Can anyone confirm that the date for us needing to keep 28 days of tachos is 01/01/2008? My agency says it’s started as of Jan 1st this year & I’m pretty certain I’m correct - even shown him a copy of the EU directive from this site.
The regulations will change on the 1st January 2008 from when you will need to carry the charts covering the current day plus the previous 28 days.
That’s what I thought - thanks for the confirmation.
Ok I sometimes drive on a tacho, how many do I need to carry? is it 21 or just for the last 21 days you have worked
Currently you must carry any charts for the present fixed week plus the previous 15 calander days. As has been stated from Jan 08 that will increase to the previous 28 days. You are currently required to hand charts into your employer within 21 days.
However there are new rules in the revised EU tacho regs that come into effect from 11th April which also require anyone driving an inscope vehicle to have records for ANY work carried out during that fixed week. So if you drive a 3.5t for 2 days, or spend them working in a warehouse or the office, then take out a tacho vehicle you will have to have records showing the previous work - it’s classed as other work. The acceptable records are either a manually completed tacho chart or digital printout, or entered manually via a digitach on your drivers card.
Ski:
However there are new rules in the revised EU tacho regs that come into effect from 11th April which also require anyone driving an inscope vehicle to have records for ANY work carried out during that fixed week. So if you drive a 3.5t for 2 days, or spend them working in a warehouse or the office, then take out a tacho vehicle you will have to have records showing the previous work - it’s classed as other work. The acceptable records are either a manually completed tacho chart or digital printout, or entered manually via a digitach on your drivers card.
Really? 
That means that every time I do a shift on a Saturday/Sunday I’ve got to fill out 5 tachos for Monday-Friday!
Yep, that’s the new rules - courtesy of our beloved EU.
What I forgot to mention is that as the manual completed charts are required for the EU drivers regulations, they must be treates as any other tachograph record - kept by the driver for 15 days, handed in to the employer within 21 and then filed for a year.
It’s apparently so that the enforcement agencies can check working time between weekly rests, however once again it cause a great deal of paperwork and time for the law abiding drivers/companies, while doing nothing whatsoever to deter those that are less than honest (yes, apparently there are a few ‘cowboys’ out there…)!
What about if the employer has nothing to do with the transport industry, and doesn’t have a clue about tachographs, let alone an O-license?
MrFlibble:
What about if the employer has nothing to do with the transport industry, and doesn’t have a clue about tachographs, let alone an O-license?
I’m not entirely sure where you’re coming from, but if for instance you work for an employer as you say that has nothing to do with the transport industry monday to thursday, then work for a different employer on the friday driving an tacho vehicles then you come under EU drivers hours and RTD regulations. As the first employer is not in the transport industry then the time worked does not have to be counted for any RTD calculations. However, the new rules specify ‘other work’ as ANY employment regardless of it’s nature. So before taking the vehicle out on Friday you will have to either make manual entries directly into the digital tachograph if it is so equipped or use a digital printout and make manual entries on that for each day worked in that fixed week. If it is an analogue chart then you must make a manual chart out for each day. Those records then must be kept as any normal tacho or printout.
It’s an absolutely crazy system that ,as I have already stated, does nothing to deter those intent on avoiding the regulations, but they are the rules and from 11th April are the law.
Ski:
I’m not entirely sure where you’re coming from, but if for instance you work for an employer as you say that has nothing to do with the transport industry monday to thursday, then work for a different employer on the friday driving an tacho vehicles then you come under EU drivers hours and RTD regulations. As the first employer is not in the transport industry then the time worked does not have to be counted for any RTD calculations. However, the new rules specify ‘other work’ as ANY employment regardless of it’s nature. So before taking the vehicle out on Friday you will have to either make manual entries directly into the digital tachograph if it is so equipped or use a digital printout and make manual entries on that for each day worked in that fixed week. If it is an analogue chart then you must make a manual chart out for each day. Those records then must be kept as any normal tacho or printout.
I was referring to the comment that you have to return your records (i.e. paper tacho charts unless I happen to drive a digital tacho truck) to the employer who has to keep them for 1 year. I have an office job on weekdays (nothing to do with transport), and do occasional agency driving stuff on weekends. What you said implied that I have to give my tachos to my weekday employer, and they have to keep them for a year, even though they wouldn’t know what a tacho was if it bit them on the backside…
when will the law extending the return period to 30 days come in
Not sure as the consultation period for downloading tachos and cards only started a short time ago and I believe tacho return will be covered by that. Consultation not due to finish until April.
The original 21 day period is still there in Transport Act and VOSA seem to be applying 30 days as the limit at the moment.
I also have an office job at the moment (where’s that redundancy gone now?) and generally drive alternative weekends so have been wondering about what records to keep. My understanding is that I don’t have to use actual tacho charts, just so long as the information is recorded?
As for handing them in I assume I’d give them to my agency. My main employer’s policy is that anyone taking on extra work in their own time is responsible for ensuring they stay withing WTD.