I’m sat down at Minworth with a flat battery waiting for someone to come out, I tried my Anderson lead connected to another unit but we couldn’t get it to reach. My 15 hours are up at 9 and I’ve got a 2 hour run back to barnsley, am I right in thinking that once your 15 or 13 hours are up you can’t go over them even in exceptional circumstances like brake downs or accidents? I know you can go to the nearest safe parking area if you are stuck on the motorway or a road if it has been shut for an accident and your time is up whilst you are sat there waiting for the road to reopen.
I would say 20 minutes max wouldn’t be unreasonable to go over to get back to base after a
break down but just do a print out with all the reasons why on the back.
Yes, that’s an unforeseen circumstance. Just don’t use it as an excuse to run to Gib.
Unfortunately the response from the M.O.T would be you knew you would be over your time getting back to base why didnt you park up earlier. By the time you get back parked up and done the usual end of shift debrief you would be more than 20 minutes over your time as you only had about 2 hours or less left of your shift at Minworth. Breakdowns are not classed as extrordinary circumstances like floods or RTAs which close a motorway
lolipop:
Breakdowns are not classed as extrordinary circumstances like floods or RTA`s which close a motorway
were does it say that then?
It’s not extraordinary circumstances, it’s unforeseen circumstances I’m pretty sure which is quite the difference.
Silver_Surfer:
It’s not extraordinary circumstances, it’s unforeseen circumstances I’m pretty sure which is quite the difference.
Actually it’s neither, a driver may deviate from the regulations only in order to find a suitable stopping place.
The regulation is designed for occurrences where it becomes unexpectedly impossible for the driver to comply with the regulations, it’s not intended for times when the driver gets unexpectedly held up at drops/collections or breakdowns.
In the OPs case he needs to park up before he runs out of time, whilst VOSA may accept going over by 15 minutes to reach base it can’t be guaranteed and it certainly shouldn’t be done regularly regardless of whether the circumstances are extraordinary or unforeseen.
Provided that road safety is not thereby jeopardised and to
enable the vehicle to reach a suitable stopping place, the driver
may depart from Articles 6 to 9 to the extent necessary to
ensure the safety of persons, of the vehicle or its load. The
driver shall indicate the reason for such departure manually on
the record sheet of the recording equipment or on a printout
from the recording equipment or in the duty roster, at the
latest on arrival at the suitable stopping place.
why didnt you use the abs lead, to charge the battery ?>
We’ll I’ve pulled my card when my 15 was up and I’m waiting for the fitter to come down with a starter motor and someone in the van to drive me back to barnsley, he should be here about 11. I’ve also said I’m unavailible for tonight as I haven’t had sufficient daily rest ( had about 2 hours since 18:00 last night) which they have agreed to. The pallet job will be ■■■■■■ for today, only 13 pallets out of 49 went up on the first decker the rest are on me, so we’ve had 3 out of 4 rigids sat doing nouwt and probably the drivers sat twiddling their thumbs! 
Oh we’ll ■■■■ happens.
And if you continued on, did a printout to cover the time over, write flood, snow, death in the family etc on the card, how would anyone know what the truth was?
holliefabbabe:
why didnt you use the abs lead, to charge the battery ?>
Don’t you mean the Anderson lead? One of our drivers came from a drop and we hooked my lead up to his unit but it still did nothing, you can here the starter motor turning but not engaging. Garage thought it was a flat battery at first, I said I felt it was more a starter motor fault as when I was turning the key there was no clicking sound just a wuring noise from the starter motor.
kitbuilder123:
And if you continued on, did a printout to cover the time over, write flood, snow, death in the family etc on the card, how would anyone know what the truth was?
I’m pretty sure that VOSA would look back at the weather forecasts to see if it was snowing or floods in March if you go well over your driving time, if you got pulled. A couple of our drivers had to spend 9 hour on the M8 the other year when it snowed really bad, there were trucks parked everywhere and they got woken up by the traffic cops and he said if they get stopped by VOSA tell them to get in touch with Strathclyde Police and he gave them his I’d number on the printout. I’m not sure how they would check for a death in the family though. I would defiantly go over my hours for that last scenario though no matter by how long.
no bud, there is a allways on feed from a abs lead , plug one into the other , and you can charge the other tractor unit, keep the ignition off the flat one though
Bereavement is the only time have knowingly run full on bent.
Put a card in (paper at the time) and interrupted a rest about 5 hours in and drove about 3 hours home. Just filled out the reason why and which hospital I was to be attending. Boss was fine when I told him I was doing it and never got pulled up for it.
Going back to base in a company van is a no no as well, as you are still in a company vehicle, if my undetstanding is correct.
Plane, train or taxi is fine.
Ken.
So, another driver spun his truck around and inched up to you trying to get the lead to reach ■■ And I thought the days of proper truckers were done with, he sounds like a real hero, hope ya offered him a tenner 
Quinny:
Going back to base in a company van is a no no as well, as you are still in a company vehicle, if my undetstanding is correct.Plane, train or taxi is fine.
Ken.
Why is this? not got my licence but i dont see how being a passenger in a vehicle is breaking any laws?
Mick M:
Quinny:
Going back to base in a company van is a no no as well, as you are still in a company vehicle, if my undetstanding is correct.Plane, train or taxi is fine.
Ken.
Why is this? not got my licence but i dont see how being a passenger in a vehicle is breaking any laws?
Travelling time to or from a vehicle that is not at the drivers home or usual operating base cannot legally be booked as rest.
Having said that in the OPs position I would do the same as he’s done, I just wouldn’t talk about it on the Internet 
tachograph:
Mick M:
Quinny:
Going back to base in a company van is a no no as well, as you are still in a company vehicle, if my undetstanding is correct.Plane, train or taxi is fine.
Ken.
Why is this? not got my licence but i dont see how being a passenger in a vehicle is breaking any laws?
Travelling time to or from a vehicle that is not at the drivers home or usual operating base cannot legally be booked as rest.
Having said that in the OPs position I would do the same as he’s done, I just wouldn’t talk about it on the Internet
And his chances of getting caught are zilch (nil).
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
holliefabbabe:
why didnt you use the abs lead, to charge the battery ?>Don’t you mean the Anderson lead? One of our drivers came from a drop and we hooked my lead up to his unit but it still did nothing, you can here the starter motor turning but not engaging. Garage thought it was a flat battery at first, I said I felt it was more a starter motor fault as when I was turning the key there was no clicking sound just a wuring noise from the starter motor.
No mate, he would have meant ABS lead.
Not that it’d have mattered if your starter motor is bolloxed