hey folks been out the game for quite a while and just getting back into it, am on agency work at the mo, was supposed to do 2 weeks solid work for this carrier and have managed 2 days because of an argument with the boss(am not wanted 2morrow because of row with them). had a late start 10 am 9 hits round stoke which is only up the road from me, so i bimble along and grab a 15 min break in the morning and 1 in the afternoon then calculate my driving time and find that i have drove for 4.15, well i aint no brain surgeon but even i know that i cant do stoke to brum in 15 mins, so at my last drop i tip then throw it on break for the last 15 min break. well then i get a call from the office asking where i am ,so i say at stoke just finishing my break, at this he goes ballistic!! asking why the hell am i taking a break at this time of day when i should have taken my break within four and a half hours of starting work!!! he would not hear my point of view(which i now know is wrong and outdated) but after looking at the vosa site i am totally confused. can any1 plz give me an idiots guide to the new rules,many thanx in advance
Under the drivers’ hours rules, you must have 45 minutes’ break after 4.5 hours’ driving (i.e. not including loading, paperwork, etc.)
Under the WTD, you must have 30 minutes’ break after 6 hours’ work (i.e. including loading, paperwork, etc.), and if you work for more than 9 hours, your breaks must total 45 minutes by the end of that 9 hours.
Nothing you’ve said so far indicates that you’ve definitely broken the law - as long as you started your second break before you’d done 6 hours’ worth of work, and you started your third break before you’d done 9 hours’ worth of work, you should be OK on the WTD.
We’d need exact details of the driving and working time to tell you whether you were right or wrong.
PS: there is a link to the drivers’ hours rules on the DfT website in the “Useful Links” forum, and TruckNet’s guide to the WTD in the “Safety, Law and WTD” forum.
thx for that mr flibble, 2nd break was taken after 5hrs being on duty so i reckon i am ok. will print off the link you posted thx for future reference. cheers m8
from what i have seen, most employers have no idea about the new regs so keep your own records and download a copy of the regs for your own files. that is what i have done and i take zero notice of what the transport office say. i keep myself within the law and i do not rely on anyone else to keep me right although i do ask the odd question or two in here but at least the people here know what they are talking about 
I would not say having a break after 4 1/2 was new
Dafman:
I would not say having a break after 4 1/2 was new
No, but it’s 4 1/2 hours driving time, not duty time. They appear to be imposing a break after 4 1/2 hours duty time, and I don’t know of any regulations new or old which require that.