… can anyone give me an example?
This is how I see it …
Week 1 … 34 hours weekly rest (taken out of cab)
Week 2 … 45 hours weekly rest
Week 3 … 48 hours weekly rest
Week 4 … do I need to take 45 hours PLUS pay back 11 hours from week 1?
This is pretty much the only part of the tacho laws that has me baffled.
Step by step “for dummies” guide needed please.
Yes, you do, although you can attach the 11 hours you “borrowed” to any 9 hour rest period, so if you had 20 consecutive hours off any time before the third week following you would have paid it back.
Harry Monk:
Yes, you do, although you can attach the 11 hours you “borrowed” to any 9 hour rest period, so if you had 20 consecutive hours off any time before the third week following you would have paid it back.
So does the 11 borrowed hours have to be paid back in one hit? eg 20 hour break (9 hour reduced break plus 11 hours) or can it be spread over the week … eg 2 hours added to each daily break? Or are you saying that my 48 hour break on week 3 takes care of this?
Ched:
Harry Monk:
Yes, you do, although you can attach the 11 hours you “borrowed” to any 9 hour rest period, so if you had 20 consecutive hours off any time before the third week following you would have paid it back.So does the 11 borrowed hours have to be paid back in one hit? eg 20 hour break (9 hour reduced break plus 11 hours) or can it be spread over the week … eg 2 hours added to each daily break? Or are you saying that my 48 hour break on week 3 takes care of this?
All in one block.
Ched:
Harry Monk:
Yes, you do, although you can attach the 11 hours you “borrowed” to any 9 hour rest period, so if you had 20 consecutive hours off any time before the third week following you would have paid it back.So does the 11 borrowed hours have to be paid back in one hit? eg 20 hour break (9 hour reduced break plus 11 hours) or can it be spread over the week … eg 2 hours added to each daily break? Or are you saying that my 48 hour break on week 3 takes care of this?
It has to be in one solid period, attached to one rest period and your 48 hour rest won’t take care of it because that’s just your 45 hour rest with 3 hours added on to it.
Bloody hell, just when I think I’m getting to grips with this driver hrs carry on u guys throw something new at me.
I’m about to start a job next week tramping and now got a feeling I could come unstuck! Is it worth buying one of those timers off the Internet or is there an easy way to work it all out?
Luke222:
Bloody hell, just when I think I’m getting to grips with this driver hrs carry on u guys throw something new at me.I’m about to start a job next week tramping and now got a feeling I could come unstuck! Is it worth buying one of those timers off the Internet or is there an easy way to work it all out?
Don’t worry, VOSA will tell you if you are getting it wrong. 
Luke222:
Bloody hell, just when I think I’m getting to grips with this driver hrs carry on u guys throw something new at me.I’m about to start a job next week tramping and now got a feeling I could come unstuck! Is it worth buying one of those timers off the Internet or is there an easy way to work it all out?
i am the same fella. when i ever get behind the wheel of one i am a bit confused with the drivers hours.
Also, i cannot find the link that shows you how to use the digi tacho machine. Any of you guys know where i can find it?
ok to put it another way
week 1 … reduced weekly rest
week 2 … minimum (45 hour) weekly rest
week 3 … can i do reduced again or must I pay back week 1?
I now understand that the payback from week 1 must be taken in one hit attached to a 45 hour? or a reduced?
can someone post a four week example with notes?
I think I can work the digi machine ok, it’s all this 9hrs here 11hrs here weekly rest this and that and now paying back hrs haha if it was simple and I just drove for 4.5 hrs, took 45 mins break, drove for Another 4.5 hrs and went home, 5days a week and went home for 2 days at weekend I’d be laughing, but skint, gonna have to study this before Monday I think.
Just download the hours guide from vosa on your phone or pc and study it and you’ll soon know the rules, a lot of them are to your advantage, or you can phone vosa up and they’re send you through the guide to the hours.
mickyblue:
Also, i cannot find the link that shows you how to use the digi tacho machine. Any of you guys know where i can find it?
If its a siemans ma granny could work one, if its stonepish just hit it wae a hammer!
Generally, you have to take 45 hours off in one continuous period as your weekly rest period.
You can reduce this down to an absolute minimum of 24 hours, provided you took a 45 hour rest the week before, and you take one after. In other words, you can only reduce every other weekly rest.
Week 1- 45 hours.
Week 2- 24 hours.
Week 3- 45 hours.
Week 4- 24 hours.
Week 5- 87 hours. A 45 hour rest, with two lots of 21 hours added to compensate for weeks 2 and 4. 45+ 21 + 21 = 87.
Or you could take 66 hours, (45 + 21) but you would still need to compensate 21 hours from week 4 before the end of week 7.
The daily rest is pretty straight forward … 11 hours rest and you can reduce to 9 hours 3 times a week … i think lol. And you can increase your daily drive limit from 9 hours to 10 hours twice a week.
BUT can you do 3 reduced 9 hour rests consecutively or must it be broken up by 11 hours every other day?
eg should it be 9 hour, 11 hour, 9 hour, 11 hour, 9 hour? or is it ok to do 11 hour, 11 hour, 9 hour, 9 hour, 9 hour then weekly rest?
Harry Monk:
Generally, you have to take 45 hours off in one continuous period as your weekly rest period.You can reduce this down to an absolute minimum of 24 hours, provided you took a 45 hour rest the week before, and you take one after. In other words, you can only reduce every other weekly rest.
Week 1- 45 hours.
Week 2- 24 hours.
Week 3- 45 hours.
Week 4- 24 hours.
Week 5- 87 hours. A 45 hour rest, with two lots of 21 hours added to compensate for weeks 2 and 4. 45+ 21 + 21 = 87.
Or you could take 66 hours, (45 + 21) but you would still need to compensate 21 hours from week 4 before the end of week 7.
OK thanks, that makes sense time wise. But lets say I get paid monday to friday, and on week 5 I have to take 87 hours off. Should I get paid for those extra days I have to take off by law?
Ched:
Week 1 … 34 hours weekly rest (taken out of cab)
Week 2 … 45 hours weekly rest
Week 3 … 48 hours weekly rest
Week 4 … do I need to take 45 hours PLUS pay back 11 hours from week 1?
(taken out of cab) = makes no difference
week 4 … at least 24 hours then you can add the 11 hours payback making it a total of 35 hours off - that will leave a new payback of 21 hours required before the end (sunday midnight) of week 8
ONE BIG ISSUE - the 11 hours of payback MUST be paid back in full before the sunday midnight of week 4 in your example
That 11 hours only starts to be paid back after the reduced weekly rest has been completed so that 35 period off must start no later than 1pm on the saturday of week 4
I hope another member can look over what I said and see if I have it as correct as I think I have … please
You can reduce three times consecutively but the essential point to grasp here is that the time off you have at night is not the only factor, as soon as you go over 13 hours of working time on a Monday, say, then it doesn’t matter if you have 11 hours off at night, that is still a reduced rest because you didn’t have 11 hours off in a 24 hour period from start of shift Monday.
Example.
Monday, work 14 hours, take 11 hours off.
Tuesday, work 14 hours, take 11 hours off.
Wednesday, work 14 hours, take 11 hours off.
is three reduced rest periods.
Ched:
ok to put it another wayweek 1 … reduced weekly rest
week 2 … minimum (45 hour) weekly rest
week 3 … can i do reduced again or must I pay back week 1?
I now understand that the payback from week 1 must be taken in one hit attached to a 45 hour? or a reduced?
can someone post a four week example with notes?
Payback can be added to ANY rest period be it a reduced daily, full daily, reduced weekly or full weekly rest
Payback starts after the rest period chosen has been completed - cannot do the payback then the rest period
Payback must be paid back in one go and cannot be split up
Payback must be fully completed before the END (sunday midight) of week 4 if the reduction was done in week 1
Is that any help?
Yes that helps (both Rog and Harry Monk) thanks. Means I’ve been doing it wrong though. Also I work nights with a workforce agreement of 12 hours max WTD extended. I’m pretty sure I understand what you’ve both explained and it means the job I do can’t be done legally as it stands which means a major headache monday morning trying to explain this.
Ched:
Harry Monk:
Generally, you have to take 45 hours off in one continuous period as your weekly rest period.You can reduce this down to an absolute minimum of 24 hours, provided you took a 45 hour rest the week before, and you take one after. In other words, you can only reduce every other weekly rest.
Week 1- 45 hours.
Week 2- 24 hours.
Week 3- 45 hours.
Week 4- 24 hours.
Week 5- 87 hours. A 45 hour rest, with two lots of 21 hours added to compensate for weeks 2 and 4. 45+ 21 + 21 = 87.
Or you could take 66 hours, (45 + 21) but you would still need to compensate 21 hours from week 4 before the end of week 7.
OK thanks, that makes sense time wise. But lets say I get paid monday to friday, and on week 5 I have to take 87 hours off. Should I get paid for those extra days I have to take off by law?
NO, as Harry says you only need 66 hours off if you want to do a 21 hour payback on that week