Anything missing?

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Apart from a job of course… :frowning:

I passed my Cat C test in January 2009 and have held a Digicard since but not used either until recently. I registered with a couple of agencies at the beginning of June and July (respectively) and have only had a few days work from just one of them. This has been a mixture of van work and a couple of Cat C jobs.

I have not been employed or worked elsewhere over the period since I first started working for agencies and hence using the Digicard. Like many, I’m trying to get full-time work driving and of course only Cat C; vans are a poor necessity right now. :unamused:

  • The agency that has given me the work so far now asks me to fill in a weekly time sheet, even with zero hours worked. This records starting and end times, times of breaks and duration plus client and vehicle details. It also allows me to record any time I work for other agencies or any other work in the week. I keep an electronic copy of these (laptop).

  • In addition (van work or Cat C) I keep my own paper records (a diary in the cab) of start and end times, driving time, breaks, POA, other work, odometer and vehicle reg numbers, customers I’m delivering to etc.

  • For the van work I keep to the WTD requirements (30 min break in 6 hours and 45 min in 9 hours).

  • Both Cat C jobs have had digital tachos so I have taken an “End of 24-hour day” print at the end of each job and kept the printouts.

  • What do I do about the days in between jobs (many of them)? Surely I don’t have to fill in a paper tacho disc on the reverse side! Or do I? And what do I record? How many hours of what? The Digicard records that I’m not working (an assumption I know as it’s not been inserted in a vehicle).

  • The agency hasn’t given me the process for collecting digital/analog printouts/discs yet. I know I have to have the last 28 days printouts/discs on me but do I need to download or backup the Digicard? I’d have to buy a reader and software for that.

And is there anything else I’ve missed that could bite me in the future?

Thanks for listening!

N

2

Van work (non EU regs) does not come under RTWTD but the ‘normal’ WTD so there are no required breaks

Your responsibility is to hand in analogue tachos and present your digicard to the OPERATORS of the vehicles you have driven and not the agency within the required timeframe

3

This could be of some use

Look at page 26 for domestic driving hrs

online.businesslink.gov.uk/Tran … s_0511.pdf

4

neil1024:
For the van work I keep to the WTD requirements (30 min break in 6 hours and 45 min in 9 hours).

The RT(WT)R (working time regulations for mobile workers) only apply when driving to EU regulations which you’re not in a van so forget it on van driving days.

For more information on the working time regulations for when you do drive in-scope of EU regulations check out page 46 of the guide I’ve linked to at the bottom of this post.

neil1024:
Both Cat C jobs have had digital tachos so I have taken an “End of 24-hour day” print at the end of each job and kept the printouts.

You choice but there’s no legal requirement to take printouts, the data is on your driver card.

neil1024:
What do I do about the days in between jobs (many of them)? Surely I don’t have to fill in a paper tacho disc on the reverse side! Or do I? And what do I record? How many hours of what? The Digicard records that I’m not working (an assumption I know as it’s not been inserted in a vehicle).

There’s no need to keep records on days that you don’t work.

neil1024:
The agency hasn’t given me the process for collecting digital/analog printouts/discs yet. I know I have to have the last 28 days printouts/discs on me but do I need to download or backup the Digicard? I’d have to buy a reader and software for that.

You have no need to download the driver card it’s up-to the company you drive for to do that.

You should carry with you charts used for the current day and the previous 28 days, you should also carry with you your driver card.
These are the things that will be asked for if you get pulled into a road-side check and failure to provide them is an offence that’s likely to get you a fine and possibly parked up.

I should add to the above that in weeks when you drive in-scope of EU regulations if you also drive a van or do any other type of work on other days in the same week you should keep a record of the work on either a tachograph chart or printout, this record only needs to show the start and finish times, the date, your driver card number or your name and your signature.

Here’s a Guide to the rules on drivers hours and tachographs that I think may help you.

5

neil1024:
The agency that has given me the work so far now asks me to fill in a weekly time sheet, even with zero hours worked. This records starting and end times, times of breaks and duration plus client and vehicle details. It also allows me to record any time I work for other agencies or any other work in the week. I keep an electronic copy of these (laptop).

No legal requirement to do that but obviously most companies and agencies have some sort of time sheet keeping thing in place.

neil1024:
In addition (van work or Cat C) I keep my own paper records (a diary in the cab) of start and end times, driving time, breaks, POA, other work, odometer and vehicle reg numbers, customers I’m delivering to etc.

If it is van driving in a week when you also drive under EU rules a diary isn’t enough to satisfy the regulations. You need a record showing your name, date start and finish times and it’s easiest to do this on a tacho chart but you could use a printout or the manual entry facility on a digi tacho. No need to show breaks or anything like that, just what I mentioned above.

neil1024:
For the van work I keep to the WTD requirements (30 min break in 6 hours and 45 min in 9 hours).

FYI when working to the WTD the requirements are 15 minutes at 6 hours and 30 minutes if your shift is 9 or less hours of actual work, 45 minutes if it is more than 9 hours. No need to have taken any more than 15 minutes for the WTD by the 9 hour work point if you will be doing more than 9 hours.

neil1024:
Both Cat C jobs have had digital tachos so I have taken an “End of 24-hour day” print at the end of each job and kept the printouts.

No need to take printouts unless you are explaining a deviation from the rules. Waste of time and paper.

neil1024:
What do I do about the days in between jobs (many of them)? Surely I don’t have to fill in a paper tacho disc on the reverse side! Or do I?

You don’t.

neil1024:
The agency hasn’t given me the process for collecting digital/analog printouts/discs yet. I know I have to have the last 28 days printouts/discs on me but do I need to download or backup the Digicard? I’d have to buy a reader and software for that.

It’s not the job of the agency to download or collect your records. You must make your card available for download by the transport organisation under whose instruction you were working at the time, you don’t need any download tools. Same goes for returning charts after the prescribed period. That is your responsibility and not the agency’s and if the charts don’t get to the right place it is you who risk a fine, a potential 4 figure fine at that. I would never return any records to an agency.

6

Many, many thanks to all who replied: I am the wiser now.

This site has been and continues to be invaluable as a source of learning for the new-starter. :smiley: