Im wondering if anybody can help with this. I work mon to fri, 5am till finish as a class 2 driver, but on some weeks, normally one week in every 2 or 3 weeks, I come in at 5am as usual but I load all the lorries first, which takes until approximately 7.15, and then i go out in my lorry for the day.
what i would like to know is do I need to insert my tacho into my lorry as soon as i get to work at 5am, so that it records my other work, or can i insert my tacho when im ready to do my vehicle inspection checks and ready to leave the yard?
I think i need to have my other work recorded but does it have to be recorded on the tachograph? or can i just write my start and finish times on my tacho envelopes? or should i manually record the work on my tacho (how do i go about this?). We use mainly paper tachos, but one digital tacho.
Many thanks
If you know which vehicle you will be using, and there is a certainty than any yard movements of that vehicle will only be carried out by yourself, then a chart/card should be inserted and left to remain on ‘other work’.
Otherwise, on the reverse of a chart, enter your EDR (End of daily rest) time, and then manually draw a line on the hours scale (again on the reverse) from when you started work (other work) until you inserted your chart.
In the case of a card, clear the ‘Driving without card’ infringements, insert card and manually update the start time back to when you commenced work, and record the interim period as ‘other work’, or, Other work > Break for a Brew > Other Work > Bacon buttie followed by a number 2 
> Other work > Break to chat up the office bird arriving for work. 
etc.
One big advantage (that I find) with digital cards, is that if you keep in your head a list of times and activities, when you insert the card, you can program them into the memory.
If you have access to your vehicle the best option is to put your chart in and set it to other work. if you can’t do this then you should make a manual entry on the chart, writing it on the tacho envelope is not enough as the envelopes are not official documents. With a digital tacho you will need to make a manual entry using the Vehicle Unit.