Just thought I’d get a few opinions on the max 4 1/2 hour rule then 45 break…
What is your take on it?
Do you feel it is too much driving and not enough break or too little driving and too much break or other??
I drove down to newcastle the other day from Glasgow via Edinburgh and nearly ran out of drivers hours after my drop. Pulled over to take my break but kinda just wanted to keep driving to get back home (another 2 hour drive) but had to occupy myself for 45 mins.
They are stuck in the dark ages…WTD ha ,HA …15.s through out the day would be fine with me.
breaks should be based on duty not just driving time
I did Bridgwater to Manchester in one hit and felt like I needed a 45. I would much rather have 15 on the way up, 15 in Manchester and 15 on the way back, like you 45 minutes can drag on a bit too long when you just want to get back on the road.
I did Leeds to Chelmsford last night non stop 4 hours 6 minutes driving. Wheels didn’t stop turning once. Could have done with a few hours rest let alone 45 mins. Then drove all the way back in one hit. Tiring work…
hitch:
breaks should be based on duty not just driving time
They are. The WTD requires you have 30 minutes once you’ve done 6hrs work…
IMO …
A 11 hour max day is long enough for anyone in this day & age, start to finish with no more that 9 hours driving in that period that should be taken in 3 hour stints if possible, but no more than 3.5.
A night shift should be a max of 10 from start to finish with no more than 8 hours driving in that shift, taken as 3x3x2, plus extra allowance for time off should you need to take a day off which in reality can often mean two nights off
No opting out allowed either.
Any driver claiming that a longer day means they can reach home should have their licence revoked for stupidity.
Any company paying below £12ph for the first 40 hours should be closed down.
Complete Sunday ban on HGV’s, unless needed for exceptional movements.
Shall I duck for cover ?
Dodgy Permit:
IMO …
A 11 hour max day is long enough for anyone in this day & age, start to finish with no more that 9 hours driving in that period that should be taken in 3 hour stints if possible, but no more than 3.5.
A night shift should be a max of 10 from start to finish with no more than 8 hours driving in that shift, taken as 3x3x2, plus extra allowance for time off should you need to take a day off which in reality can often mean two nights offNo opting out allowed either.
Any driver claiming that a longer day means they can reach home should have their licence revoked for stupidity.
Any company paying below £12ph for the first 40 hours should be closed down.
Complete Sunday ban on HGV’s, unless needed for exceptional movements.Shall I duck for cover ?
i agree totally. +1
Panther Collection:
Just thought I’d get a few opinions on the max 4 1/2 hour rule then 45 break…What is your take on it?
Do you feel it is too much driving and not enough break or too little driving and too much break or other??
I think 4½ hours maximum driving is probably about right, the thing that gets me is that you can wear yourself out loading heavy sacks or whatever for 1½ hours then drive for 4½ hours exhausted but you can’t legally do it the other way round, you can’t legally do 4½ hours driving then do even 5 minutes paperwork without having a break after the driving 
Basically you can drive when you’re knackered but you can’t drive then work until you’re knackered, it just makes no sense to me 
Dodgy Permit:
IMO …
A 11 hour max day is long enough for anyone in this day & age, start to finish with no more that 9 hours driving in that period that should be taken in 3 hour stints if possible, but no more than 3.5.
A night shift should be a max of 10 from start to finish with no more than 8 hours driving in that shift, taken as 3x3x2, plus extra allowance for time off should you need to take a day off which in reality can often mean two nights offNo opting out allowed either.
Any driver claiming that a longer day means they can reach home should have their licence revoked for stupidity.
Any company paying below £12ph for the first 40 hours should be closed down.
Complete Sunday ban on HGV’s, unless needed for exceptional movements.Shall I duck for cover ?
agreed…+2
Dodgy Permit:
IMO …
A 11 hour max day is long enough for anyone in this day & age, start to finish with no more that 9 hours driving in that period that should be taken in 3 hour stints if possible, but no more than 3.5.
A night shift should be a max of 10 from start to finish with no more than 8 hours driving in that shift, taken as 3x3x2, plus extra allowance for time off should you need to take a day off which in reality can often mean two nights offNo opting out allowed either.
Any driver claiming that a longer day means they can reach home should have their licence revoked for stupidity.
Any company paying below £12ph for the first 40 hours should be closed down.
Complete Sunday ban on HGV’s, unless needed for exceptional movements.Shall I duck for cover ?
No need to duck for cover but you may wish to join the rest of us in the real world when the drugs wear off 
The world of transport and the vast variety of jobs that any one of us on here do mean that the rules are never going to suit everyone, whatever they are.
Here in Canada its essentially a 14hr spread (extendable to 16) with 13hrs of driving allowed, you dont have to take breaks during your shift, you do as you see fit and stop when you see fit and as a driver who’s worked in both the UK and Canada, I do feel far more relaxed in Canada, despite doing more. The UK is all clock watching and being patrified of huge fines and so forth for the slightest offence of seconds and minutes.
Personally if it were up to me, in the UK/EU it would be something like 14hr spread, 10hrs driving per day with lets say a one hour break before 5 hours driving or something along those lines. I enjoy driving in the UK with the exception of the rules. The industry is far too regulated for my liking with excessive amounts of tacho regs, WTD, CPC etc etc. I just want to go to work, enjoy it, crack on and do a job good and then go home. Not jump through bureaucratic hoops all day in the name of ‘professionalism’.
tachograph:
Dodgy Permit:
IMO …
A 11 hour max day is long enough for anyone in this day & age, start to finish with no more that 9 hours driving in that period that should be taken in 3 hour stints if possible, but no more than 3.5.
A night shift should be a max of 10 from start to finish with no more than 8 hours driving in that shift, taken as 3x3x2, plus extra allowance for time off should you need to take a day off which in reality can often mean two nights offNo opting out allowed either.
Any driver claiming that a longer day means they can reach home should have their licence revoked for stupidity.
Any company paying below £12ph for the first 40 hours should be closed down.
Complete Sunday ban on HGV’s, unless needed for exceptional movements.Shall I duck for cover ?
No need to duck for cover but you may wish to join the rest of us in the real world when the drugs wear off
+1
Conor:
hitch:
breaks should be based on duty not just driving timeThey are. The WTD requires you have 30 minutes once you’ve done 6hrs work…
No you need 15 mins not 30 by 6hrs.
You need to show 30 if your shift is between 6 and 9 hours so
start 0600
break 12.00 to 12.15
work 12.15 to 14.00
break 14.00 to 14.15
work till 15.00 and go home all legal
tachograph:
I think 4½ hours maximum driving is probably about right, the thing that gets me is that you can wear yourself out loading heavy sacks or whatever for 1½ hours then drive for 4½ hours exhausted but you can’t legally do it the other way round, you can’t legally do 4½ hours driving then do even 5 minutes paperwork without having a break after the drivingBasically you can drive when you’re knackered but you can’t drive then work until you’re knackered, it just makes no sense to me
Tachograph can you point to which regulation says you can’t do 4.5 hrs driving, immediately followed by 1.5hrs other work. 45 mins break, then resume driving?
I would go for: max 12 hours working day including one hour break spread as you wish, but minimum 30 minutes has to be taken no earlier than 3 hours into shift and no later than 3 hours before its end. Flexibility - this is what tacho rules lack most for me.
Driveroneuk:
tachograph:
I think 4½ hours maximum driving is probably about right, the thing that gets me is that you can wear yourself out loading heavy sacks or whatever for 1½ hours then drive for 4½ hours exhausted but you can’t legally do it the other way round, you can’t legally do 4½ hours driving then do even 5 minutes paperwork without having a break after the drivingBasically you can drive when you’re knackered but you can’t drive then work until you’re knackered, it just makes no sense to me
Tachograph can you point to which regulation says you can’t do 4.5 hrs driving, immediately followed by 1.5hrs other work. 45 mins break, then resume driving?
After a driving period of four and a half hours a driver shall
take an uninterrupted break of not less than 45 minutes,
unless he takes a rest period.
Page 17 Rules on Drivers Hours and Tachographs
Breaks
After a driving period of no more than 4.5 hours, a driver must immediately take a break of at least 45 minutes unless he takes a rest period.
I personally, was under the impression that after 4.5 hrs driving you had to have a 45 minute break before driving commences again. Nowhere does it state that you must not undertake any other duties before having a break. Therefore you could:
start shift,
drive 4.5 hrs,
other duties 1 hrs,
break 15 mins,
other duties 2 hrs,
break 30 mins,
drive 4.5 hour,
finish shift
Please correct me if im wrong, but I thought that would be completely within the rules.
haribo4000:
I personally, was under the impression that after 4.5 hrs driving you had to have a 45 minute break before driving commences again. Nowhere does it state that you must not undertake any other duties before having a break. Therefore you could:
start shift,
drive 4.5 hrs,
other duties 1 hrs,
break 15 mins,
other duties 2 hrs,
break 30 mins,
drive 4.5 hour,
finish shiftPlease correct me if im wrong, but I thought that would be completely within the rules.
The regulations state that “After a driving period of four and a half hours a driver shall take an uninterrupted break of not less than 45 minutes, unless he takes a rest period”.
The statement that you shall take a break after 4½ hours driving sort of negates any need to mention that you shouldn’t undertake any other duties, the regulation doesn’t say take a break unless you’re going to do some other work it says take a break unless you’re starting a rest period, in other words if you’re not starting a rest period take a break.
VOSAs interpretation of the regulation is “After a driving period of no more than 4.5 hours, a driver must immediately take a break of at least 45 minutes unless he takes a rest period”.
Sorry but I don’t see that the example you’ve given complies with the regulations
Simplifying the bloody rules would be a logical step for everyone,
apart from the dinosaurs who dish out the fines. 