Was on the ferry back from Northern Ireland to Stranraer yesterday. As it was the slow 3 hour crossing I got my diary out and was totalling up my hours for the week. I then noticed that I had 15 minutes driving time left til my fortnightly 90 hours was up. It’s a 3 hour drive back to our yard from the ferryport.
So I gets on the blower before we get away from land and lose a mobile reception and tells the boss. You’ll be alright. It’s only 3 hours over he says. Didn’t have time to argue as the reception was crap so said goodbye. For the whole crossing I was wondering what to do. Do I drive it and hope there’s no come-back or do I put my foot down and say no, I’m not going to risk getting caught. I’m not very good at sticking up for myself and causing a fuss, but I thought, “this time I’m gonna stick up for myself. It’s my license”
As we reach the West coast of Scotland and my reception came back I phoned the boss again and told him I wasn’t going to risk it what did he want me to do. “You’ll only get ifined if you get caught” he says. To which I reply “If I’m in an accident regardless of whose fault and there’s a fatality/someone is badly hurt I’m gonna get my tachos inspected.” My boss hums and haws for a minute then says he’ll call me back.
When he calls back he says he’s gonna send an agency driver down to get me in the van and he’ll drive the wagon back to base. However he said he wasn’t impressed as I should have told him before I left for Ireland I was short of hours. Surely as the TM he should have known sending me away doing 2 six-day weeks long-distance would have used up all my hours? OK so I should keep on top of my hours better, but I don’t think it was entirely my fault. Besides I had an argument with him last week about whether “other work” is included in your driving time!!! He thought it was!!! He hasn’t got a clue. I bet even if I had told him I was short of hours he would have sent me anyway.
I believe a call from you to the VI’s in order, depending on how much you want the job of course. This happened to me on rigids. The transport manager said no probs and came and got me in his car. Brought a driver with him and he took the wagon back. They just said don’t worry about it. You did the right thing telling us. We don’t want prosecuting either. You did exactly the right thing.
Like you say, it’s your licence and can you see that dipstick (for want of a better word) helping you out if you get done?
TheBigOne:
I believe a call from you to the VI’s in order, depending on how much you want the job of course. This happened to me on rigids. The transport manager said no probs and came and got me in his car. Brought a driver with him and he took the waggon back. They just said don’t worry about it. You did the right thing telling us. We don’t want prosecuting either. You did exactly the right thing.
Like you say, it’s your licence and can you see that dipstick (for want of a better word) helping you out if you get done?
I don’t think this deserves a call to the VI. After all, in the end the boss did the right thing even though he needed persuading, I think in some ways he was not at fault as he was right to expect more notice from his driver that he would be out of hours…lessons learnt all round here…
Lost pup, you were acting professionally by standing by your guns and not driving back to the yard, well done, but keep track of your hours in the future and this sort of problem will not arise
Fair comment Jimti. I wouldn’t shop the gaffer for it as it was partly my fault. Plus he could have just said “Tough” see you when you get back. I just think it wasn’t entirely my fault. Never mind, a few hours at home with my girlie and I feel a lot better She knows how to treat me right!
we sat message our shift details every day, and the office keep a check on it all
i was parked up in france at 10.30 on a saturday morning and told to wait till 0001 on monday before i could run again, it was a nice extra break seeing i’d just had a 24 in benidorm
Get one of Davey Driver’s Hour Guards, it lets you check your weekly/fortnightly driving time at the push of a button - tells you how much you’ve done and how much is left. For this alone it’s worth the money.
Been thinkin about it, but like most gadgets, I would probably use it for a week or so and then go back to my trusty pen and paper. Thus wasting cash - I’m good at that.
Lostpup:
Been thinkin about it, but like most gadgets, I would probably use it for a week or so and then go back to my trusty pen and paper. Thus wasting cash - I’m good at that.
Not trying the hard sell here, but
The timer had only been on sale around 5 months by the time I’d lost count of drivers phoning up to order one stating they had just been to Court for Drivers Hours Offences, and none said their fines were less than £150 each, with some being over £1000
Now my opinion is simply £150 or £22-95 using the Trucknet Discount
Have to agree with Davey on this one and I’m NOT on commission. I bought one from him about a month or so ago and have found it invaluable.
Unless you have your own foolproof system I would recommend it to anyone. I haven’t received any infringements since I got it and don’t intend to get any more. I used the pen, paper and stopwatch but this is so much easier.
The job seems easier as well, as daft as it sounds, it’s something less to think/worry about - you just do what you’re paid for and drive.
I don’t doubt the accuracy/reliability of Davey’s toy but I just couldn’t get to grips with it. Seemed to be far too much instruction reading and spending 3 hours working out what all the seemingly randomly marked buttons mean.
When using my ASDA’s BIG KITCHEN TIMER I occasionally forget to either stop it or forget to start it and have to do some guestimating and winding forwards or backwards to bring back roughly the right time, but I didn’t find a way of doing that with Davey’s toy and you had to start again or it was a case of “tough [zb]”.
Believe it or not I can figure out how to set any model video in a few minutes so why Davey’s toy gives me grief I don’t know.
Lostpup:
Been thinkin about it, but like most gadgets, I would probably use it for a week or so and then go back to my trusty pen and paper. Thus wasting cash - I’m good at that.
Not trying the hard sell here, but
The timer had only been on sale around 5 months by the time I’d lost count of drivers phoning up to order one stating they had just been to Court for Drivers Hours Offences, and none said their fines were less than £150 each, with some being over £1000
Now my opinion is simply £150 or £22-95 using the Trucknet Discount
Well I’ll leave it at that
Hi, how does this piece of kit compare with my TachTrak ?
I have had this for the past 6 years & never knowingly had a bent chart (certainly never had one back from inspection with anything other than suggestions I must live next to a motorway )
Nearly weekended!!!
Theres a poor guy from the Chec Republic who’s been parked up at a disused filling station a couple of miles from where I live in a Volvo FH with a tilt since good Friday!!! Pass by him everyday going to work and he’s usually just sitting in the cab watching TV,Must be waitng to tip in the nearby industrial estate and the factory must be closed for Easter.Waiting that long would do my head in!!!
Cav203k:
I should add…the TachTrak cost me £57 +p/p in 1998 !!!
batteries (3xAA) last about 6 months before I sling them out)
Got to say that once you get used to using the Drivers Guard, it is far better than the Tack Track, I had one of those before, but a bit of a coffee accident ended its life, and as the drivers guard was 1/2 the price, I got one of them…Never looked back since
Got to say that once you get used to using the Drivers Guard, it is far better than the Tack Track, I had one of those before, but a bit of a coffee accident ended its life, and as the drivers guard was 1/2 the price, I got one of them…Never looked back since
Was it a case of ‘dont drink & drive, you’ll spill it’ ?
The Hours Guard is a great bit of kit and very simple to use. I’ve been using one since the 20th of February last year and it still has the original batteries in it, wouldn’t be without it now.
Can I just point out that the accident that ended the life of jimti’s Tack Track was nothing to do with me.
Coffeeholic:
The Hours Guard is a great bit of kit and very simple to use. I’ve been using one since the 20th of February last year and it still has the original batteries in it, wouldn’t be without it now.
Can I just point out that the accident that ended the life of jimti’s Tack Track was nothing to do with me.
She knows how to treat me right! 
