Is it a ‘legal’ requirement to fill in a sheet once you have done your daily checks?
I understand that it is commonly a company requirement but is it actually a legal requirement for the driver ?
YES, as far as i am aware VOSA can ask for this document if stopped, and companies must keep them for a certain period. It is for your own benefit as well that checks are carried out vigilantly, as it covers you should you develop a fault during your journey, it will also give you some leeway should vosa find a fault.
However, should you not fill out the form correctly, and vosa find a fault, you would feel the full force of their actions. Dont forget that it is also a drivers responsibility to show a 15 min other work tacho sign, to show you have carried out your daily checks.
VOSA often stipulate a Written Nil Defect system is in place after a public enquiry, but even if not it is a good idea to CYA
truckyboy:
Dont forget that it is also a drivers responsibility to show a 15 min other work tacho sign, to show you have carried out your daily checks.
I’m not sure about?
my brothers just been on one of them new operator seminar things, its not a legal requirement to fill one in everyday but you must have some sort of defect reporting system in place and be seen to be actively using it to show faults you have had, ie blown bulbs etc
just to add, you have to write down the problem and what you did about it, such “bulb replaced by driver” or “reported to joe blogs in the workshop”
but its not a daily write up if you dont find anything
Saaamon:
truckyboy:
Dont forget that it is also a drivers responsibility to show a 15 min other work tacho sign, to show you have carried out your daily checks.I’m not sure about?
It’s “showing due diligence”. You can’t just put your tacho in and drive off without having shown you might’ve checked round the vehicle first, as all work should be recorded on said tacho.
Saaamon:
truckyboy:
Dont forget that it is also a drivers responsibility to show a 15 min other work tacho sign, to show you have carried out your daily checks.I’m not sure about?
If you start work at 6am and are on the road in a couple of minutes, you want to hope there are no faults found, as you wont have a leg to stand on, it was ok when I left wont work with VOSA.
We have argued long and hard about this, whether it takes 15 minutes or 5 to do a circle check. It seems 15mins is an acceptable time.
Ontime automotive used to pay us 1 hour per day for vehicle checks, 30 minutes in the morning and 30 when you parked up, this was to check the customers vehicles inside, check straps and reset the car alarms, as well as check the lorry over.
truckyboy:
YES, as far as i am aware VOSA can ask for this document if stopped, and companies must keep them for a certain period. It is for your own benefit as well that checks are carried out vigilantly, as it covers you should you develop a fault during your journey, it will also give you some leeway should vosa find a fault.
However, should you not fill out the form correctly, and vosa find a fault, you would feel the full force of their actions. Dont forget that it is also a drivers responsibility to show a 15 min other work tacho sign, to show you have carried out your daily checks.
on the recent DCPC course i done, it come up about the 15 minute dailycheck that vosa expect, according to the guy doing the course, he said thats a load of rubbish, he said you can thoroughly check your vehicle in 5 mins.
I start work at 7 but by the time i’ve ■■■■■■ about making sure its loaded properly, sorted out paper work, checked the map its normally 730-740, so does this mean i should be putting the chart in at 7? I normally put the chart in just before i leave, but the company do ask us to mark when we start and the finish.
If you put the tacho in when you arrive at or start work and the vehicle is “yours”, then you can avoid faffing about with manual entries. Similarly at the end of the day.
Snudger:
If you put the tacho in when you arrive at or start work and the vehicle is “yours”, then you can avoid faffing about with manual entries. Similarly at the end of the day.
We do have our “own” lorrys but they like it to be done so the can work out if we’re going over a 48hour average week crap. They say mark on the card when we start getting paid and when we finish getting paid.
we were told at our cpc course that vosa will not now accept you ticking boxes or writing o.k
i.e
mirrors o.k
lights o.k
you must put
mirrors-ckd
oil-ckd
lights ckd
if you have a list of 20/30 items to check you must put ckd in box next to each item,you cant put checked=ticked.
told we must carry photo -copy of original and present it if required to prove we have done our checks,also minium of 15 mins showing on tacho
I have just checked this years VOSA Drivers Hours Guidebook as provided on TNUK (thankyou Coffee) and it doesn’t say anything about allocating 15 minutes at the start of your shift to a circle check.
Have I missed a page?
It seems to me that it is good sense to check around your truck and trailer before you set off. Even more good sense to record this work so you get paid for it.
We even have dollops at our place who leave their tractor units running for 15 minutes before they fetch their trailer each morning, just because
“The DCPC man said so…”
I’m so glad the DCPC is working out so well…
W
ady1:
we were told at our cpc course that vosa will not now accept you ticking boxes or writing o.k
i.e
mirrors o.k
lights o.k
you must put
mirrors-ckd
oil-ckd
lights ckd
if you have a list of 20/30 items to check you must put ckd in box next to each item,you cant put checked=ticked.
told we must carry photo -copy of original and present it if required to prove we have done our checks,also minium of 15 mins showing on tacho
as i said, you dont legally have to do all the above, but you do have to record defects, you dont have to record “no defects”
AlexWignall:
I have just checked this years VOSA Drivers Hours Guidebook as provided on TNUK (thankyou Coffee) and it doesn’t say anything about allocating 15 minutes at the start of your shift to a circle check.Have I missed a page?
It seems to me that it is good sense to check around your truck and trailer before you set off. Even more good sense to record this work so you get paid for it.
We even have dollops at our place who leave their tractor units running for 15 minutes before they fetch their trailer each morning. “Just because the DCPC man said so…”
I’m so glad the DCPC is working out so well…
W
one of ours was asked what mode he would have his tacho on when doing his checks,break 
I dont like filling the chart out first because if it turns out that the lorry is ■■■■■■, i have to ■■■■ about filling another one in.
Saaamon:
I dont like filling the chart out first because if it turns out that the lorry is [zb], i have to [zb] about filling another one in.
Eer… Yeah?
Don’t you want a legal record of the work that you have done to make sure you get tilled up for it?
ady1:
AlexWignall:
I have just checked this years VOSA Drivers Hours Guidebook as provided on TNUK (thankyou Coffee) and it doesn’t say anything about allocating 15 minutes at the start of your shift to a circle check.Have I missed a page?
It seems to me that it is good sense to check around your truck and trailer before you set off. Even more good sense to record this work so you get paid for it.
We even have dollops at our place who leave their tractor units running for 15 minutes before they fetch their trailer each morning. “Just because the DCPC man said so…”
I’m so glad the DCPC is working out so well…
W
one of ours was asked what mode he would have his tacho on when doing his checks,break
Awesome!
Why should England tremble…?
Im on days so we have to clock in anyway. You could be doing anything in the “15mins other work” before you drive, i know it looks good to show it but it stands for ■■■■ all imo. I dont know how vosa could kick up a fuss about it seeing as its not a legal requirement.
on the cpc course i was at, the guy showed a vosa daily check video, supposedly how it should be done, first off, the vosa guy got straight in and revved the nuts of the engine without checking the oil or coolant levels, then done one side of the unit and trailer very thoroughly and virtually run down the other. the video lasted 26 mins and he spent 23 of that on 1 side f the unit and trailer lol