Been arguing about this in work for some time. It all centres around the fact that two people can read the rules and interprit it in different ways.
Twice a week you can do
4.5hrs driving,
45min rest,
4.5hrs driving,
45min rest,
1hr driving.
Would this also be legal:
1hr driving,
45min rest,
4.5hrs driving,
45min rest,
4.5hrs driving.
I’m getting bored of this one so maybe some one here can put an end to it for me.
Thanks
madtrucker:
Been arguing about this in work for some time. It all centres around the fact that two people can read the rules and interprit it in different ways.Twice a week you can do
4.5hrs driving,
45min rest,
4.5hrs driving,
45min rest,
1hr driving.Would this also be legal:
1hr driving,
45min rest,
4.5hrs driving,
45min rest,
4.5hrs driving.I’m getting bored of this one so maybe some one here can put an end to it for me.
Thanks
I can’t see anything wrong with either scenario, but hang on, I can hear the cavalry…
dieseldave:
madtrucker:
Been arguing about this in work for some time. It all centres around the fact that two people can read the rules and interprit it in different ways.Twice a week you can do
4.5hrs driving,
45min rest,
4.5hrs driving,
45min rest,
1hr driving.Would this also be legal:
1hr driving,
45min rest,
4.5hrs driving,
45min rest,
4.5hrs driving.I’m getting bored of this one so maybe some one here can put an end to it for me.
Thanks
I can’t see anything wrong with either scenario
Me neither. Please don’t tell me someone is arguing the second one isn’t allowed? I thought I had heard most of the misconceptions on the regulations but that’s a new one. 
Go on, what’s their reasoning for it not being legal? 
Thanks, at least I’ve got one thing right this week.
The reasoning put forward was that the extra hour driving was a ‘get you home’ hour if you were close to base and wasn’t designed to be used to extend your normal driving time.
The other reason was safety. I can kind of see where they are coming from on the safety side. If you do a full 4.5hrs at the end of your shift you will be more tired driving for a longer period than if you have a break and just do the 1hr at the end of the shift. Even so I don’t really agree.
As long as you don’t exceed 4.5hrs at any time without a break its up to the driver to fit the breaks in to suit the work/driver.
madtrucker:
The reasoning put forward was that the extra hour driving was a ‘get you home’ hour if you were close to base and wasn’t designed to be used to extend your normal driving time.
So when the regulations define driving time as - 9 hours per day which can be increased to 10 hours twice a week, where do they get the just to get you home bit from? Maybe it was written in invisible ink? 
madtrucker:
The other reason was safety. I can kind of see where they are coming from on the safety side. If you do a full 4.5hrs at the end of your shift you will be more tired driving for a longer period than if you have a break and just do the 1hr at the end of the shift.
It could equally be argued people could be more tired at the start of the shift if they didn’t get all the sleep they wanted before starting work. Do an hour and have a break and power nap and they are sorted for the day then. Either way it’s still ■■■■■■■■. You also have to say very few drivers will do either of those patterns of driving and the breaks are likely to be distributed differently during the shift or the driving periods broken by other work.
madtrucker:
As long as you don’t exceed 4.5hrs at any time without a break its up to the driver to fit the breaks in to suit the work/driver.
Yep, as long as the break, or breaks, total at least 45 minutes and meet the other break requirements of the regulations.
If theres one thing I’ve learnt in my time it’s that most drivers don’t really seem to understand the tacho laws and even fewer understand WTD.
The laws were designed to allow flexible working patterns but in the process they have also become too complicated.