Been doing few weekend runs for one of the “big” firms and their truck broke down, driving time was only about 6 hrs and all breaks etc were fine but the break down was putting me about 1.5 hrs over my daily max working time (15hrs)?
They told me it would be acceptable if stopped that I have a printout explaining that I had a break down. In my opinion that’s not correct, I had plenty of places to pull in for my minimum 9 hr rest period, but all they wanted was their load delivered.
Who’s correct here me or them and what would happen if I am pulled in this week in my own truck?
Provided that road safety is not jeopardised, and to enable a driver to reach a
suitable stopping place, a departure from the EU rules may be permitted to the extent necessary to ensure the safety of persons,
the vehicle or its load. Drivers must note all the reasons for doing so on the back of their tachograph
record sheets (if using an analogue tachograph) or on a printout or temporary sheet (if using a digital
tachograph) at the latest on reaching the suitable stopping place (see relevant sections covering manual
entries). Repeated and regular occurrences, however, might indicate to enforcement officers that
employers were not in fact scheduling work to enable compliance with the applicable rules.
