New to hgv driving

[will_c]

Hi all, Im new to drivin hgv’s and i ve got a trip to Portugal on monday which is going to be inspected by the ministry when i get back so i want to make sure that my tacho’s are in fine order.

One of the other drivers has been doing the following:

1 and a half hours driving, 15 min break, 4 and a half hours drivin, dover calais crossing.

Now i ve never seen this writen in black and white. My understanding is that you can split the 45 min breaks into either 1x 30 min and 1x 15min breaks or 3x 15 min breaks over the 4.5 hour driving period.
even so, he’s been doing this a fair while and never had any come backs from the guy who sorts out all of our tacho’s.

[rog]

will_c:
Hi all, Im new to drivin hgv’s and i ve got a trip to Portugal on monday which is going to be inspected by the ministry when i get back so i want to make sure that my tacho’s are in fine order.

One of the other drivers has been doing the following:

1 and a half hours driving, 15 min break, 4 and a half hours drivin, dover calais crossing.

Now i ve never seen this writen in black and white. My understanding is that you can split the 45 min breaks into either 1x 30 min and 1x 15min breaks or 3x 15 min breaks over the 4.5 hour driving period.
even so, he’s been doing this a fair while and never had any come backs from the guy who sorts out all of our tacho’s.

OK, I think I can safely say without being shot by Coffeeholic that the 3 15 mins is no more - you can now do 15 as the first but must have 30 as the second break

Ducks - just in case

[will_c]

Just thought of another question.
I can make the run from the yard to dover’s weigh bridge in exactly 4.5 hours. Now obviusly it takes a good 5-10 mins to get through the check in booths and parked up in your lane. Now what would the ministry have to say about going over for this reason, I mean you cant exactly park up in the middle of the port entrance but then again will they say that it should be forseen and that i should stop for a break befor getting there.
Also after driving said run and parking up in lane, it may be say, 10 mins befor you ve got to be loaded on the boat. technicaly i shouldnt move the truck untill the 45 min break has been compleated but obviusly you ve got to get on the boat. How will this be seen? should i note it on the back of the tacho?

[rog]

Wait for Coffeeholic or Tachograph - answering this would get me shot by a gatling gun

If neither see this post then PM (private message) one of them

[tachograph]

ROG:

will_c:
Hi all, Im new to drivin hgv’s and i ve got a trip to Portugal on monday which is going to be inspected by the ministry when i get back so i want to make sure that my tacho’s are in fine order.

One of the other drivers has been doing the following:

1 and a half hours driving, 15 min break, 4 and a half hours drivin, dover calais crossing.

Now i ve never seen this writen in black and white. My understanding is that you can split the 45 min breaks into either 1x 30 min and 1x 15min breaks or 3x 15 min breaks over the 4.5 hour driving period.
even so, he’s been doing this a fair while and never had any come backs from the guy who sorts out all of our tacho’s.

OK, I think I can safely say without being shot by Coffeeholic that the 3 15 mins is no more - you can now do 15 as the first but must have 30 as the second break

Ducks - just in case

1 and a half hours driving, 15 min break, 4 and a half hours drivin, dover calais crossing.

That makes 6 hours driving with only a 15 minute break, is that a typo ?

As ROG said if you divide the 45 minute break the first part has to be a minimum of 15 minutes and the second part must be a minimum of 30 minutes, you can no longer divide the 45 minute break into three parts.

will_c:
Just thought of another question.
I can make the run from the yard to dover’s weigh bridge in exactly 4.5 hours. Now obviusly it takes a good 5-10 mins to get through the check in booths and parked up in your lane. Now what would the ministry have to say about going over for this reason, I mean you cant exactly park up in the middle of the port entrance but then again will they say that it should be forseen and that i should stop for a break befor getting there.
Also after driving said run and parking up in lane, it may be say, 10 mins befor you ve got to be loaded on the boat. technicaly i shouldnt move the truck untill the 45 min break has been compleated but obviusly you ve got to get on the boat. How will this be seen? should i note it on the back of the tacho?

As you say, they would almost certainly say take the break before getting there

[rog]

As ROG said if you divide the 45 minute break the first part has to be a minimum of 15 minutes and the second part must be a minimum of 30 minutes, you can no longer divide the 45 minute break into three parts.

Do I get a gold star

[tachograph]

ROG:

As ROG said if you divide the 45 minute break the first part has to be a minimum of 15 minutes and the second part must be a minimum of 30 minutes, you can no longer divide the 45 minute break into three parts.

Do I get a gold star

LOL
Well you won’t get shot that’s for sure

Unless he decides to shoot you just for the hell of it

[coffeeholic]

tachograph:
Well you won’t get shot that’s for sure

Unless he decides to shoot you just for the hell of it

BANG It was loaded anyway and he deserved it for ducking a very easy question.

[rog]

Coffeeholic:

tachograph:
Well you won’t get shot that’s for sure

Unless he decides to shoot you just for the hell of it

BANG It was loaded anyway and he deserved it for ducking a very easy question.

OUCH

[tachograph]

[coffeeholic]

Couple of things are making a little confusing about this post.

1.) Why is this trip going to be “inspected by the ministry” when you get back? Unusual for them to give advance warning of a check as they would be very unlikely to find any faults with it, unless the driver isn’t very bright and still breaks the regulations.

2.) It seems you can go from your depot to Dover in 4.5 hours yet the other driver takes 6 hours. Is his run different or was it indeed a typo in the first post?

will_c:
I can make the run from the yard to dover’s weigh bridge in exactly 4.5 hours. Now obviusly it takes a good 5-10 mins to get through the check in booths and parked up in your lane. Now what would the ministry have to say about going over for this reason,

They would say you have exceeded your driving time without the proper break.

will_c:
I mean you cant exactly park up in the middle of the port entrance but then again will they say that it should be forseen and that i should stop for a break befor getting there.

They will indeed say that. It is very much foreseen as you know the running time, you know the approximate time for getting through check in and to the lane and you know the time to board the ferry.

will_c:
Also after driving said run and parking up in lane, it may be say, 10 mins befor you ve got to be loaded on the boat. technicaly i shouldnt move the truck untill the 45 min break has been compleated but obviusly you ve got to get on the boat.

At this point you would already be illegal and not getting on the boat does nothing to change this so you may as well just get on the boat…

will_c:
How will this be seen?

It would be seen as even more driving time with insufficient break.

will_c:
should i note it on the back of the tacho?

There is nothing to note on the back of the tacho, there are no mitigating circumstances in this situation

[montana_man]

ROG:

As ROG said if you divide the 45 minute break the first part has to be a minimum of 15 minutes and the second part must be a minimum of 30 minutes, you can no longer divide the 45 minute break into three parts.

Do I get a gold star

depends if you answered that yourself or asked it on “another” forum first

[wheel_nut]

Would it not be easier just to use the train. Its 25 minutes closer than Dover so you should do it legally anyway. The extra cost of the train will still be cheaper than the fines

[will_c]

ah yes exactly, you have to understand that i work for people who would spend 2 or 3 hours trying to account for 2 litres of missing fuel! They wont even put us on P&O as its slighty more expencive than sea france!

CoffeeHolic
Cheers for that post mate, that clears up pretty much everything there!

We ve had a letter from the ministry basicaly saying that they want to look at our trips abroad between X and X dates which mean 2 of my trips are elligable.

So with boading the ferry, theres no exceptions for a 500 yard drive onto the ferry no mater how long youve been sat at the docks? Movement of the vehicle = working/driving time?

Theres no typo’s there, The runs exaclty the same but i was just using it as an example. Basicaly he ushally stops for 15 mins when he gets to warwick services. He seems to think that hes then entitled to drive for 4.5 hours which im a bit confused about. It doesnt take him any longer or less time than me unless traffic etc is bad.
We re a relitivly small racing team and we dont have a transport manager so to speak, so all of our tachos go to a local transport company. This all came from whoever it is sorts all of our tachos out and nothing has ever come back to us about it but as you know its writen in black and white that after 4.5 hours a 45min break must be taken!

[coffeeholic]

will_c:
So with boading the ferry, theres no exceptions for a 500 yard drive onto the ferry no mater how long youve been sat at the docks? Movement of the vehicle = working/driving time?!

There is no exception if you have no driving time left. If you do have driving time left you can move but it will be classed as driving time. Obviously if you sit for at least 45 minutes on break before boarding teh ferry this is fine, as long as you have driving time left for the day.

There is an option for the ferry or train which allows you to interrupt your daily rest for boarding or disembarkation but as it doesn’t apply to the Dover Calais crossing then it has no bearing on your situation.

As far as you mate goes, taking just 15 minutes break does not allow him to drive for a further 4.5 hour. He can take 15 minutes then continue up to 4.5 hours including the time before the 15 minutes and then take 30 minutes.

If he is doing what you say and your tacho charts are coming back with no comment on this the your company is wasting their time sending them off as they are not being checked properly.

As far as being asked for details of your journeys between certain dates are you sure they will be checking your charts. This sounds more like the forms they send out periodically asking for details such as loading points, unloading points, nature of goods, port of departure and arrival etc. That is only a survey and not a tacho check. The forms are usually accompanied by a letter warning that you that the Secretary of State for Transport requires you to supply the information and if you don’t they will come round and kidnap your children or roger your dog or something but it is only for the Department for Transport statistics and not a check on driving hours. It’s mainly so in a couple of months they can tell us how few British trucks are using Dover and how many tonnes of freight were carried.

[will_c]

ah great well thats everything i needed to know! cheers

Im going to ring this guy up and have a word then, I could really do without a fine!

just out of interest, why does the exception not apply to dover calais?

Im not sure what the document is to be honest, the gaffer (who doesnt know a great deal about this sort of thing) just told me what i ve told you.

[coffeeholic]

will_c:
just out of interest, why does the exception not apply to dover calais?

Because for all parts of an interrupted daily rest period you must have access to a bunk or couchette and you don’t get that on the Dover Calais crossing.

will_c:
Im not sure what the document is to be honest, the gaffer (who doesnt know a great deal about this sort of thing) just told me what i ve told you.

I think he may have the wrong end of the stick.

[will_c]

Ah i see, well thats alright then cheers

oh i ve just thought of somthing else. Use this as an example…

3 hours driving followed by 45 min break, 4.5 hours driving.

now am i correct in saying that after another 45 min break i can drive for a further 1.5 hours on a normal 9 hour day
and a further 1.5 hours driving, 45 min break, 1 hour driving on a 10 hour day, on 2 days of the week?

or can you just do 2.5 hours after the last 45 min break?

[rog]

will_c:
…can you just do 2.5 hours after the last 45 min break?

3 hours driving followed by 45 min break, 4.5 hours driving then 45 min break

If on a 10 hour driving day YES - now there’s confidence in not beeing shot by Coffeeholic

[coffeeholic]

ROG:
… now there’s confidence in not beeing shot by Coffeeholic

BANG Oh, He was right, my bad.