What’s the closest you normally run to before taking a break?
I went 4 hrs 17 mins once!
I can’t remember…
Doing more than 3 hours without stopping in the last 6 years or so.
yourhavingalarf:
I can’t remember…Doing more than 3 hours without stopping in the last 6 years or so.
I guess my other question is does everyone split their breaks?
stu675:
yourhavingalarf:
I can’t remember…Doing more than 3 hours without stopping in the last 6 years or so.
I guess my other question is does everyone split their breaks?
I’ll stop for…
20 minutes off within an hour of leaving the yard. Then I’ll take a 50 if needed and another on the way back.
I split my breaks and have a 15+ minute stop on many outward journeys, i like working like this anyway and because i’m operating the equipment at the delivery point and if you’ve spent 30 mins preparing the vehicle had a 3+ hour outward journey and get even slightly messed about at the delivery point its too easy to go over the 6 hour wtd rule or find yourself in a panic with only minutes to go before triggering a 6 hour infringement and nowhere to park in sight after leaving the delivery site, taking a 15+ min break say an hour from the destination means you can’t make that mistake and have up to the 4.5 hours driving time to select where you want to take your full break.
No one questions our breaks unless we trigger an infringement (no one questions our journey times or routes either), we haven’t got some jobsworth school leaver glued to the tracker itching to tell teacher you’ve stopped where they didn’t think you should or had five minutes longer break.
Juddian:
No one questions our breaks unless you trigger an infringement (no one questions our journey times or routes either), we haven’t got some jobsworth school leaver glued to the tracker itching to tell teacher you’ve stopped where they didn’t think you should or had five minutes longer break.
Exactly the same…
Where I am. No one’s said a word to me about breaks, start/finish times or anything else. Unlike my buddy when we sat down for a brew at Stibbington. He was driving for Eddie and I was driving for a different outfit. He hadn’t got the tea to the table before his phone rang with Eddie asking why he’d stopped.
yourhavingalarf:
Juddian:
No one questions our breaks unless you trigger an infringement (no one questions our journey times or routes either), we haven’t got some jobsworth school leaver glued to the tracker itching to tell teacher you’ve stopped where they didn’t think you should or had five minutes longer break.Exactly the same…
Where I am. No one’s said a word to me about breaks, start/finish times or anything else. Unlike my buddy when we sat down for a brew at Stibbington. He was driving for Eddie and I was driving for a different outfit. He hadn’t got the tea to the table before his phone rang with Eddie asking why he’d stopped.
My phone stays in the cab at all times and rarely answer it there, but yup that’s exactly what we mean by some arse watching the tracker intently thinking they’re big brother, do they get an uncontrollable trouser tent when they spot a misdemeanor 
I did the same as the office wallies T break for 15 after a couple of hours if not before and 45 after 4.15
Why people think they should only have the regulation 45 or work right up to 4.30 driving or 6.00 wtd is beyond me.
Same as driving, why Drivers think they MUST have their boot to the floor and MUST treat speed limits as a minimum not maximum.
it varies with what im doing but as a rule of thumb upto 4h ( Green ok ) up to 4h 15 amber ( looking for a place) 4h 15 to 4h 30 ( Red stop ASAP )
then you get days like yesterday with the A1 shut at 48 long slow diversion route also a1 Darrington mullerd and end up out of driving time at blyth sevices showing 4H 28m
As a general rule, I would usually start looking for somewhere to stop after I reach 3.45, unless I know I can definitely make it to my destination and can take a break there.
As for the most I’ve done? I’ve done countless 4.20s, but the longest was a 4.50something after getting caught up behind an accident. I was on my way back to the yard and that also happened to be the next safe place available to stop to take a break to cover the extended drive time
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Juddian:
No one questions our breaks unless we trigger an infringement (no one questions our journey times or routes either), we haven’t got some jobsworth school leaver glued to the tracker itching to tell teacher you’ve stopped where they didn’t think you should or had five minutes longer break.
Same here even when we have drivers double breaking runs you don’t need to. We’re fortunate that the planned run times are treated as a guide, they’re quite generous and the only time I could recall anyone being questioned for going over was on EE agency driver taking the mick taking 13hrs every single night to do a night trunk we were all doing in nine to ten, taking THREE 45 minute breaks on a trunk run with just 3.5hrs driving each way. They know exactly where we are if they can be bothered to check as this driver found out when the transport superviser dumped a printout of his journey on the desk in front of him and started to go through it all.
Once gets to 4 hours or so I look for someplace to stop.
Guess lucky where I am.
Say im on a 45. In a cafe its busy and slow.
.seen many a driver wolf down there food and rush back so they’re off spot on 45 mins
I just take.my time don’t rush if takes me an hour to finish my meal so be it .
Never been told.off for it .
If I’ve finished them I’d leave spot on 45 mins .
There’s some give and take where I am which I don’t mind
prob about 4hrs 27.
to expand a bit.
I started 22:15.
Drove to peterborough.
Unloaded
Drove back
Managed to get back in depot just in time with about 4 hours 27mins of driving time done.
Took break.
Then I uncoupled picked up my new trailer and went to somewhere near Shepards Bush. left during rush hour.
Got to shepards Bush unloaded
Drove back
Got back with 4 hours 17/19 mins driving time accured and my working time was at like 14 hours 45 minutes.
So, very close. If I did not push my first run to get back to depot before taking a break I would of probably ran out of hours before I finished my 2nd run.
I prefer not to push it much past 4 hours, but have pulled in the yard on 4:28, finishing on 4:30 after parking in a bay once or twice over the years.
If I know I’ll definitely get a break in an RDC, or if I’m certain I’ll make it back to base, and I know all roads are open, I’m happy to let it go up to about 4:20, leaving me a few minutes driving-time to reverse on a bay or whatever.
Back in the day we used to have a run which would take us between 4:32 - 4:35 on the way up (because of a collection) and 4:05 - 4:10 back down. I used to do it once a fortnight. I’d always run up there and go a couple minutes over, and sign the infringement. But that was in the analogue days, and nobody really cared that much. My current employer would probably set up a full investigation now if I did that even once.
And the 2021 TN award for the most pointless thread goes to…
Never gave it a thought,.I take my breaks when I want a break,.that just about covers it I reck…
There are some cool stories and anecdotes on here,.I bet the long dark winter nights fly in with some of you lot when you get together. . 
robroy:
And the 2021 TN award for the most pointless thread goes to…Never gave it a thought,.I take my breaks when I want a break,.that just about covers it I reck…
There are some cool stories and anecdotes on here,.I bet the long dark winter nights fly in with some of you lot when you get together. . [emoji38]
[emoji22]
Well I think the award should go to the other thread discussing how to save 15 mins by running to 4:30 twice a day. Which is obviously just a theoretical discussion that nobody can now do. (Thanks to ezydriver ruining it for everyone. [emoji57])
robroy:
And the 2021 TN award for the most pointless thread goes to…Never gave it a thought,.I take my breaks when I want a break,.that just about covers it I reck…
There are some cool stories and anecdotes on here,.I bet the long dark winter nights fly in with some of you lot when you get together. .
Its a truck forum for 99.99% of people the stuff discussed here is boring crap.
adam277:
prob about 4hrs 27.to expand a bit.
I started 22:15.
Drove to peterborough.
Unloaded
Drove back
Managed to get back in depot just in time with about 4 hours 27mins of driving time done.
Took break.Then I uncoupled picked up my new trailer and went to somewhere near Shepards Bush. left during rush hour.
Got to shepards Bush unloaded
Drove back
Got back with 4 hours 17/19 mins driving time accured and my working time was at like 14 hours 45 minutes.So, very close. If I did not push my first run to get back to depot before taking a break I would of probably ran out of hours before I finished my 2nd run.
I did regular double return runs from Feltham-Bristol or Feltham-Kilworth with one break back at Feltham between the two return runs.
Or return run from Feltham/Dewsbury, or Scottish changeover Charnock Richard or Killington Lake and last of all Feltham/Luton/Dewsbury/Luton/Feltham.All with one break during the trailer or vehicle swap at Dewsbury or Charnock or Killington.
The Scottish changeover was with one of the two trucks having a speed limiter as they were just being introduced at the time and the Feltham Luton etc was all limited at 90 kmh which didn’t help.But such direct trunks being way better than hub system work.
They changed the rest requirement here in the US a while ago. Used to be you couldn’t drive more than 8 hrs without taking at least 30 mins break off duty but now that 30 mins can be taken on duty not driving so if you load/unload for at least 30 mins then that’s as good as a rest so now you can keep on trucking. 
remy:
They changed the rest requirement here in the US a while ago. Used to be you couldn’t drive more than 8 hrs without taking at least 30 mins break off duty but now that 30 mins can be taken on duty not driving so if you load/unload for at least 30 mins then that’s as good as a rest so now you can keep on trucking.
Like tachos E logs mean that if you do take a break the guvnor will know about it.
Obviously helps crap LTL operations so they don’t run out of hours between all the drops/collections.