Not sure if this affects many/any… but may be of interest that for those distributing salt drivers’ hours have been relaxed for this weekend owing to all things snow!..
roadtransport.com/Articles/2 … ction.html
Cheers
This sort of thing is allowable under the regulations as it comes under an emergency clause.
I think the same sort of thing came into temporary force when the floods were about.
Yep, I think it is the third time it has happened- not long after I started in the late 1980s, tacho regs were suspended for about a fortnight for all HGV drivers because of a long spell of snowy weather and I wouldn’t be surprised if this happens again this time round.
they’ve also relaxed the rules for drivers delivering Animal Feeds and de-icer products to airports
there my even do it for the milk tankers soon as some farmers were saying that there not had pick ups and are throwing it away
They’re going to have to do something with the milk tankers, it’s getting quite ridiculous out there.
Denis F:
they’ve also relaxed the rules for drivers delivering Animal Feeds and de-icer products to airports
Anyone tell me what they are relaxed to…
i.e.
how many hours can you drive
how much rest is the minimum
what about weekend.
we do a lot of animal feed so would be a help, but want to keep within the law.
Presume you have to mark the rear of tacho card with reasons.
Is there somewhere online that i can print off a copy of “notice of relaxation” (for want of a better expression!)
I believe farm milk collection vehicles are tacho exempt anyway due to perishable goods. It is more of a fact that the wagons physically cant get up farm tracks to pick the milk up, hence why they have to throw the milk away, as many farmers with what is now milk link are every other day collection anyway and so arnt allowed to store milk any longer than that due to dairy policies.
I believe farm milk collection vehicles are tacho exempt anyway due to perishable goods. It is more of a fact that the wagons physically cant get up farm tracks to pick the milk up, hence why they have to throw the milk away, as many farmers with what is now milk link are every other day collection anyway and so arnt allowed to store milk any longer than that due to dairy policies, but also many dont have the physical capacity to store anymore milk due to the size of their bulk tanks. I only know this because my father does this for a living, and has been saying there is alot of fun to be had to say the least, although he feels some farmers could make more of an attempt to clear the tracks/ yards. Although another argument of his is that if they cant get up with enough weight on the drive axle without the tag exle dropping then how can a fire engine get up if needed?
Denis F:
they’ve also relaxed the rules for drivers delivering Animal Feeds and de-icer products to airports
hey hey, happy pigs. and a happy phil.
but hang on, what about this. delivering concrete, then picking up feed, then delivering timber, then picking up feed.etc, etc?
i’m not on it day i day out.
limeyphil:
but hang on, what about this. delivering concrete, then picking up feed, then delivering timber, then picking up feed.etc, etc?
i’m not on it day i day out.
I would say that they will take the view that if the feed delivery required a relaxation of the the rules then ok but not the rest and I doubt if they would allow a relaxation if the feed was an early delivery in the shift and the rest was afterwards as the rest could be delayed
toowise:
Denis F:
they’ve also relaxed the rules for drivers delivering Animal Feeds and de-icer products to airportsAnyone tell me what they are relaxed to…
it’s the same as the grit drivers in the link in the first post
I got it on an email from the RHA
TEMPORARY RELAXATION OF THE ENFORCEMENT OF DRIVERS’ HOURS AND WORKING TIME RULES: DISTRIBUTION OF ANIMAL FEED FROM ANIMAL FEED MANUFACTURERS TO FARMS
The Department for Transport has agreed to a temporary, and limited, emergency relaxation (not suspension) of the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours and working-time rules for those hauliers involved in the distribution of animal feed from animal feed manufacturers to farms.
This temporary relaxation of enforcement applies immediately and will run until 23:59 Monday 11 January 2010 and will apply only to those drivers involved in the distribution of animal feed from animal feed manufacturers to farms.
For the drivers and work in question, the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours rules are now temporarily relaxed as follows:-
- Replacement of the EU daily driving limit of 9 hours with one of 10 hours
- Reduction of the daily rest requirements from 11 to 9 hours
- Lifting the weekly (56 hours) and fortnightly driving limit (90 hours)
- Postponing the weekly rest requirement until 23:59 Monday 11 January 2010, at which stage a driver has to take a minimum rest of 24 hours (with no compensatory rest required)
The requirement to take a 45 minute break after 4½ hours driving remains and will continue to be rigorously enforced.
The enforcement of working time rules have also been relaxed for this period to allow drivers to work hours in excess of the usual 60 hour weekly maximum. This extra time should be recorded, but does not count for the purposes of determining average working time.
The practical implementation of the temporary relaxation of enforcement should be through agreement between employers and employees and/or driver representatives.
The Department also wishes to make clear that driver safety must not be jeopardised. Drivers should not be expected to drive whilst tired - employers remain responsible for the safety of their employees and other road users.
The drivers in question must note on the back of their tachograph charts or printouts the reasons why they are exceeding the normally permitted limits. This is usual practice in emergencies and is, of course, essential for enforcement purposes.
The temporary relaxation of the enforcement of the rules described above reflects the exceptional circumstances of the extreme weather conditions. The Department wishes to emphasise that, as a general rule we expect business to plan for and manage the risks of disruption to supply chains.
All enquiries regarding interpretation of these temporary arrangements should, in the first instance, be made to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency on 0300 1239000 or via email at enquiries@vos a.gov.uk
We will keep these temporary arrangements under review as the full implications of the extreme weather become apparent.
Harry Monk:
Yep, I think it is the third time it has happened- not long after I started in the late 1980s, tacho regs were suspended for about a fortnight for all HGV drivers because of a long spell of snowy weather and I wouldn’t be surprised if this happens again this time round.
I doubt that… I know of someone who got charged today and fined £200 at Carlisle Weighbridge for driving 1hr over (Drove 11hrs) so he could park up away from the A/M2 down by Teynham. MInding hes been off for 2 weeks and no other cards were dodgy it does seem a little harsh that theyd rather have you stuck somewhere you dont know anyone than as go somewhere a little safer…
it might be a good idea to get the delivery lines photocopied and carry them with you just incase you are stopped so you have some sort of proof to show that you were excempt from the rules at that times, as we all know vosa will scrutinise everything and wont beleive anything written on the back of the chart without proof in front of them
scottishcruiser:
Harry Monk:
Yep, I think it is the third time it has happened- not long after I started in the late 1980s, tacho regs were suspended for about a fortnight for all HGV drivers because of a long spell of snowy weather and I wouldn’t be surprised if this happens again this time round.I doubt that… I know of someone who got charged today and fined £200 at Carlisle Weighbridge for driving 1hr over (Drove 11hrs) so he could park up away from the A/M2 down by Teynham. MInding hes been off for 2 weeks and no other cards were dodgy it does seem a little harsh that theyd rather have you stuck somewhere you dont know anyone than as go somewhere a little safer…
it does mate as it says this in the regs
10<hours<11
£60
11<hours<12
£120
12<hours
£200
Exceed 10 hours daily driving (where applicable)
Article 6(1) para 2 561/2006
I love the quote from one of the hauliers who has been collecting from the salt mines.Along the lines of …we’ve had drivers waiting three or four hours for loads…Hello!!! Welcome to the rest of the haulage industry !!!
And scottishcruiser, the de regulation is not carte blanche for anyone. Tell your mate he should of said he was carrying salt fish !!!
ahh well just carry on as normal then…if its ending at midnight on monday 11 Jan it wont affect me…i’ll be doing 10 hours monday anyway and off sunday to be at home with the family.
So if its an relaxation 
due to severe weather and it ends on monday night does that mean that the snow will be gone by then and were getting warmer weather?
Amazing it’s OK to work longer hours and have short rest periods when it suit the goverment
miketdt:
Amazing it’s OK to work longer hours and have short rest periods when it suit the goverment
It’s got nowt to do with what suits the government, it’s a case of keeping the food supply chain moving. Dairy cows need concentrated feeds to produce milk, they don’t just live on grass you know. The job of delivering the feed itself involves fairly specialised equipment and of course local knowledge, you can’t just hire extra bulk blowers in from BRS truck rental and bung an agency bod in 'em!
Not only are mills like ours having problems with getting feeds out to farmers, but it’s compounded by the delays in getting raw materials in to us.For example, powdered limestone is one of the additives. That’s the stuff that puts the calcium into the milk BTW. Our usual supplier is in Somerset; quarry out of action till Thursday. No better in Derbyshire, the next nearest.
A lot of this has been compounded by the Christmas/New Year break. Suppliers are shut down, in some cases for nearly a fortnight; we’d only just recovered from the delays caused by the last lot of bad weather. Since the next lot hit over the holiday weekend, no-one got a chance to get ahead with the bulk raw materials, resulting in further delays. Like every other firm, we’ve only got so much storage space of course.
Ok then what about the silly WTD I can not see anwhere that says the hours can be relaxed