I’ve been revisinng the theory test books and tacho regs and I think I’ve pretty much got my head around the basics of the weekly/fortnightly driving time limits, when breaks need to be taken, daily rest, reduced rest and suchlike. Getting my head around the rules on driving hours is my biggest concern at the moment, and what I can’t quite understand is what constitutes “duty” time and how that’s worked out?
If you’re taking the “normal” 11 hours rest, does that mean your working day will be 13 hours, and then
15 hours on a day where you take reduced daily rest? If so, I don’t quite understand how that fits in with the daily “duty limit” I’ve read about, which says “a driver must not be on duty for more that 11 hours on any working day”. I know that your breaks don’t count towards duty time but “other work” does, so what happens to the “missing” two or four hours?
Does anyone have an idiots guide (for me, the idiot) to explaining how a basic working day might be broken down into driving/breaks/other work, and how you arrive at a 15-hour working day?
Start the shift at 0600 - the 24 hour clock now starts ticking
0600 - 0630 load the truck = 30 mins of other work
0630 - 0930 drive
0930 - 0945 break - that is the first of the 15 + 30 split driving hours break
0945 - 1115 drive - that is now a total of 4.5 hours driving
1115 - 1145 break - the second of the 15 + 30 split driving hours break
1145 - 1230 drive
1230 - 1300 unload = 30 mins of other work
1300 - 1330 drive
1330 - 1400 reload = 30 mins of other work
1400 - 1615 drive
1615 - 1700 break
1700 - 1830 drive
1830 - 1900 unload = 30 mins other work
1900 - 0600 next day = end of 24 hour period
That is a 13 hour day with a full 11 hour rest which all fits into a 24 hour period
9.5 hours driving time plus 2 hours of other work = 11.5 hours of working time
The 1.5 hours of break do not count as working time
If the next shift had been started at 0400 instead of 0600 then that would have been a reduced daily rest of 9 hours because the previous 24 hour clock would have stopped at 0400 and a new 24 hour clock will have then started
If an extra 2 hours had been done between 1900 and 2100 followed by 11 hours off then that would have been a 15 hour day with a reduced daily rest of 9 hours because although 11 hours was taken off taking the time to 0800 the next day, the 24 hour clock stopped at 0600
kevchalluk:
I’ve been revisinng the theory test books and tacho regs and I think I’ve pretty much got my head around the basics of the weekly/fortnightly driving time limits, when breaks need to be taken, daily rest, reduced rest and suchlike. Getting my head around the rules on driving hours is my biggest concern at the moment, and what I can’t quite understand is what constitutes “duty” time and how that’s worked out?
If you’re taking the “normal” 11 hours rest, does that mean your working day will be 13 hours, and then
15 hours on a day where you take reduced daily rest? If so, I don’t quite understand how that fits in with the daily “duty limit” I’ve read about, which says “a driver must not be on duty for more that 11 hours on any working day”. I know that your breaks don’t count towards duty time but “other work” does, so what happens to the “missing” two or four hours?
Does anyone have an idiots guide (for me, the idiot) to explaining how a basic working day might be broken down into driving/breaks/other work, and how you arrive at a 15-hour working day?
Hiya Kev. This is not something I would normally recommend. The GV262/3 VOSA Guide
Thanks for the example Rog, that’s a big help. So does the 11-hour duty time thing mentioned on the domestic rules get ignored, and everyone just follows the EU rules on driving time?
Wheel Nut - I’d already downloaded that Vosa guide, which is what I’d been looking at and getting myself confused about! I know the test won’t go into great detail so it’s nothing to worry about too much just yet, but as I’m concerned about getting my head around it all I thought I’d try to hammer it home as soon as I could!
kevchalluk:
Thanks for the example Rog, that’s a big help. So does the 11-hour duty time thing mentioned on the domestic rules get ignored, and everyone just follows the EU rules on driving time?
From the way I read it - the driver is either under domestic or EU regs for the shift but not both and if there is a choice then the EU regs takes precidence
I think if you drive in te UK then EU rules take presedence. I think the domestic hours are for Ireland? Something along them lines. Someone will confirm soon.