Why is it WE are regulated by some faceless ■■■■■■ in Brussels?
Sorry, that would be MY fault!
Along with all the millions of others who did SFA when we should have done.
bald bloke:
The maximum hours drivers are legally allowed to work each week is 56I’m sure a lot of drivers wish that was true but it wouldn’t do a lot of companies much good .
wrong its 90 hours in a fortnight so if u drive 56 1st week u only have 34 hours for the following week 
so your planner wont get much out u that week 
bald bloke:
The maximum hours drivers are legally allowed to work each week is 56I’m sure a lot of drivers wish that was true but it wouldn’t do a lot of companies much good .
The maximum work hours in a week is 60 but the amount of hours you can legally be at work in a 6 shift week is 90. In a fixed week it is more than 90.
bjd:
Coffeeholic:
bjd:
15 hour days and 10 hour driveing is at my descretionNot as far as the tacho rules go it isn’t, gotta be careful that argument doesn’t come back to bite you one day.
Within the rules allways but the planers certanley dont make that desion my licence my desion
If it’s within the rules then unless your contract of employment states otherwise then it’s their decision, not yours.
That is assuming you want to keep your job of course. If you frequently refuse to do legal runs then they would be quite within their rights to discipline and ultimately get rid of you for refusing to do your job.
Paul
Well at least the union is doing something, which is alot more than some of the old women on here!!!
Unions are not everybodys cup of Tea , but they are highlighting the fact that some hauliers are taking the pi55 out of their drivers!!!
70-80 hours a week just to earn a living is a joke, twice as many hours as the average Joe in the street…
Although the hours have always traditionally been long, isn’t it time that we moved in line with the rest of the British workforce, or are we too afraid to upset the Guv’nor■■? We are in the 21st century not the 18th you don’t have to bow or lift your hat anymore…
so if you work 5x10 hour days not driving time mostly other work then same again next week is it illegal
Some weeks I do 65 hours, and its near the £900 figure, yes great pay, but some drivers are sick of it.The 48 hour opt out agreement is being tested at the moment, a driver at one RDC works for about 40ish hours then tells them at 48 hours he’s going home.The management hate it but thats the rules, he gave them a written notice, 3 months, and thats what he does.
I,ve seen some drivers at my place refusing to work because the job they have been given will take them over the 56 hours driving rule 
repton:
bjd:
Coffeeholic:
bjd:
15 hour days and 10 hour driveing is at my descretionNot as far as the tacho rules go it isn’t, gotta be careful that argument doesn’t come back to bite you one day.
Within the rules allways but the planers certanley dont make that desion my licence my desion
If it’s within the rules then unless your contract of employment states otherwise then it’s their decision, not yours.
That is assuming you want to keep your job of course. If you frequently refuse to do legal runs then they would be quite within their rights to discipline and ultimately get rid of you for refusing to do your job.
Paul
My contract is 40 hrs i usually do 55 or so what i am saying is i wont do more hors than i feel is safe the same applys if i am not on a night out i wount take less than 11 hours off as has been stated earlier if you take nine off deduct traveling time ect you end having six hours sleep clearly this is not safe cant se any grounds for eing sacked for putting safety first you onle get pushed if you allow it
Harry Monk:
bald bloke:
The maximum hours drivers are legally allowed to work each week is 56Nice to see that Unite are up to speed with tacho rules
This is misleading surely, driving hours are 56 not working hours■■?
nick172sport:
so if you work 5x10 hour days not driving time mostly other work then same again next week is it illegal
No.
Deepinvet:
Well at least the union is doing something, which is alot more than some of the old women on here!!!
Unions are not everybodys cup of Tea , but they are highlighting the fact that some hauliers are taking the pi55 out of their drivers!!!
70-80 hours a week just to earn a living is a joke, twice as many hours as the average Joe in the street…
Although the hours have always traditionally been long, isn’t it time that we moved in line with the rest of the British workforce, or are we too afraid to upset the Guv’nor■■? We are in the 21st century not the 18th you don’t have to bow or lift your hat anymore…
Have you heard the phrase, bolting the door and horse?
Unite, T&G or URTU did nothing in negotiating EC 2002/15
Have they just realised the legislation has been in the statute books for almost 10 years, they had a chance to mention it in April 2007 when 561 came in.
Ive said it before and i’ll say it again… the maximum daily duty should be 12 hours !
12hrs is enough that anybody should be working a day.
12hrs x 5 days = 60hrs = 20hrs more than the average working week.
No Im fine thanks. In Canada I can drive 13 hours without break and in the US I can drive 11 hours without break and because the European style of complex rules and regulations have not penetrated this continent just yet I’m far more relaxed and less stressed out now because I please myself (not how you’re thinking 
). I drive when I want and have a break when I want. I’m not constantly clock watching and panicing when a tacho is telling me im a criminal for going 3 minutes over my time due to being stuck in traffic or not being able to find anywhere to park.
I could live with 12 on 12 off because I’m lazy and never want to get out of bed in the morning but I’d prefere a 14hr spread with a total of 12 hours a day driving that is divided by a one hour break before 6 hours and then 10 hours off every night. I already work in excess of that idea and very rarely suffer the kinds of tiredness and stress that UK drivers complain about and I am usually in traffic conditions very similar to the congestion of the UK. Its my firm belief that the majority of the stress and fatigue on British truck drivers is not caused by so called long hours but rather by chronic over regulation and the stress of keeping within the letter of the law and still trying to get the job done.
Long hours?
Not anymore. 37 hrs per week…(2 x 11 & 3 x 5) and I’m earning more now than I was 5 years ago working 55 hrs.
oldsid:
Harry Monk:
bald bloke:
The maximum hours drivers are legally allowed to work each week is 56Nice to see that Unite are up to speed with tacho rules
This is misleading surely, driving hours are 56 not working hours■■?
We are just quoting what that great union Unite said .
Deepinvet:
Well at least the union is doing something, which is alot more than some of the old women on here!!!
Unions are not everybodys cup of Tea , but they are highlighting the fact that some hauliers are taking the pi55 out of their drivers!!!
70-80 hours a week just to earn a living is a joke, twice as many hours as the average Joe in the street…
Although the hours have always traditionally been long, isn’t it time that we moved in line with the rest of the British workforce, or are we too afraid to upset the Guv’nor■■? We are in the 21st century not the 18th you don’t have to bow or lift your hat anymore…
What has the union done for you in the last 20 years?
Anything else as cashing your money, sponsoring the wrong Government, having parties on your cost, spoiling your well earned holiday with strikes when you want to go on holiday.
Unite union is famous to do only actions where they come in the media, especially TV.
They should ask for a part in Coronation street, as these union boffs are dripping from their mouth and walking with a stiffy on, only by the thought their ugly gobs get shown on the telly.
But come with fact what good the unions have done for Transport in the last 20 years, facilities in the UK for drivers have been crab for as long as I remember, and they only notice that now??
Long days have been always a thing in Transport, and the Union never noticed it.
You don’t get it, they want some money of you, that’s all they want, give you a false sense of security (the Union looks after you) as long as you pay.
What do they do for the individual■■? Not a thing, had a case of one of our ex employees and they union man didn’t have a clue and was not really interested.
If you want to waste you money fine with me, but you where better of with a black suit, pish yourself, nobody noticed but it gives a warm feeling.
Where I work a lot of the drivers regularly work 3 x 15 each week. If they didn’t they would spit their dummies out and clear off elsewhere - I’ve seen it happen. Telling these lads to come back to the yard and go home after a 10 hour day would cause uproar.
I like my 15 hours days just for the money. i don’t work 15 hours - I’m at work but spend a lot of time relaxing in the cab or various canteens etc. if I had to work a 15 hour day I would be upset
I can see what some on here are saying about wanting to work less hours and comparing life to that of a shop worker. I agree drivers aren’t usually paid much more per hour than a shop worker but those shop workers generally can’t boost their wage in any way and will be stuck with something like a 4 to 8 hour shift that limits their earnings. They also tend to work for all of their working hours - unlike me 
My wife earns far more per hour than I do - but only gets a 6 hour day.
I do think the rules are wrong. WHy on the longest day of work are we allowed the shortest period of rest? I hate having a 9 when I’m home. I lose 2 hours in travel, get ‘chatted to’ for another 3 hours whilst trying to relax and finally get 3 or 4 hours sleep. I avoid this whenever possible and my boss is fine with that - unless there is a specific job/reason in which case he asks if I can do it. Most likely I’d sleep in the yard and he’d do me a deal of somekind to compensate me.
I agree that 10 -12 hours is enough for anyone, but while the law lets me do more I will.
I know my boss has said before, if the drivers don’t want to do the hours they don’t have to - he will just employ more to do less which gives the same result. Although it isn’t quite that easy I see what he means.
I also don’t really get the lads who stretch the day out on purpose to get 15 in. They go round bragging about it then moan when they get pulled into the office
I think ultimately the thing to remember is that for me in my job, although I am at work a lot of hours each week I do get to sleep a lot of those away in my cab. Our warehouse lads work from arrival to leaving 10 hours later and are paid just above minimum wage. I know its not the same for everyone butn it suits me.
In answer to the original question - no the long hours don’t bother me
ex_reme_mech:
Where I work a lot of the drivers regularly work 3 x 15 each week. If they didn’t they would spit their dummies out and clear off elsewhere - I’ve seen it happen. Telling these lads to come back to the yard and go home after a 10 hour day would cause uproar.I like my 15 hours days just for the money. i don’t work 15 hours - I’m at work but spend a lot of time relaxing in the cab or various canteens etc. if I had to work a 15 hour day I would be upset
I can see what some on here are saying about wanting to work less hours and comparing life to that of a shop worker. I agree drivers aren’t usually paid much more per hour than a shop worker but those shop workers generally can’t boost their wage in any way and will be stuck with something like a 4 to 8 hour shift that limits their earnings. They also tend to work for all of their working hours - unlike me
My wife earns far more per hour than I do - but only gets a 6 hour day.
I do think the rules are wrong. WHy on the longest day of work are we allowed the shortest period of rest? I hate having a 9 when I’m home. I lose 2 hours in travel, get ‘chatted to’ for another 3 hours whilst trying to relax and finally get 3 or 4 hours sleep. I avoid this whenever possible and my boss is fine with that - unless there is a specific job/reason in which case he asks if I can do it. Most likely I’d sleep in the yard and he’d do me a deal of somekind to compensate me.
I agree that 10 -12 hours is enough for anyone, but while the law lets me do more I will.
I know my boss has said before, if the drivers don’t want to do the hours they don’t have to - he will just employ more to do less which gives the same result. Although it isn’t quite that easy I see what he means.
I also don’t really get the lads who stretch the day out on purpose to get 15 in. They go round bragging about it then moan when they get pulled into the office
I think ultimately the thing to remember is that for me in my job, although I am at work a lot of hours each week I do get to sleep a lot of those away in my cab. Our warehouse lads work from arrival to leaving 10 hours later and are paid just above minimum wage. I know its not the same for everyone butn it suits me.
In answer to the original question - no the long hours don’t bother me
A good post that echoes my thoughts, I have read dozens of posts that say things like "my missus earns £8 an hour at Asda, she maybe does, but only for 12 or 24 hours per week, told when to have a break, supervisors watching her every move, getting a non stop stream of abuse or myopic shoppers asking where the bread is kept.
Earns less than a burger flipper, well come on, would any self respecting driver really want to wear a baseball cap and cook chips for 8 hours, that is 8 hours working, not sat down drinking coffee with your mates, throwing chips at customers or your boss, do you have to demean yourself to get your photograph on the wall as employee of the month?
In general if you do a 10 hour drive, that is all you are doing, if you tip and load 6 trailers you are hardly driving all day. Unless you work for someone like Jacob Marley and Ebenezer scrooge, most drivers will be lucky to reach 11 hours actual work.
Your point of the longest day and shortest break affects everyone who goes to work, there are hundreds of people who leave home at 5am to get a train to London, working a full day and arriving home at 8 or 9 pm. They still have to talk or listen to the wife, play with the kids and prepare or eat a meal. Whoever you work for or what job you do, there are still only 24 hours in a day
Lorry drivers have really got it easy in comparison.
These unions are the working man’s worst enemy. I do 2 15hr shifts every week, I would’nt want to change that to 2 8hr shifts. Madheads give money to these unions, the bloodsucking commies. 
Forgot to answer the original question, No long hours don’t affect me as we only work a strict average of 48 hours … That is Mon - fri no weekend work or bank holidays with a very good salary… We also have a strong union, which I’ve only been in for 4 years.