I was aware that professional lorry drivers were restricted to a certain amount of hours.
Now I know it’s 9 extended to 10 for but what happens when after driving into the eighth hour a driver gets cought up in major congestion or an accident on a motorway where traffic is moving very slowly and takes a driver well past the 9th or even 10th hour?
I know as it says on drivingtheory4all that in an emergency if a driver goes beyond those hours it should be noted on the tach disc but I’m guessing most modern vehicles use digi cards.
I realise you can’t just magic your truck into a parking place or be clairvoyant enough to anticipate accidents but what happens if you end up going well over your hours?
Well, the first thing you need to do is find a “safe and legal” place to park up. This is open to interpredation as you have to consider your load. The next thing you must do is a printout from the machine with an explaination on the back. Something like “Caught in traffic due to accident on M25” I note the date, time and where I have parked up too. Then you must keep this printout safe just in case you get tugged
Do 2 print outs. And make sure any print outs are done as soon as you park.
I say 2 as you want one for the office and staple the other in your diary for your own record.
The law allows drivers to go over driving hours if it is not your fault.
If stopped by Dvsa and the Police, they only need to see the last 28 days of tachograph records.
If driving abroad an activity attestation letter from your employer is required to provide gaps for time off, sickness or absence from work.
No letter is a fine of 3000 euros or more to be paid in full at the road side.
The vehicle documents are seized, but they can not take the keys.
I have heard of passports being seized, but this must be illegal, it belongs to the Queen/ State.
