Roymondo:
Following the Regs to the letter, you should put your card in as soon as you take over the vehicle rather than doing your checks and then putting the card in (regardless of whether you make a manual entry to cover it).
By inserting your card is also one of your PUI’s…Do a walk round then find your tacho’s FUBAR 
. shove the card in find its FUBAR’d defect truck move to next truck .
Magnet for sale ( LARGE SIZE )!!!. Eddie.
nick2008:
Roymondo:
Following the Regs to the letter, you should put your card in as soon as you take over the vehicle rather than doing your checks and then putting the card in (regardless of whether you make a manual entry to cover it).By inserting your card is also one of your PUI’s…Do a walk round then find your tacho’s FUBAR
Even so, the putting-in of the card should (by the letter of the Law) come before the PUI and any consequences thereof.
Roymondo:
Following the Regs to the letter, you should put your card in as soon as you take over the vehicle rather than doing your checks and then putting the card in (regardless of whether you make a manual entry to cover it).
Never seen that regulation before. Could you show me ?
Terry T:
You might think 5 minutes is irrelevant. Or daft. But from a legal standpoint you’re breaking the law.
Yes, I appreciate that. But my point is that the law - which is solely designed to ensure that drivers are well rested and relaxed before going out in the road, remember - is in this case doing no more than providing another thing to worry about. I know I’m lucky enough to have a job which I don’t have to clock on or off, and where my truck is available to me from the moment I get to the yard until the moment I leave, but even so I can’t see how road safety is enhanced in any way by someone putting down their pre - shift banter with the office staff (or whatever) as “other work” on a manual entry.
Rhythm Thief:
Terry T:
You might think 5 minutes is irrelevant. Or daft. But from a legal standpoint you’re breaking the law.Yes, I appreciate that. But my point is that the law - which is solely designed to ensure that drivers are well rested and relaxed before going out in the road, remember - is in this case doing no more than providing another thing to worry about. I know I’m lucky enough to have a job which I don’t have to clock on or off, and where my truck is available to me from the moment I get to the yard until the moment I leave, but even so I can’t see how road safety is enhanced in any way by someone putting down their pre - shift banter with the office staff (or whatever) as “other work” on a manual entry.
Legally and realistically do not often go together
Terry T:
Roymondo:
Following the Regs to the letter, you should put your card in as soon as you take over the vehicle rather than doing your checks and then putting the card in (regardless of whether you make a manual entry to cover it).Never seen that regulation before. Could you show me ?
It’s not specifically stated in any one Regulation, but Article 15 of EC Regulation 3821/85, paragraph 2 states
“Drivers shall use the record sheets or driver cards every
day on which they are driving, starting from the moment they take over
the vehicle”
and then goes on to state that manual entries are to be made
“When as a result of being away from the vehicle, a driver is unable to use the equipment fitted to the vehicle.”
It makes no provision for manual entries to be made when not away from the vehicle (unless it is necessary to correct an entry - in which case it would be a written entry on the back of a printout)
Sorry - that should say “from the moment they take over the vehicle”
I see where you’re coming from. I just don’t see any difference really. It’s not like I’m hiding work, all my time is accounted for. If I was checking the vehicle then inserting the card and skipping the manual entry then that would obviously be wrong.
Either way, it’s another of those little things that no one ever gets done for anyway. I know drivers that skip manual entries even though they shouldn’t and nothing ever gets said or done although at our place they’re starting to clamp down on it as drivers on very long runs have been putting the card in on the gate to maximise their drive time. Now that is stupid.
Terry T:
… drivers on very long runs have been putting the card in on the gate to maximise their drive time. Now that is stupid.
Yes, that’s ridiculous, and another reason why our workload is forever increasing. If there aren’t enough driving hours available for me to do a job without resorting to tricks like this, something in the planning office needs to change.
Terry T:
I see where you’re coming from. I just don’t see any difference really. It’s not like I’m hiding work, all my time is accounted for. If I was checking the vehicle then inserting the card and skipping the manual entry then that would obviously be wrong.Either way, it’s another of those little things that no one ever gets done for anyway. I know drivers that skip manual entries even though they shouldn’t and nothing ever gets said or done although at our place they’re starting to clamp down on it as drivers on very long runs have been putting the card in on the gate to maximise their drive time. Now that is stupid.
I did say it was “by the letter” rather than what actually happens in the real world 