacho will reset the driving time if you have for example 3 x 15mins or a 30 min + 15 mins I believe theses used to be the old times required to satisfy a 45 min break . (Before my time I might add tho ).
I don’t know if the newest digi tachos still do this but my first generation digi
Thanks guys, I’ve downloaded the Trucker Timer app and I’ll do a printout to see how I’ve done so far. I’ll have a fiddle with the tacho as well, I think it is a Siemens so I’ll try with pushing the down arrow.
One thing with hours and breaks I’m not sure of: If I take a 45 minute break after 4 hours does the next 4.5hr driving window start when I finish that break or do I still have the last half hour of my first 4.5hr stint to use? Also, to do 10 hours in a day presumably I’d have to take some sort of break before the extra hour but I can’t work out if it would have to be 45 minutes or I could just take 15 minutes or if I’d already had two 45 minute breaks during my standard 9 hours I wouldn’t need to take another?
Rominoco:
Thanks guys, I’ve downloaded the Trucker Timer app and I’ll do a printout to see how I’ve done so far. I’ll have a fiddle with the tacho as well, I think it is a Siemens so I’ll try with pushing the down arrow.
One thing with hours and breaks I’m not sure of: If I take a 45 minute break after 4 hours does the next 4.5hr driving window start when I finish that break or do I still have the last half hour of my first 4.5hr stint to use? Also, to do 10 hours in a day presumably I’d have to take some sort of break before the extra hour but I can’t work out if it would have to be 45 minutes or I could just take 15 minutes or if I’d already had two 45 minute breaks during my standard 9 hours I wouldn’t need to take another?
Having a break of 45 or a split of 15 + 30 will reset the driving time for a new 4.5 hours if you have that much left
You do not lose any driving time or have to use up the non used bit to start the new 4.5
Legal example of a 9 hour driving day
drive 2 hours
break 45 mins = reset driving time
drive 3 hours
break 15 mins
drive 1.5 hours
break 30 mins = reset driving time
drive 2.5 hours
ROG:
Having a break of 45 or a split of 15 + 30 will reset the driving time for a new 4.5 hours if you have that much left
You do not lose any driving time or have to use up the non used bit to start the new 4.5
Legal example of a 9 hour driving day
drive 2 hours
break 45 mins = reset driving time
drive 3 hours
break 15 mins
drive 1.5 hours
break 30 mins = reset driving time
drive 2.5 hours
Thank you, that clears things up, I’ve been thinking myself in circles and making it more complicated for myself. I think I’m going to make my own written driving log as well to make things simpler and easier to track.
Just so I’m clear on the 10 hour day, if, in your example the last stint was 3.5 hours instead of 2.5 hours, would that be a legal 10 hour driving day?
ROG:
Having a break of 45 or a split of 15 + 30 will reset the driving time for a new 4.5 hours if you have that much left
You do not lose any driving time or have to use up the non used bit to start the new 4.5
Legal example of a 9 hour driving day
drive 2 hours
break 45 mins = reset driving time
drive 3 hours
break 15 mins
drive 1.5 hours
break 30 mins = reset driving time
drive 2.5 hours
Thank you, that clears things up, I’ve been thinking myself in circles and making it more complicated for myself. I think I’m going to make my own written driving log as well to make things simpler and easier to track.
Just so I’m clear on the 10 hour day, if, in your example the last stint was 3.5 hours instead of 2.5 hours, would that be a legal 10 hour driving day?
ROG:
Having a break of 45 or a split of 15 + 30 will reset the driving time for a new 4.5 hours if you have that much left
You do not lose any driving time or have to use up the non used bit to start the new 4.5
Legal example of a 9 hour driving day
drive 2 hours
break 45 mins = reset driving time
drive 3 hours
break 15 mins
drive 1.5 hours
break 30 mins = reset driving time
drive 2.5 hours
Thank you, that clears things up, I’ve been thinking myself in circles and making it more complicated for myself. I think I’m going to make my own written driving log as well to make things simpler and easier to track.
Just so I’m clear on the 10 hour day, if, in your example the last stint was 3.5 hours instead of 2.5 hours, would that be a legal 10 hour driving day?
Zanfta:
Am joining the OP question.
Which is the best source to read and try to understand driving time regulations (EU, UK, Domestic etc) without chance to get your brains boiled!
I believe theses used to be the old times required to satisfy a 45 min break . (Before my time I might add tho 
).
