Sorry for starting yet another thread about drivers hours but I have read all the ones I can and still cannot confirm any of my questions 100%
Although I am slowly getting clued up on the most recent drivers hours rules (EC) I have a few things that I am unsure about.
Maximum weekly driving is 56 hours? I’ve also read that there is a maximum weekly work of 60 hours. Is this true and does this mean 56 hours driving plus 4 hours other work?
Am I right in thinking the longest your day can be is 15 hours? (24 hours - 9 hours daily rest) (10 hours driving + 5 other work)?
POA or period of availability, I understand the general idea of this and that you should have been told or have an idea how long this POA will last in advance (although I can see also see how this could be extended without anyone really knowing etc)
Apparently POA does not count towards your weekly working time, well how long can you be on a POA before you require a break? Is it classed like other work where you can do 6 hours?
Say you do 1 hours driving then have a POA of 6 hours. How does this affect the remainder of your day? Do you still have 3.5 hours driving before you require a break?
If point 2 above is correct and you have 15 hours of POA does that mean you cant do any more work?
Dumb questions I guess, but only if you know the answers.
POA stops the clock. If you are at 5 hours working time so coming up to needing a break 5 hours POA will mean you are still at 5 hours when you finish POA. You can go indefinatly on POA (although not over 15 hours) before you need a break.
In your example:
You could do 3.5 hours more driving before a break or 5 more hours of other work before a break. You would however have used 7 of your 15 hours up.
Yes, the 15 hours is from start to finish.
For what its worth I dont use POA. Use break instead.
POA:
technically have to know the length before you are told
doesnt count towards WTD
Break:
can be used whenever the heck you like
doesnt count towards WTD
resets the driving and shift clocks
Of couse some core drivers or people who like the build up the hours (esp places that get paid breaks) will use POA then say “well I have to take another break then when I leave here”. Me on the other hand I get guaranteed houers so would rather be in bed.
POA first. – POA doesn’t count towards your working time. Thats the whole point of it.
Nor is it break, so if you do 1 hours driving then have a POA of 6 hours, you still have 3.5 hours driving before you require a break. However, you can use POA as break, by switching your tacho to Break for the required break time.
If you have 15 hours on POA, it doesn’t count towards your working time. But you are at work, not on rest, so you can’t do 15 hrs POA immediately followed by any period of work.
15 hours is your maximum day, but 10 hours driving means 1 1/2 hours break, so that only leaves 3 1/2 hours for other work, POA or more break.
56 hours driving in a week with a maximum of 60 hours worked in a week leaves 4 hours for other work. Your maths is fine.
I haven’t bothered doing much research on this bit yet, so I’m not up on the ins and outs. The job I do now doesn’t get me anywhere near these hours.
I can see why some people would prefer to use POA when they could use break and visa versa depending on where you work and how you are paid.
I’m not sure where I’m going to end up just yet so was trying to get things clear in my head about both methods
.
POA stops the clock. If you are at 5 hours working time so coming up to needing a break 5 hours POA will mean you are still at 5 hours when you finish POA. You can go indefinitely on POA (although not over 15 hours) before you need a break.
Just to round up this last point, as long as the daily rest is not compromised you can be on POA indefinitly but after 15 hours (or during I guess) you must have a break. Would this be a 45 minute break or daily rest?
Also how much ‘other work’ can you do before a break? is it 6 hours or 4.5?
If say you are multi dropping, would you keep tracks seperately of driving time and other work time and take breaks accordingly and maybe take one break which would cover both cases?
Simon Barnes:
Just to round up this last point, as long as the daily rest is not compromised you can be on POA indefinitly but after 15 hours (or during I guess) you must have a break. Would this be a 45 minute break or daily rest?
As you are on POA, you aren’t clocking up any hours under the wtd, so you don’t need to take a break to keep you right under the wtd. Neither are you driving, so you don’t need a driving break either.
Also how much ‘other work’ can you do before a break? is it 6 hours or 4.5?
Neither or both depending on how you look at it.
The rule says that if you work for 6 hours or more you must have a 30 minute break. It doesn’t say you have to take it during that 6 hours, or does it?
If say you are multi dropping, would you keep tracks seperately of driving time and other work time and take breaks accordingly and maybe take one break which would cover both cases?
Mainly you have to keep an eye on driving time. If you start at 0600 it isn’t rocket science to figure out that your due a lunch break around 1200. 6 hours, or so, working is long enough surely. Make that a 45 minute break and you’ve covered any eventuality. That is provided you don’t have to take a break earlier because of driving time.
One of those count-down kitchen timers worked for me, when I had to keep track myself.
Another option is one of those timers that Davey Driver designed. The earlier CO1 was a good one. They keep track of driving. other work, break and rest and covered the whole of the rolling fortnight, but don’t do wtd. The later ones, which do wtd, have some problems, not least of which is that Davey Driver hasn’t got anything to do with them any more. I think you can still get them from truckstops etc, sold through a company called DTS. Do a search on both of those names (Davey Driver and DTS) for more info, using the search link near the top of every page.
P.S. 15 hours on POA would be totally hypothetical. No employer is going to pay you 15 hours without you lifting a finger to earn your pay. 15 hours on POA would mean exactly that other than the 5 minutes it took you to announce you were on site, waiting to start work and to book off again, so 14.55 POA. to be more accurate.
I thought I’d better put this bit in, before the site pedant collared me
It’s probably worth mentioning that although the weekly driving limit is 56 hours, the maximum allowed driving for any two consecutive weeks is 90 hours, so if you drove for 56 hours one week then the previous week and the following week you would be restricted to 34 hours driving to stay within the law.
Right, gotcha, makes complete sense.
I guess remembering all the different little bits and bobs you need to keep an eye on like the 2 consecutive week driving limit of 90 hours which actually means keeping an eye on 3 weeks (two fortnights or 2 consecutive weeks in a 3 week block) only come with time and experience.
It seems to me though that we must spend more time keeping an eye on all of our limits and working things out that actually working. But then agian I dont suppose thats a bad thing.
Will definately look into the timers, I’ve seen some simple multi timers on amazon etc but one that is configured for breaks etc sounds good.
You can, of course, look through the site and find one of the hundreds of links to this. The Book of Drivers Hours and Tachograph Rules for Goods Vehicles in the UK and Europe, from VOSA. With all of the rules explained, with graphics to help you understand them.
A new EC Regulation on drivers’ hours (Regulation (EC) 561/2006) was agreed in December 2006
the main requirements of which will come into force on 11 April 2007.
The new Regulation clarifies weekly driving limits; requires more frequent and
evenly spread breaks; increases daily rest requirements; and updates exemptions and national derogations.
Some elements, mainly relating to changes to the existing tachograph rules, came into force on 1 May 2006
(20 days after the Regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union).
These include a change to the number of
tachograph charts that drivers are required to carry with them for the purposes of
roadside checks and the mandatory fitment of digital tachographs in any in-scope
vehicles first put into service on or after 1 May 2006.
