hi if your doing your daily checks and it takes you 15 min do you add that time as other work
15 mins■■? should be taking about 1/2 hour including opening back doors and yes its other work, if its not recorded at start of shift on your charts VOSA will be very interested 
thamx madbaz is that your tacho chart you would put it on 
stormin:
thamx madbaz is that your tacho chart you would put it on
Put in chart on other work mode - do checks and perhaps check the route, paperwork etc - drive…
I always draw a line on the back of the chart at the time I start my shift eg 07:00, and put a line along the OW section to cover the time between shift start and inserting my chart you need to look at GV262 for an example(I think theres a PDF in the FAQ section), same at end of shift. Our TM told us we must put chart in as soon as we arrive at depot and pull it just before we finish, cos head office say so, to which I basically said BS its not always possible as i often arrive 10/15 mins early for a brew, ■■■ & chat and walking to and from truck can take 10 minutes depending which bay it’s on so a manual entry will always be required. This is the same TM who actually believes some class 2 drivers that tell him there not qualified to drive with a 4 over 4 gearbox .
Vosa want you to show at least 20mins of other work before commencing driving anyway in an attempt to prove you’ve done some vehicle checks. As checking your vehicle is definately work then yes you do mark it as other work, if you can’t put your tacho in whilst doing the checks (no keys, on a bay etc) you have to make a manual entry when you get to going.
MADBAZ:
This is the same TM who actually believes some class 2 drivers that tell him there not qualified to drive with a 4 over 4 gearbox
I could understand if they said that they were not trained on that type of gearbox and wanted some instruction on how to use it and be allowed a little time to practice before going on a run with it.
I’ve come across a few rigid drivers who passed their C test a few years ago and did it on a straight six and have only driven that type of gearbox.
This made it harder for them when they came for their C+E.
I think VOSA must be from planet numpty if they think a 30 minute check is necessary at the start of every shift. This is typical of the bureacratic waste of space and money that VOSA are.
As an owner driver, I know my vehicle inside out. I know how it should drive and what it should sound like. A five minute walk around to check the lights, tyres, air bags and couplings is more than enough. Any developing problems would become apparent throughout the shift.
I admit that if I were driving a different vehicle every day then a longer check would be necessary, but it would still not take 30 minutes.
The trouble with VOSA is that they do not live in the real world. (See my post about VOSA scumbags in owner drivers section for a prime example) The companies out there that operate absolutely 100% within the rules of VOSA are a very rare breed indeed because to do so would send many a firm into bankruptcy in the face of the overseas competion.
Rant over, feel better now.
Carl
so is it compulsary to do 30 minutes for vehicle checks? if not what is the amount of time i have to show? i usually do 15 mins before i drive.
iceroadrucker:
so is it compulsary to do 30 minutes for vehicle checks? if not what is the amount of time i have to show? i usually do 15 mins before i drive.
There isnt a fixed period that you must do checks, nor is there a fixed system as a bloke checking his straps on a tautliner may be a case of a 2 minute job or the bloke who checks his sealed fridge and then gets his load rejected.
If you just drive off without showing any other work, it will make VOSA more suspicious, if they find a bulb out and you say you have checked it, they will look at your tacho and ask where.
In France where many of these things start, they like to see 15 minutes, just enough time to build the air up and finish your coffee.
Wheel Nut:
iceroadrucker:
so is it compulsary to do 30 minutes for vehicle checks? if not what is the amount of time i have to show? i usually do 15 mins before i drive.There isnt a fixed period that you must do checks, nor is there a fixed system as a bloke checking his straps on a tautliner may be a case of a 2 minute job or the bloke who checks his sealed fridge and then gets his load rejected.
If you just drive off without showing any other work, it will make VOSA more suspicious, if they find a bulb out and you say you have checked it, they will look at your tacho and ask where.
In France where many of these things start, they like to see 15 minutes, just enough time to build the air up and finish your coffee.
A bulb could blow 30 seconds after leaving the yard. This is why VOSA need to get in the real world. Bulbs blow, its what they do regardless of your maintenance schedule.
Speck:
Wheel Nut:
iceroadrucker:
so is it compulsary to do 30 minutes for vehicle checks? if not what is the amount of time i have to show? i usually do 15 mins before i drive.There isnt a fixed period that you must do checks, nor is there a fixed system as a bloke checking his straps on a tautliner may be a case of a 2 minute job or the bloke who checks his sealed fridge and then gets his load rejected.
If you just drive off without showing any other work, it will make VOSA more suspicious, if they find a bulb out and you say you have checked it, they will look at your tacho and ask where.
In France where many of these things start, they like to see 15 minutes, just enough time to build the air up and finish your coffee.
A bulb could blow 30 seconds after leaving the yard. This is why VOSA need to get in the real world. Bulbs blow, its what they do regardless of your maintenance schedule.
OK. I was using a bulb as an example, a rusty wire poking out of a tyre then 
If I’m going out prompt I’ll be out in about 5 minutes, but as I drive the same vehicle every day I find things as they go wrong and sort them by the end of the shift.
The daily check book is full of my signatures and I always record when I’ve changed a bulb or whatever.