Started at 07.00 took 2hours to load drove for 2 hours had 15 min break 11-11.15,drove till 1.15 took another break 30 mins is this legal,another question while waiting to load had it on poa for about an hour does this count towards the six hour wtd rule.
To tell the truth i’m really thinking about jacking this in as half the time i dont know wether i’m driving legally or not as i might be doing 10-14 drops daily on long distance and it’s almost impossible to keep track of your driving hours,WTD hours especially when doing london where it is nearly impossible to take your required breaks.
scotty1972:
Started at 07.00 took 2hours to load drove for 2 hours had 15 min break 11-11.15,drove till 1.15 took another break 30 mins is this legal,another question while waiting to load had it on poa for about an hour does this count towards the six hour wtd rule.
0700-0900 loading
0900-1100 Drive
1100-1115 break (WTD and first 15 minutes of 45 tacho)
1115-1315 driving
1315-1345 break (other 30mins of tacho break, full 45 min break taken reset driving time to allow further 4.5 hours driving)
Seems perfectly legal to me, you did 4 hours driving and then had a 30 minute break so you fulfilled the requirement of a 45 minute break that has been split in to two, the first being of at least 15 minutes and the second being of at least 30 minutes
I wont answer the POA question as I have not got a clue, I just stick to the 6 hour rule, if I haven’t had a break I take 15 minutes (by a break I mean putting the tacho on rest) even if I drove for one minute and have 5hours 58 on POA I will still switch it to break and take 15, no 0one will bow lock you for it as you are well within the law, and if they do I would rather have a shouting at for taking 15 minutes longer for a job than an infringement!
scotty1972:
To tell the truth i’m really thinking about jacking this in as half the time i dont know wether i’m driving legally or not as i might be doing 10-14 drops daily on long distance and it’s almost impossible to keep track of your driving hours,WTD hours especially when doing london where it is nearly impossible to take your required breaks.
The best way to do this, if you can afford one is buy a drivers hour guard, an excellent bit of kit. If you haven’t got the money to splash out on one then use a stop watch or even the timer on your mobile to count the hours you have been driving. Get into the habit of stopping it when you do your drop and start it again just before you drive. I set mine for 4 hours so I know I have 30 minutes to park up or get back if I need to.
by the way, dont jack it in, you have earnt your licence and you will soon get a grasp of it all, the more you ask the more you will learn mate, keep smiling
Your questions have already been answered but I just wanted to agree that jacking it in for the reasons you’ve given isn’t the way to go
I think most people find the regulations a bit complicated but if you take the time to learn them accurately one part at a time then you should soon be getting the hang of them
There are always plenty of people here who will be willing to help if there’s anything you have trouble getting your head round so just keep at it.
Buy a cheap egg timer or a big timer and a notepad to keep track of your driving time ec’t and you’ll find it easier than trying to memorise everything.
As far as London is concerned I couldn’t agree more that it can be a pain in the neck, but just try to make sure you have your breaks before you’re likely to get stuck with no-where to park, easier said than done I know but with a litttle planning it can be done.
I would also suggest concentrating on understanding the tacho rules and forget about the WTD for now. If you abide by the tacho rules then it is unlikely you will fall foul of the WTD anyway. It is more important to keep on the right side of the tacho regs, and are far more likely to be prosecuted for breaking them, than the the WTD anyway. Break the WTD rules and you’ll be unlikely to suffer much more than a bit of a bollocking, break the tacho rules and it could hit you in the pocket, or even see you surrendering your licence for a while. Once you have the tacho rules sussed then worry about learning the WTD rules.
Don’t get me wrong have been driving using tacho for 12 years but was on the sick for 18 months when all this wtd stuff came out.
Even now depending on who you ask some people say 30 min break after 6 hrs,even if you have had it on poa ,some say 15 min even my aunt and cousin who both work for VOSA are not sure due to the wording of the wtd.
I will not jack the job as the company i work for are a lot better than some of the horror stories i read on this and other forums ,usually left to your own devices and under no pressure to get the job done in impossible timescales ect.
Use a countdown timer but at least once or twice a day forget to start it or stop it which does’nt help my cause ,but may invest in an hours guard, heard some good stuff about them.
Don’t see why they can’t simplify the rules instead of making up new ones every couple of years just to keep you on your toes and make you throw out everything you learned since the last rule change.
It’s going to end up with drivers being done for justifiable mistakes because the laws are so complex,and open to your own enterpretation.
Cheers for the replys.
Coffeeholic:
I would also suggest concentrating on understanding the tacho rules and forget about the WTD for now. If you abide by the tacho rules then it is unlikely you will fall foul of the WTD anyway. It is more important to keep on the right side of the tacho regs, and are far more likely to be prosecuted for breaking them, than the the WTD anyway. Break the WTD rules and you’ll be unlikely to suffer much more than a bit of a bollocking, break the tacho rules and it could hit you in the pocket, or even see you surrendering your licence for a while. Once you have the tacho rules sussed then worry about learning the WTD rules.
I fully understand the tacho rules it’s just this stupid wtd that has got me perplexed,and as i said in the above post both my aunt and cousin both work for VOSA so i fully understand the trouble you could get yourself into for flouting the tacho laws.
cheers for the reply.
To add to the link that Coffeeholic posted for you, it may also be useful for you to check out the Road Transport (Working Time) Guidance on the DFT site.
By the way if you forget to start and stop the timer you will probably also forget to start and stop a driver hour guard, so I would suggest getting used to not forgetting before parting with hard earned cash
tachograph:
To add to the link that Coffeeholic posted for you, it may also be useful for you to check out the Road Transport (Working Time) Guidance on the DFT site.
By the way if you forget to start and stop the timer you will probably also forget to start and stop a driver hour guard, so I would suggest getting used to not forgetting before parting with hard earned cash
Cheers for that link answers all the questions i needed,also looks if i have been taking more or longer breaks than required which is no bad thing.
scotty1972:
Cheers for that link answers all the questions i needed,also looks if i have been taking more or longer breaks than required which is no bad thing.
scotty1972:
I fully understand the tacho rules
If you’ve been taking more or longer breaks than required, it would seem you don’tfully understand the tacho’ rules after all, despite more or longer breaks not being a bad thing.
scotty1972:
Cheers for that link answers all the questions i needed,also looks if i have been taking more or longer breaks than required which is no bad thing.
scotty1972:
I fully understand the tacho rules
If you’ve been taking more or longer breaks than required, it would seem you don’tfully understand the tacho’ rules after all, despite more or longer breaks not being a bad thing.
