This is a simple question for those who know the answer, I know I have read the answer somewhere a long time ago but do you think I can find again!
Anyway, I am a bus driver working 41 hours a week under domestic rules.
I also have an LGV class 2 license and was thinking about doing some agency LGV work (under EC rules) on one of my 2 rest days per week.
Can I do it? does the 41 hours PCV count towards my driving hours etc?
What are the complications, limits etc?
Sorry about the stupid question and possible wrong terms but I haven’t really needed to worry about his until now.
I am quite a bit confused about this as i would assume that as soon as you start doing some driving under EC rules the domestic hours would effect it but of course the break lengths are different etc.
What I mean is, if I worked let’s say tuesday for an agency under EC rules wouldn’t I be on EC rules for the rest of the week? would this then mean that I couldn’t do my bus driving as the running cards can have upto 5 hours odd driving without a break.
Someone in the know please help.
Just found this in the DSA ‘Driving Goods Vehicles’
It is possible that you may drive under EC rules and domestic rules during a week or even one day.
You can choose to drive under EC rules for the whole of the time.
If you use a combination of both sets of rules you must ensure that EC limits are not exceeded when driving vehicles on EC work.
You can’t use the time driving under EC rules as off-duty time under the domestic rules; driving under EC rules counts towards the driving and duty limits under the domestic rules. Similarly, you can’t claim driving and other work under domestic rules as rest time for the EC rules.
Remember any EC driving in a week means that you must take daily and weekly rest periods.
So that has made things slightly clearer, but still as clear as mud.
Would I need to make sure then that I have a legal daily break after agency work and before bus driving? would my other day off count as weekly rest etc.
Any thoughts or experience appreciated.
Simon, the question is simple, unfortunately the answer long and complex 
Driving under ‘Domestic’ counts as ‘Other Work’ under EC. Driving under EC counts as Driving under Domestic. Working periods under either set of rules will not count as rest under the other set of rules.
If you drive under EC rules then you will be required to take an EC daily rest that day and an EC weekly rest period that week. You would need to separate you domestic work from your EC work by an EC daily rest period, otherwise the start of your domestic working period will be taken as the start of your EC working period and you will probably end up with insufficient daily rest. Weekly rest under Domestic can be counted as weekly rest under EC. Be careful, in Domestic PSV world it’s only 1 day between two weeks. In EC world it’s 45 hours after six 24 hour periods from the last weekly rest ending. You can reduce to 24 hours but you must then compensate for the reduction and the following weekly rest would have to be a full 45 hours regardless.
Hope this helps
Thank you very much, very well put, it certainly does help.
So it is very possible to do but could be quite fiddly to work out.
So some basic rules would be (to allow a full days worth of EC/agency driving) baring in mind I would only be doing 1 day a week EC amongst my other 5 days domestic:
11 hours rest (could be reduced to 9) after my domestic day finish.
Normal EC rules for the Agency/EC driving day.
An EC daily rest (if working domestic the following day) or an EC weekly rest period following the EC duty (if the next day is also a rest day)
Hold up, just started confusing myself again.
You can only work 6 days then the 7 must be rest under EC, but what if the previous 6 or 7 or 8 were under domestic?
Is there a way I could submit a link for somone to download a scan of my domestic roster (or email) and someone notate on it when I could work etc to give me a head start?
I’m getting confused with monday starting the week etc my weeks start on sunday.There is a lot to take into account especially as you are keeping track of 3 weeks and its not easy for me to include the 45 hours rest and still do all my domestic work. Paying back reduced weekly rest etc is a bit mind blowing for me at the moment.
Sorry for sounding dumb, but I think I am.
EDIT: Scrap the above, decided its too much agro, going to hold out for a full time EC rules only LGV position.