shep532:
joeyd:
Conors point was that vosa would have a problem with you just putting your card in and driving off. When I got pulled (having done just that) they said they want to see 10 to 15 mins of “other work” on the card at the start of shift - ie, not just insert card and drive.
These DVSA guys need to actually start spouting the rules instead of their own made up crap.
Conor is right though - DVSA have a little fit when they don’t see this period of work at the start of the shift … but it doesn’t mean there is a problem.
The issue is effectively all the same thing as any record which shows driving time only.Just like if a chart/card is removed at any point during a shift between runs for example.In which case they can and do want the time accounted for in the form of a manual entry and an explanation.
In this case it would just be the choice between putting the chart/card in directly at the start of the shift.Or a manual entry which accounts for all the time between actually starting the shift and putting the chart/card in assuming they are different.IE both Conor and Billy are correct. 
My point was that it is not necessarily an issue if I arrive for work, insert my card, start the engine and drive straight out of the yard with neither a manual entry nor having recorded any work over and above the time to login to the Tacho and start the engine. No offence has been committed yet there is a chance DVSA will have a few words to say in a roadside check.
shep532:
My point was that it is not necessarily an issue if I arrive for work, insert my card, start the engine and drive straight out of the yard with neither a manual entry nor having recorded any work over and above the time to login to the Tacho and start the engine. No offence has been committed yet there is a chance DVSA will have a few words to say in a roadside check.
They’ll ‘have a few words’ because from their point of view they won’t believe you because ideally they want to see a record of daily rest,duty,driving and break.Of which manual entries are required if for any reason there is no way of using the vehicle tacho for whatever reason.In which case they probably, understandably,won’t believe any scenario which goes from unrecorded,or even manually recorded,daily rest,directly to driving.The only time that might work without argument is in the case of a tacho recorded change from daily rest directly to driving such as at the start of a tramping type shift.
As I said in just the same way that they won’t even believe a manual entry without a checkable explanation with it.Let alone no record at all,in the case of removing a chart/card during a shift between runs for example,for whatever reason.
Which is why in my case I always showed a continuous 24 hour record made up of tacho trace and/or manual entries on my charts with no unaccounted for time on them.
What a load of ■■■■■■■■!
There’s a motor on our fleet that hasn’t even got a passenger seat,
it got removed to fix another motor.
What would the officer in question say about that then?
Tell the driver to sit outside on the spare wheel carrier?