How do you lot keep track of your driving hours and other work?
Ill be doing multi drop and just trying to figure out the best way of keeping track of my driving hours aswell as the other work like my unloading etc.
Also another stupid question, I kinda get most the driving rules and I know you can drive 3 hours and work 3 hours before a 15 min break, can I do like 2 hour driving and like 4 hour other work or do I need a 15 min break before the 3hour other work
Hi Ryan,
Seen a few of your threads and think you may be a bit to concerned about this (nothing wrong with that though as we all want to stay legal), the drivers hours regs will take priority of the wtd directive but if in doubt just have a 15 minute then a 30 before 6 hours work or 4.5 hours driving to start with and take a diary or notepad to keep track of driving time and the time you started between drops.
Think I have seen a good app for a smartphone mentioned that I can’t remeber the name of, hopefully somone will help with this.
Anything your not sure of keep asking though as it will help others as well. There are no daft questions only daft answers.
Ryan090:
How do you lot keep track of your driving hours and other work?
.
.
In a diary from Poundland every December.
Everything to do with work goes in it.
.
.
Ryan090:
How do you lot keep track of your driving hours and other work?Ill be doing multi drop and just trying to figure out the best way of keeping track of my driving hours aswell as the other work like my unloading etc.
Also another stupid question, I kinda get most the driving rules and I know you can drive 3 hours and work 3 hours before a 15 min break, can I do like 2 hour driving and like 4 hour other work or do I need a 15 min break before the 3hour other work
I keep a record in a database, you could use a notebook, excel worksheet, whatever.
You need a 15 minute break before exceeding 6 hours working time, working time is other work and driving.
The 6 hours working time can be 4 hours other work and 2 hours driving, it could be 6 hours other work, it can be any sequence of other work and driving, just as long as you don’t go over 6 hours working time without having a 15 minute break.
Driving hours - digi tachometer records it for you
Working hours - just add 6 hours to your start time and make sure you take a break before that time.
Cheers I get it more now, don’t mean to keep being a pain and posting I would just rather be right and be a good driver than cut the law
I started using the Truckers Timer app 2 weeks ago,been driving 22 years and have never found anything better for keeping track,it’s very easy to use and all the info you need is available instantly,it’s the way to go if you ask me 
Ryan090:
Cheers I get it more now, don’t mean to keep being a pain and posting I would just rather be right and be a good driver than cut the law
Better to ask a question and be sure than it is to stay quiet and get things wrong.
So ill be starting work at 7, so as long as I have a 15 min break before 1oclock ill be okay?
Obv unless I drive more than 4.5 hours then ill have my 45 min
Ryan090:
Cheers I get it more now, don’t mean to keep being a pain and posting I would just rather be right and be a good driver than cut the law
Spot on, the best thing any tradesman (I know drivers aren’t yet classed as skilled but maybe one day) is to pass on their knowledge to someone just starting out, so many ship builders never got this opportunity but thats another story.
It would be great to follow your career Ryan and don’t be afraid to ask any questions at all.
The internet has opened the world up too more instantly available advice for new recruits, in my day I had to learn the hard way (i.e. the first time I did it wrong).
You may come across some old buggers set in their ways but at the end of the day its only you that takes home your paypacket.
Yeh iv always wanted to be a lorry driver that’s why I don’t want to mess it up, iv been doing joinery since I was 15 working for my uncle And I did my Hgv back in march when I finally got the money,
Lorry driving is the best job by far in my eyes, it beats all those office suit wearing jobs, what else can you ask for but your bed and office and work all in one place lol, get to travel and see the country/world
Besides, everything that we have has been delivered at some
Point, therefore what would we do without drivers
A basic kitchen timer from a hardware shop will do.Set it to either 4.30 or 9 or 10 hours driving.
I do a daily printout to record other work and Poa.
For the weekly driving a running total is ok.Say you drove 8 hours today and 5 tomorrow you write 13
omorrow night in the record.
When the truck stops it adds two mins to driving time.
I use Trucker Timer App. I don’t drive every day and when I do it is an analogue tacho so having an App on my phone whig records everything via the four buttons for drive, other work, poa and rest is superb. I’d definitely recommend that, it runs continually so as long as you select the right mode each time then your daily, weekly and fortnightly totals are all taken care if and you can email/print it off too. Just remember to do your tacho at the same time!!
I thought the WTD was defunked now and it was the RTD…?
Ryan I think you will be fine and you can look forward to a long career, easier said than done but try and view other road users as flesh and bone don’t just see car drivers as a pain in the arse as they won’t realise the difficulties driving a truck involves.
If you have a relaxed mindset and a thick skin you will be OK, as a professional driver your main responsibilty is the safety of other road users as well as your own, they won’t thank you for it and you will get papped at but I find a quick apologetic wave diffuses a situation or two.
Course clapping your hands at a silly manouvre winds people up no end but probably shouldn’t mention that. 
If I arrive really early and put my tacho onto available does that count towards any of my hours for anything?
Also if I arrive somewhere and they are on there dinner break so I have to wait to be unloaded so I set my tacho to rest or available ?
NiceRoadTrucker:
I thought the WTD was defunked now and it was the RTD…?
Quite right its RTD and some sapects of HAD (pretty confusing stuff) although a turds still a turd whatever its called. 
If in doubt stick to the drivers hours regs.
Ryan090:
If I arrive really early and put my tacho onto available does that count towards any of my hours for anything?Also if I arrive somewhere and they are on there dinner break so I have to wait to be unloaded so I set my tacho to rest or available ?
I don’t use ‘other work’ on the tach, just ‘break’.
If you know that you’ll be waiting for at least 15 [or 30,if you’ve already taken 15] or 45 mins then you can take a break. If you suspect it’s likely they’ll tip you inside these times, then don’t.
edit to add: the problem with using the ‘other work’ mode is that it’ll cancel/zero your recorded ‘break’ time, so it can really confuse you…that’s why I don’t use it.
Dipper_Dave:
NiceRoadTrucker:
I thought the WTD was defunked now and it was the RTD…?Quite right its RTD and some sapects of HAD (pretty confusing stuff) although a turds still a turd whatever its called.
If in doubt stick to the drivers hours regs.
As far as I’m aware it’s not called the RTD and never has been, some people have adopted RTD rather than write the full initials RT(WT)D.
However they’re both wrong anyway, we work to the RT(WT)R 2005 
206doorman:
edit to add: the problem with using the ‘other work’ mode is that it’ll cancel/zero your recorded ‘break’ time, so it can really confuse you…that’s why I don’t use it.
I’m sorry but that’s completely incorrect.
POA will reset your driving time on the digital tachograph display, and will reset your break to zero on the digital tachograph display.
Other work will never reset your break time to zero unless the tachograph is faulty.
tachograph:
206doorman:
edit to add: the problem with using the ‘other work’ mode is that it’ll cancel/zero your recorded ‘break’ time, so it can really confuse you…that’s why I don’t use it.I’m sorry but that’s completely incorrect.
POA will reset your driving time on the digital tachograph display, and will reset your break to zero on the digital tachograph display.
Other work will never reset your break time to zero unless the tachograph is faulty.
Sorry. That’s what I meant. In other words, I only use the ‘break’ symbol, don’t touch it otherwise.
Apologies for confusion.