Hello fellow members
I am new to the digi tacho card as i have drove a paper tacho lorry for many years&i drove a lorry with a digi tacho on Friday&it was coming up to my break when i got stuck in a horrendous traffic jam on the M1 approaching the A38 northbound&was going to stop at the next services to have my break which was only a few miles away but i had to come off at the A38 turn off but that was choca block with traffic trying to get off the M1 to find alternatives routes. The upshot of being in the jam was that i went over my driving time by 15 minutes which i could do nothing about. The details on my printout are as follows. driving 1 hour 31 mins, break 44 minutes, driving 3 hours 13 minutes (driving time 4 hours 44 minutes) break 52 minutes, driving 1 hour 19 minutes. The total driving hours were 6 hours 3 minutes & the total break time was 1 hour 38 minutes but i am concerned about what will happen as i went over my driving hours as it was 4 hours 44 minutes can anybody tell me what the consequences will be please ?
Do a print out, write down the reasons for the late break (traffic delay on M1, stopped at first safe place to do so) hand in to your firm first opportunity. Shame you didn’t take an extra minute at your first break as you’d have been covered. Assuming you haven’t made a habit of this you should get a telling off and that’s it. DVSA won’t be interested in a one off.
Thanks vid, i know i thought i had taken a 45 on my 1st break !
Just do a printout and keep it somewhere safe in your cab or in a plastic wallet, don’t put it in your actual wallet, the ink will rub off. If you do get stopped tell the officer that you went over your time at X place and time and show him the printout. Traffic happens so they would likely let you off but if you are going over every Friday then they won’t be too happy.
My mate drove for 4 hours 39 minutes, he was arrested on the road side, detained for two nights, then sent to break up rocks in Siberia with an ice pick.
Last I heard,he was electrocuted for the death sentence of the heinous crime of not being tuned in to local traffic bulletins that warn of delays so you take breaks beforehand.
Don’t worry about it,do a printout explain on reverse the circumstances why you went over your hours and providing your not someone who regularly breaks the law you’ll be fine,as they say ■■■■ happens 
Press the down button on your digi tacho when on break and it will show you how much break is accumulated in the bottom right hand corner.
Some trucks also have the driving time display available in the dash display, usually accessed via the computer options.
Forget 15, 30, 45 breaks etc think of them as 20, 35, 50… but now im confusing things.
The advice to do a printout and write the reasons for the infringement on it is OK - But the printout/written entry should be done at the time, not a day or so later. This has nothing to do with digital tachographs - the rules are the same for lorries using analogue charts.
Roymondo:
The advice to do a printout and write the reasons for the infringement on it is OK - But the printout/written entry should be done at the time, not a day or so later. This has nothing to do with digital tachographs - the rules are the same for lorries using analogue charts.
I lost my original printout, must of thrown it out when cleaning the cab. Did another one and wrote why on the back along with the original info.
Radar19:
Roymondo:
The advice to do a printout and write the reasons for the infringement on it is OK - But the printout/written entry should be done at the time, not a day or so later. This has nothing to do with digital tachographs - the rules are the same for lorries using analogue charts.I lost my original printout, must of thrown it out when cleaning the cab. Did another one and wrote why on the back along with the original info.
Smart. Would you do the same if you had a paper chart with “inconvenient” information on it?
Roymondo:
Radar19:
Roymondo:
The advice to do a printout and write the reasons for the infringement on it is OK - But the printout/written entry should be done at the time, not a day or so later. This has nothing to do with digital tachographs - the rules are the same for lorries using analogue charts.I lost my original printout, must of thrown it out when cleaning the cab. Did another one and wrote why on the back along with the original info.
Smart. Would you do the same if you had a paper chart with “inconvenient” information on it?
Nope. Genuine mistake.
■■■■ happens. I hadn’t gone over since last year but have transgressed 3 times in the last two weeks. 3 mins, motorway congestion, 15 mins because a dual carriageway I joined at 3 hrs 55 was at a standstill, and the very strange parked up at 4.29 but the tacho says “no” situation. Signed the printout and got on with my life. Really, don’t worry about it.
toby1234abc:
My mate drove for 4 hours 39 minutes, he was arrested on the road side, detained for two nights, then sent to break up rocks in Siberia with an ice pick.
Last I heard,he was electrocuted for the death sentence of the heinous crime of not being tuned in to local traffic bulletins that warn of delays so you take breaks beforehand.
The radio automatically broadcasts traffic alerts but not much good when you are actually in it with nowhere to go !
Thank you for all your helpful advice. I have already done a print out when i got parked up for my break&written about how the overhours occurred signed it.
For future ref. If you realise you’ve messed up DO the print out ASAP and don’t leave it till later on, it just shows that you have realised your mistake.
nick2008:
For future ref. If you realise you’ve messed up DO the print out ASAP and don’t leave it till later on, it just shows that you have realised your mistake.
I did do the printout as soon as i got off the M1 & parked up to start my break. I then did a print out at the end of my shift.