Hi All.
Can you clarify this for me please.
Since did my training for my rigid licence I was told if you drive over 9 hours you have to have a continuous break of 45 which is what I have always done and never questioned it. One of the lads at work tells me he has a 15 followed by a 30 if he goes over 9 and has never got an infringment, is this right?
Cheers
Alcpone:
Hi All.Can you clarify this for me please.
Since did my training for my rigid licence I was told if you drive over 9 hours you have to have a continuous break of 45 which is what I have always done and never questioned it. One of the lads at work tells me he has a 15 followed by a 30 if he goes over 9 and has never got an infringment, is this right?
Yes
fingermissing:
Alcpone:
Hi All.Can you clarify this for me please.
Since did my training for my rigid licence I was told if you drive over 9 hours you have to have a continuous break of 45 which is what I have always done and never questioned it. One of the lads at work tells me he has a 15 followed by a 30 if he goes over 9 and has never got an infringment, is this right?
Yes
Your mates system looks good to me.
He has a 15 minute pee break in the afternoon, then later on realises that he’ll need to drive for more than 9 hours. So he drops in another 30 minute tea/coffee break and is then good to go. Jobs a goodun’, no infringement incurred 
The regs have never mentioned requiring a continuous break of 45 minutes.
They have always said a break or breaks totalling 45 minutes. They then tell you how you are allowed to split your breaks, which has varied over the years.
I’m guessing you’ve already had a break or breaks totalling 45 minutes earlier in the day and you were only on about the second break or breaks totalling 45 minutes for doing more than 9 hours driving ?
You don’t have to have a break just because you go over 9 hours driving if you still have an hour left on your stint from your second break.
If I’m doing a 10 I try and work it so I take my breaks earlier, e.g, 3 hour drive - break - 3 hour drive - break - 4 hour drive - finish.
Taking a 45 break 1 hour before you have to park up for the night is straining your self in your first two 4.5 hour stints in my opinion.
As I understand it
4.5 hrs DRIVING needs 45 so, a second 45 needed at 9hrs DRIVING
6 hrs driving (under 4.5hrs)+OTHER WORK needs 15minute break
9hrs driving(under4.5hrs)+OW needs another 15, I stand to be corrected on this
If you hit the 4.5hrs driving say after your 15@6hrs, you need to take a 30 to make up the 45 to comply with tacho regs
If you’re splitting your 45 it has to be done in the order of 15mins then the other 30
Alcpone:
Since did my training for my rigid licence I was told if you drive over 9 hours you have to have a continuous break of 45 which is what I have always done and never questioned it. One of the lads at work tells me he has a 15 followed by a 30 if he goes over 9 and has never got an infringment, is this right?
FarnboroughBoy11:
You don’t have to have a break just because you go over 9 hours driving
This ^^^
You do need two breaks totalling 45 minutes each if you do more than 9 hours driving, but they can be taken at any time as long as you never total more than 4.5 hours driving time between 45 minute breaks, any 45 minute driving breaks can be split breaks.
Forget driving over 9 hours. Just remember that at or before you exceed 4.5 (270 minutes) driving you must take a break of 45 minutes.
For me it makes more sense to take a break at around 3 hours, this covers you for both RTD and EC rules. Take another break after the next 3.5 hours or so. then you are good to go right up until you complete 10 hours or even 9h 01m driving.
The motoring associations advise drivers to take a break every 2 hours anyway, we are not some superhuman beings trying to prove we can drive aforesaid 270 minutes without getting tired or bored.
If a driver does it like that, there is really not much need for the RTD or even POA
Thanks for replies. Turns out the trainer at van hee driver training was full of ■■■■. Makes me wonder on other things I may have been taught.