DVSA are requesting time sheets for our drivers. Our guys get paid a day rate of i.e. £100 whether they work/drive 6 hours or more than 6. Basically the drivers do not perform a daily time sheet and they are never over their working time limit.
Will the DVSA be happy with a working time report which is calculated by Tachomaster or do they want to see something more such as payroll hours worked or hours worked printed out on an excel sheet?
Has anyone ever been asked to produce similar?
This sounds like the start of an investigation which could result in dunking a Rich Tea biscuit in Leeds. In a previous life the traffic office generally self combusted in the small hours of the morning. 
1260s:
DVSA are requesting time sheets for our drivers. Our guys get paid a day rate of i.e. £100 whether they work/drive 6 hours or more than 6. Basically the drivers do not perform a daily time sheet and they are never over their working time limit.Will the DVSA be happy with a working time report which is calculated by Tachomaster or do they want to see something more such as payroll hours worked or hours worked printed out on an excel sheet?
Has anyone ever been asked to produce similar?
Seems like dvsa sharks that they are see a feeding
Obviously because you’re drivers don’t fill in a time sheet.
There hackles are up.
Suggest you get that sorted
Under the Working Time Directive and Road Transport Directive employers have to keep records of the hours worked by all employees and not just for the time that employee has worked for them but if they’ve worked for other companies, that time too to ensure that the 48hrs isn’t breached by someone saying working 30hrs for one company and 30 for another every week.
1260s:
Basically the drivers do not perform a daily time sheet and they are never over their working time limit.
But how do you know when you’ve no record of the hours they’ve worked? They may not exceed 60hrs in a week but they could be exceeding the 48hr average over a 26 week reference period and you’d not have a clue because you’ve not kept any records.
Lets hope that when you do the Tachomaster working time report it doesn’t show anyone with >48hr average eh? Oh and I hope that holidays have been entered on the system because a week holiday counts as 48hrs work for the RTD/WTD to prevent employers abusing holidays to bring down the average.
One also hopes that drivers are doing manual entries to cover the time from when they get to the office to get their paperwork and keys to when they get in the truck and end of duty. If not then you may find that questions might be asked about false records and whether the hours you’re telling them based on tachomaster are an accurate record.
Also here’s another can of worms…minimum wage act. If they’re on a day rate of £100 and work more than 11hrs and 13 minutes a day averaged over the pay week then they’re being paid below minimum wage which is illegal.
One suspects that an employee has grassed up the company because they’ve worked out they’re on less than minimum wage.
You probably have more information than most of us. I mean is there not some sort of transport operator bible you can refer to that most of us wouldn’t have laid eyes on?
In what context is the approach from the DVSA made? What has already happened?
Noremac:
You probably have more information than most of us. I mean is there not some sort of transport operator bible you can refer to that most of us wouldn’t have laid eyes on?In what context is the approach from the DVSA made? What has already happened?
Dvsa are office workers love paperwork
Hence they want to see a drivers weekly hour sheet. Paper trail.
Obviously not enough paperwork maybe daily vehicle checks?
Slack management no o licence.
Public safety.
Noremac:
You probably have more information than most of us. I mean is there not some sort of transport operator bible you can refer to that most of us wouldn’t have laid eyes on?In what context is the approach from the DVSA made? What has already happened?
There are loads of official documents on wtd etc as well as from the reputable organisations. Rather than a forum.
If the company is heading for a DVSA enquiry, it may also be time to have a chat with one of the transport specialist solicitors. Far easier to say they weren’t needed than having to defend against what DVsA found that they may not be entirely entitled to
Perhaps one or two have been clocked and suspected of being a bit naughty
1260s:
Will the DVSA be happy with a working time report which is calculated by Tachomaster
I’m hoping the answer to your question will prove to be yes, I’m not familiar with Tachomaster, more with RHA Analysis, which does calculate WTD very nicely. I think that would be more verifiable than an Excel spreadsheet, which would be open to being fiddled.
Zac_A:
1260s:
Will the DVSA be happy with a working time report which is calculated by TachomasterI’m hoping the answer to your question will prove to be yes, I’m not familiar with Tachomaster, more with RHA Analysis, which does calculate WTD very nicely. I think that would be more verifiable than an Excel spreadsheet, which would be open to being fiddled.
I’m my old place WTD was kept on a spreadsheet, and printed each week then filed away for six years (belt and braces).
Yes it could be fiddled but it would also be fairly obvious and easy to prove hence why it wasn’t worth fiddling. That system passed all internal audits and external checks (VOSA in the day) with no issues at all.
Thanks for your replies gents, all good stuff and noted. I’ll keep you informed of any developments.
1260s:
DVSA are requesting time sheets for our drivers. Our guys get paid a day rate of i.e. £100 whether they work/drive 6 hours or more than 6. Basically the drivers do not perform a daily time sheet and they are never over their working time limit.Will the DVSA be happy with a working time report which is calculated by Tachomaster or do they want to see something more such as payroll hours worked or hours worked printed out on an excel sheet?
Has anyone ever been asked to produce similar?
I was often rang by the then company compliance officer saying he had to down load the tachometer in the lorry the next day , so would meet me at some point through my day , I’d also get phone calls telling me to go into the nearest depot and get the lorry tacho downloaded straight away , my understanding was the request was from DVSa as they didn’t believe I only removed & drove without a card once , this went on for 1 1/2 yrs then I got charged with 1 offence as they didn’t find anything else ( not a suprise )
As for checking time sheets , I’ve always done one & also the same info was imputed on microlise , again nothing was ever mentioned in court other than the one charge
I was lucky as compliance officer did tell me a bit of what was going on , so everything was 100% legal , if I’d of not known ,I guess after 1 1/2 yrs I’d of thought they’d of forgot about me
Nb don’t listen to the you’ll be before the tc , lisense suspended ) , I got all that , including from the DVSa solicitor , and in the event I got a letter , caution from tc