hi, im taking my training in feb once im through my class 2 test i have a job guarenteed. could you please help me oout on the driving hours, explain it easy for me to understand, driving short break waiting driving resting. as i think i,ll be working away from home mon till friday night. analog tachograph.
if someone could put up how they operate during the week would be very helpful. i already have New Drivers Hours’ Rules On 11 April 2007, the current Regulations governing drivers’ hours will change, and Council Regulation (EC) No 3820/85 will be replaced by Regulation (EC) No 561/2006
example set off 8.00 am monday drive 4 & half hours 3 quarters hour break drive another 4 & half hours so i work it out of 24 hours 9 & 3 quater hrs
leaves 14 & quater hrs to rest in a 24 hr period minimun 11 hours rest reduced to 9 hrs rest 3 times a week. (( if you drive 56 hrs one week you can only drive 34 week after total driving hrs in a fortnight 90 hrs.
((((can you split your rest periods ((example i would prefer to drive during the night when roads are quiet. (((((please someone put here your weekly schedule starting mon mourning till friday night or sat mourning
driving and breaks and resting))))))) much appreciated thank you i want to learn everything i can so i don,t do nothing wrong
It might be easier if you post how you would like to do your week and then let the experts on here inform you as to whether it is legal or not and they will give the reasons as to why.
You seem to have the basic jist with regard to actual driving time which is good but I think that you may need help on the WTD and other work especially in conjuntion with daily & weekly rests - am I correct 
yes as much info as possible , if i start work driving 8.00 am mon drive 4 hrs with a break of 30 mins then stop after another 1 hr to unload then drive another 4 hrs whiuch will make it 5.30 pm do i have to rest for a minimun of 11 hrs which would be tues 4.30 am can start driving again 4 hrs 30 mins rest 45 mins drive another 1 hr to unload then drive 2 &3 quarter hrs time 1.30 pm
then rest either 9 hrs or 11 hrs
gothika:
yes as much info as possible , if i start work driving 8.00 am mon drive 4 hrs with a break of 30 mins then stop after another 1 hr to unload then drive another 4 hrs whiuch will make it 5.30 pm do i have to rest for a minimun of 11 hrs which would be tues 4.30 am can start driving again 4 hrs 30 mins rest 45 mins drive another 1 hr to unload then drive 2 &3 quarter hrs time 1.30 pm
then rest either 9 hrs or 11 hrs
8 to 12 driving = 4 hours driving time
12 to 1230 rest 30 mins
1230 to 130 driving - NOW ILLEGAL as should have had another 30 mins rest at 1pm (the first rest could be reduced to 15 mins though)
Try to put over your day like this…
D = Driving OW = Other Work R = Rest POA = Period Of Availability (where you have been told that there will be a delay in getting you loaded/unloaded but you can use your time as you please but be available at short notice to restart)
Example…
OW 8 to 815 safety checks = 15 mins
D 815 to 1215 = 4 hours
R 1215 to 1230 = 15 mins (the 15 min Rest must come before the 30 min)
D 1230 to 1 = 30 mins (now at MAX 4.5 Driving time)
R 1 to 130 = 30 mins (now got 45 mins Rest for 4.5 hours Driving)
D 130 to 2 = 30 mins
OW 2 to 3 = 1 hour (un/loading)
D 3 to 7 = 4 hours (MUST take 45 min Rest now if to carry on with another 1 hour Driving if you want to use one of your 10 hour Driving days)
End shift at 7pm
can restart at 4 am by using one reduced daily Rest period
I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON THESE MATTERS - Coffeeholic or Tachograph ARE - (just hope I got this right or I’ll get SHOT 
AGAIN 
)
gothika:
if i start work driving 8.00 am mon drive 4 hrs with a break of 30 mins then stop after another 1 hr to unload then drive another 4 hrs whiuch will make it 5.30 pm do i have to rest for a minimun of 11 hrs which would be tues 4.30 am can start driving again 4 hrs 30 mins rest 45 mins drive another 1 hr to unload then drive 2 &3 quarter hrs time 1.30 pm
then rest either 9 hrs or 11 hrs
If you start work at 08:00 Monday and drive for 4 hours then have a break of 30 minutes and then drive for another 1 hour before stopping to unload you will have exceeded the driving limit of 4.5 hours driving before having a 45 minute break.
If you finish work at 17:30 Monday then have a daily rest of 11 hours then yes you can start work again at 04:30 Tuesday.
You would be free to start driving again at 04:30 Tuesday, drive for 4.5 hours then have a 45 minute break, drive another 1 hour to unload, after unloading you would be free to drive for up-to another 3.5 hours before needing to stop for either a 45 minute break or a daily rest period of 11/9 hours.
A working day can begin when you’ve had the required daily rest, You don’t have to wait untill the 24 hour period is up if that’s what you mean.
Breaks from driving
After four and a half hours driving, a driver must take a break of at least 45 minutes.
This break may be split into smaller periods and distributed throughout the 41/2 hour. In this case, the first period must be at least 15 minutes, and the second period must be at least 30 minutes.
The break is a period during which the driver may not perform any other work and is exclusively used for recuperation.
WTD Breaks
No mobile worker shall work for more than six hours without a break.
Working time shall be interrupted by a break of at least 30 minutes, if working hours total between six and nine hours.
Working time shall be interrupted by a break of at least 45 minutes, if working hours total more than nine hours.
Each break may be made up of separate periods of not less than 15 minutes each.
The driving breaks and the wtd breaks complement each other, If a 45 minute break or first part of a split 45 minute break is taken to comply with the driving regulations it will count towards the wtd break, likewise if a break is taken in order to comply with the wtd regulations it can count towards the mandatory driving break as long as it fits in with the driving break regulations.
Daily rest
A daily rest period of 11 hours should be taken in the 24 hour period commencing at the end of the last daily or weekly rest period.
The daily rest period may be reduced to 9 hours no more than three times between any two weekly rest periods. There is no compensation required for this.
Where a driver takes daily rest periods away from base, they may be taken in a vehicle, provided that there are suitable sleeping facilities for each driver and the vehicle is stationary.
Split Daily rest
When split daily rest is taken it must total12 hours.
The 12 hour rest period can be taken in two periods.
The first period must be at least 3 hours, and the second at least 9 hours.
Not sure what regulation booklets you have but Rules on Drivers’ Hours and Tachographs Goods vehicles in the UK and Europe should help.
why are there so many questions on this subject not because it is over complicated is it, long and short of it the hours are to long and need to be 40 max per week
when you don,t know and need to learn theres a lot to take in, thank you everyone for helping me on this, im not sure about working time directive what exactly is working time directive and what does it mean thank you in advance
gothika:
when you don,t know and need to learn theres a lot to take in
Unfortunately some people forget how confusing the regulations can seem when a person isn’t used to them.
gothika:
thank you everyone for helping me on this, im not sure about working time directive what exactly is working time directive and what does it mean thank you in advance
Unfortunately we have to work to more than one set of regulations, “The drivers hours and tachograph regulations” which obviously deals with the regulations for drivers, and the “Work Time Directive for Mobile Workers” usually refered to as the WTD.
The WTD is a set of regulations for all mobile workers not just drivers, there is a WTD for other industries but for obvious reasons when you see it referred to here it’s generally the WTD for mobile workers.
The WTD sets out mandatory break and rest periods as well as a maximum allowed working week.
For instance it stipulates that no mobile worker should work for more than 6 hours without a break of at least 15 minutes, if you work between 6 and nine hours you should have a break of at least 30 minutes before the end of the shift (not at the end of shift), if you work for more than nine hours you should have a break of at least 45 minutes again before the end of the shift, these breaks can be split into parts of no less than 15 minutes.
The WTD also stipulates a maximum working week of 60 hours and a maximum working week of 48 hours averaged out over a period of 17 weeks, there is a bit more to it than I’ve posted here but the best thing for you to do would be to have a look at the regulations and post back if you need any help.
[u]A link to the Working Time Directive for Mobile Workers[/u]
Good luck.
gothika:
when you don,t know and need to learn theres a lot to take in, thank you everyone for helping me on this, im not sure about working time directive what exactly is working time directive and what does it mean thank you in advance
WTD is another set of Regs which govern working hours.
Tachograph has posted “WTD Breaks” above, so I’ll not try to re-phrase it. 
I’ll attempt an explanation though, because it does appear confusing that there are two sets of Regs for what appears to be the same thing.
Drivers’ hours Regs govern the length of time that you’re allowed to drive, the breaks that you must take and the rest (off-duty) that you must take. It’s probably best to think of those Regs as “driving” hours.
WTD Regs govern the “other work” that many drivers are asked to do, such as loading/unloading, and various forms of generally hanging around-- ie. on duty working, but not actually driving.
To better explain, it WAS possible to start your shift (clock-on) and hang around for, say, 3 hours. Then you’d be sent out on a job, and the boss could then expect you to drive for 4.5 hrs max before you HAD TO take a break. Just think, you’d then be 7.5 hrs into your shift— don’t know about you mate, but I need my pies and cups of tea After 7.5 hrs without pies, I’d need medical attention All joking aside, what I’ve explained WAS legal back then
Since the WTD came in, the same scenario would go like this: clock-on, then hang around for the 3hrs-- same up to now. BUT, you could then only drive 3hrs (not 4.5) because there is a WTD limit of 6hrs without a break. So you might think of the WTD as a kind of safety net for the hungry pie eaters of this world 
Another way to look at this is to imagine that if you obey the drivers’ hours rules correctly, you have little to fear from the WTD on a day-to-day basis. I haven’t tried an explanation of either set of Regs, cos that far better left to Coffeeholic and Tachograph, as they’re the acknowledged gurus on such matters. I hope my analogy helped things to “click” for you.
Did it
this is a great forum and a great set of people on it, just like to say thanx to all and appreciate all your help. once im working, i won,t be on here as much but will still look when i can, it all depends getting through my test which will be feb late i think
this is what i,ve been told but this does,nt sound right after looking at what you,ve all said 4 and half hrs take 45 min break drive another 4 and half hrs take another 45 min break then 11 hrs rest or 9 hrs and what is Period Of Availability how do i use that this is my last on this subject as im nearly there understanding everything thanx to you all
gothika:
this is what i,ve been told but this does,nt sound right after looking at what you,ve all said 4 and half hrs take 45 min break drive another 4 and half hrs take another 45 min break then 11 hrs rest or 9 hrs and what is Period Of Availability how do i use that this is my last on this subject as im nearly there understanding everything thanx to you all
First things first.
4 and a half hours drive, 45 min break, 4 and a half hours drive, start 9 or 11 hour rest. No need for that second 45 minute break.
POA is time when you’re at work, but not actually doing any. You need to know how long this period will be, either from being told or from past experience.
eg, waiting to tip at an RDC. The goods in desk jockey tells you, " we’ll get to you in an hour". Or, last time you were here the queue was 6 trucks, you waited an hour. This time the queue is 4 trucks, you’ll probably wait 40 minutes.
POA doesn’t count as working time for the WTD, neither do’s break.
Unless you don’t get paid for time on break but do get paid on POA, or taking a break now is going to make your day longer, use break, it’s simpler.
Simon:
gothika:
this is what i,ve been told but this does,nt sound right after looking at what you,ve all said 4 and half hrs take 45 min break drive another 4 and half hrs take another 45 min break then 11 hrs rest or 9 hrs and what is Period Of Availability how do i use that this is my last on this subject as im nearly there understanding everything thanx to you allFirst things first.
4 and a half hours drive, 45 min break, 4 and a half hours drive, start 9 or 11 hour rest. No need for that second 45 minute break.POA is time when you’re at work, but not actually doing any. You need to know how long this period will be, either from being told or from past experience.
eg, waiting to tip at an RDC. The goods in desk jockey tells you, " we’ll get to you in an hour". Or, last time you were here the queue was 6 trucks, you waited an hour. This time the queue is 4 trucks, you’ll probably wait 40 minutes.
POA doesn’t count as working time for the WTD, neither do’s break.
Unless you don’t get paid for time on break but do get paid on POA, or taking a break now is going to make your day longer, use break, it’s simpler.
just one more question on this in for example in one day i drive 4 & half hrs break- 45 mins drive 2 hr -unload -1 hr drive another -2 & half hrs then 11 hrs min rest out of 24 hrs that leaves 3 and a quarter hrs left, (((if i drive 45 hrs a week as you can only drive 90 hrs per fortnight))) that means i can use other 3 quarter hrs as rest. because if i use 10 hrs a week driving twice a week and use 9 hrs minimun rest 3 times a week. means next weeks driving will be less hrs. i am assuming that 1 week is always different to the next depending on how far you have to travel , if your,re behind because of waiting
a long time to unload, then you would use the 10 hrs driving twice a week and 9 hrs min rest period for that week, so 47 hrs driving for that week, week after you would only be able to drive 43 hrs. as if i drove say sat and was 56 hrs the week afdter i can only drive 34 hrs. could you tell me if this is correct please as i,ve studied your posts and i think this is how things work
thank you very much on all this thanx to everyone for helping out a brilliant forum which im glad i found by doing some research.
gothika:
Simon:
gothika:
this is what i,ve been told but this does,nt sound right after looking at what you,ve all said 4 and half hrs take 45 min break drive another 4 and half hrs take another 45 min break then 11 hrs rest or 9 hrs and what is Period Of Availability how do i use that this is my last on this subject as im nearly there understanding everything thanx to you allFirst things first.
4 and a half hours drive, 45 min break, 4 and a half hours drive, start 9 or 11 hour rest. No need for that second 45 minute break.POA is time when you’re at work, but not actually doing any. You need to know how long this period will be, either from being told or from past experience.
eg, waiting to tip at an RDC. The goods in desk jockey tells you, " we’ll get to you in an hour". Or, last time you were here the queue was 6 trucks, you waited an hour. This time the queue is 4 trucks, you’ll probably wait 40 minutes.
POA doesn’t count as working time for the WTD, neither do’s break.
Unless you don’t get paid for time on break but do get paid on POA, or taking a break now is going to make your day longer, use break, it’s simpler.just one more question on this in for example in one day i drive 4 & half hrs break- 45 mins drive 2 hr -unload -1 hr drive another -2 & half hrs then 11 hrs min rest out of 24 hrs that leaves 3 and a quarter hrs left, (((if i drive 45 hrs a week as you can only drive 90 hrs per fortnight))) that means i can use other 3 quarter hrs as rest. because if i use 10 hrs a week driving twice a week and use 9 hrs minimun rest 3 times a week. means next weeks driving will be less hrs. i am assuming that 1 week is always different to the next depending on how far you have to travel , if your,re behind because of waiting
a long time to unload, then you would use the 10 hrs driving twice a week and 9 hrs min rest period for that week, so 47 hrs driving for that week, week after you would only be able to drive 43 hrs. could you tell me if this is correct please as i,ve studied your posts and i think this is how things work
thank you very much on all this thanx to everyone for helping out a brilliant forum which im glad i found by doing some research.
if i wanted could i stop 3 times during the day for an hr each if im not behind in any work and after driving 9 hrs with a 45 min break in between then have 11 hrs min rest or would you get bollocked for that, as long as im on schedule
gothika:
if i wanted could i stop 3 times during the day for an hr each if im not behind in any work and after driving 9 hrs with a 45 min break in between then have 11 hrs min rest or would you get bollocked for that, as long as im on schedule
You’re not likely to find yourself in that situation very often m8.
In answer to your 2 questions
-
You can drive for a maximum of 56 hours per week and 90 hours in any 2 consecutive weeks. So, if you did the maximum driving of 56 hours in week 1 then you would indeed only have 34 hours available for week 2. Drive 47 hours in week 1 and you have a maximum of 43 hours available in week 2. If you did 47 hours in week 1 and only 40 in week 2, you would then have a maximum of 50 hours driving available in week 3 as the 2 week period is a rolling period
-
It would depend entirely on your boss and whether you are paid for breaks or not. Some bosses work on the as long as it gets done on time I don’t care if you take an extra break or two theory while others would be nipping down to Toys R Us - (other toy emporiums are available) - to ensure they had enough toys to throw out the pram.
gothika:
just one more question on this in for example in one day i drive 4 & half hrs break- 45 mins drive 2 hr -unload -1 hr drive another -2 & half hrs then 11 hrs min rest out of 24 hrs that leaves 3 and a quarter hrs left, (((if i drive 45 hrs a week as you can only drive 90 hrs per fortnight))) that means i can use other 3 quarter hrs as rest. because if i use 10 hrs a week driving twice a week and use 9 hrs minimun rest 3 times a week. means next weeks driving will be less hrs. i am assuming that 1 week is always different to the next depending on how far you have to travel , if your,re behind because of waiting
a long time to unload, then you would use the 10 hrs driving twice a week and 9 hrs min rest period for that week, so 47 hrs driving for that week, week after you would only be able to drive 43 hrs. as if i drove say sat and was 56 hrs the week afdter i can only drive 34 hrs. could you tell me if this is correct please as i,ve studied your posts and i think this is how things work
thank you very much on all this thanx to everyone for helping out a brilliant forum which im glad i found by doing some research.
Sorry but I’m struggling to understand what you mean.
You’re allowed to drive for a maximum of 56 hours in one week but you can only drive for 90 hours in any two consecutive weeks.
so if you drive for 47 hours in a week then you would only be able to drive for a maximum of 43 hours in the preceding week and the following week.
If you drive for 56 hours in one week then yes you would only be able to drive for a maximum of 34 hours in the preceding week and the following week
If you was behind because of being held up at a delivery it shouldn’t affect your driving time, work time and driving time are separate things, though it could possibly mean you would need to reduce the daily rest period.
gothika:
for example in one day i drive 4 & half hrs break- 45 mins drive 2 hr -unload -1 hr drive another -2 & half hrs then 11 hrs min rest out of 24 hrs that leaves 3 and a quarter hrs left,
You’re free to start work again as soon as you’ve completed the required daily rest period, you could say that the 24 hour period begins when you start work and ends when you’ve completed the required daily rest period.
tachograph:
gothika:
for example in one day i drive 4 & half hrs break- 45 mins drive 2 hr -unload -1 hr drive another -2 & half hrs then 11 hrs min rest out of 24 hrs that leaves 3 and a quarter hrs left,You’re free to start work again as soon as you’ve completed the required daily rest period, you could say that the 24 hour period begins when you start work and ends when you’ve completed the required daily rest period.
are you sure thats right m8, saying 24 period when you start work say 8 am if you finnished driving and had 11 hrs min rest this would be end of 24 hr period even if it worked out at 21 and a quarter hrs i know i can start driving again once my 11 hrs rest is up. thank you