This POA is really confusing me. Would the example 1 be legal, or do I need to use example 2?
Example 1.
Driving - 3 hours
POA - 40 min
Driving - 3 minutes
Break - 25 minutes
(Driving time now clear on tacho)
Driving - 1 hour
Break - 35 minutes
(Tacho should now show clear driving but shows 1 hour driving)
Driving - 4 hours
(Showing as over by 30 min)
Example 2.
Driving - 3 hours
POA - 40 min
Driving - 3 minutes
Break - 25 minutes
(Driving time now clear on tacho)
Driving - 1 hour
Break - 35 minutes
(Tacho should now show clear driving but shows 1 hour)
Driving - 3.5 hours
Break - 30 minutes
Driving - 30 minutes
In both, total driving time is 8 hours 3 minutes, but example 2 has 30 min more break.
Trucker Ed:
Both legal just remember the tachometer treats poa as break but the law doesn’t, why not just use break instead of poa,
Example 1;
He drove for 1 hour, had 35 mins break, then drove for 4 hrs.
Not legal.
Of course it’s legal. Look at it again.
Example 1;
He drove a total of 3.03hr, then had a 25 min break, then drove for 1 hr (total now 4.03hr) and had a 35 min break. That resets the clock so he’s then clear to drive for another 4.5hrs.
Your visual aid on the VDU is clearing the driving as the system counts POA as break,
Your best bet when using POA is to make a note on a pad to how much driving is actually done. (Can’t beat a bit of old pen and paper) .
Although you have had the correct breaks the POA had allowed the instrument to reset the vis driving marker and will later flash that you need a break.
As long as you have correctly had the required breaks for driving just press the OK button ant the VDU will stop flashing …
Just remember to tot up how much driving you’ve done before using significant amounts of POA.
Start Shift
Driving - 1 hour
Break - 15 min
Driving - 30 minutes
POA - 1 hour (resets driving time, although full break not taken)
Driving - 2 hours
Break - 30 minutes (full break now taken but driving still showing 2 hours)
Driving - 4 hours End Shift
I would be 100% legal, even though the dash on the truck, and/or the tacho unit thinks I have driven 1 and a half hours more than I should. The Police/VOSA/Traffic Office would see that I took a full break, and never went over the 4.5 driving, and thus have no infractions?
Poa resets your tachometer time but not your driving time.
So you could have driven for 2 hrs Used poa for 1 hr Drive for 1.5 hrs. Have 16 mins. Rest. Drive for 50 mins have rest 31 mins card clear for next 4.5 hrs drive.
or you could have driven for say 3 hrs. Waiting on tip so bang it on POA for 1 hr. which don’t count against your WTD . This will clear tachometer time on display but you now can drive for 1.5 hrs max or say 1.20 mins then take 45 now your card is clear for 4.5 hrs drive.
So your duty time is drive 4.20 mins plus 1 hr POA plus break 45 mins which totals 6 hrs and 5 mins but only the 4.20 goes against your WTD.
People who get deducted breaks use POA so not to loose money
Thanks everyone. It’s just one of those things that’s been confusing me. Cleared it all up though. If I ever use pos, I will just ignore the break warning, keeping a note of all hours/breaks I have done.
kavs44:
or you could have driven for say 3 hrs. Waiting on tip so bang it on POA for 1 hr. which don’t count against your WTD . This will clear tachometer time on display but you now can drive for 1.5 hrs max or say 1.20 mins then take 45 now your card is clear for 4.5 hrs drive.
So your duty time is drive 4.20 mins plus 1 hr POA plus break 45 mins which totals 6 hrs and 5 mins but only the 4.20 goes against your WTD.
Its not so much the WTD I’m concerned about, it is if i had a split break, and the first 15 minutes was before the POA, and the 30 minutes was after (with driving between POA and 30 minute break), even though the 30 minutes completes my 45 minute break, and should refresh the tacho screen, it doesn’t, and it still shows whatever I drove between the POA and the 30 minute break. Clear as mud ain’t it.
I now know to ignore the screen, and just keep a note of what I have done. I know a printout would prove to anyone that I was legal driving time/breaks wise.
