I never use POA myself, I’m paid from start time to finish and the office don’t seem to care if I’m on break for 3 hrs a shift or anything else, as long as the load gets there and the reload gets back that’s good enough for them. Also they pay the times I write on my work sheet, not bothering to check starts or finishes. Sweet.
Oh yes, I don’t know where to find POA on the digi anyway and currently don’t want to.
Usually after 45 mins of other work or POA, just press the O.K button it will flash driver printout scroll up till you get to “display driver 1” and press O.K select the date you need scroll down and all your data will appear on the screen this will help if your driving time shows 0 after 45 minutes work or poa. 
I only ever use poa after using break and have cleared any relevant driving periods, in chilled being sat around 3hrs or more is not uncommon, most of the trucks I am driving seem to keep a running total of the shift driving within the OBC, never bothered much with poa in previous jobs but as I say, chilled deliveries seem to lend itself to using it, I sincerely hope I am using it correctly lol
What happens if you go over 4.5 hours on the screen but are actually still legal? Will it still do the whole Tacho Warning thing at 4.15?
I’ll explain to clarify. First drop today took 3 hours and 2 minutes to get to, had to wait half an hour so stuck it on POA (Probably should have just left it on other work whilst waiting but we live and learn).
So I’ve got 3.02 driving, 32 mins POA on the dash by the time I can tip.
Next drop I’m at 3.33 driving time, still reading 32 mins POA in the “accumulated rest” bit. I have 30 minutes break (Didn’t want to take the full 45 as I wanted to come back from my last drop in one hit, so I normally take two 30 minutes). Set off again and everything resets, so it’s reading 0.00 driving and 0.00 rest despite technically still being at 3.33. It takes me 50 minutes to get to the last drop. I know I’m at 4.23 but the clock says only 50. This is where my dilema comes in.
If I had taken just the second 30, legally I’d have had at least 45 minutes break (ok an hour but you know what I mean), split into 2 with the second period at least 30 minutes, before 4.30 driving. So legally I would have been reset, yet the dash would still have said 50? It was just over 4 hours drive back, so would the time have read 4.50 even though I had only driven for 4? And would have I got pulled up on it when the card was downloaded or would the download read correct?
In the end I took a 45 to reset myself again to be on the safe side, but it is annoying when in a world where we can get a satellite to zoom in to a guys bald spot, then fire a missile from 20km away which hits him bang on, we can’t sort the software out to tell the difference between Availability and Rest in a sodding digi tacho. Especially with the laws as needlessly over complicated as they are.
The Pariah:
What happens if you go over 4.5 hours on the screen but are actually still legal? Will it still do the whole Tacho Warning thing at 4.15?I’ll explain to clarify. First drop today took 3 hours and 2 minutes to get to, had to wait half an hour so stuck it on POA (Probably should have just left it on other work whilst waiting but we live and learn).
So I’ve got 3.02 driving, 32 mins POA on the dash by the time I can tip.
Next drop I’m at 3.33 driving time, still reading 32 mins POA in the “accumulated rest” bit. I have 30 minutes break (Didn’t want to take the full 45 as I wanted to come back from my last drop in one hit, so I normally take two 30 minutes). Set off again and everything resets, so it’s reading 0.00 driving and 0.00 rest despite technically still being at 3.33. It takes me 50 minutes to get to the last drop. I know I’m at 4.23 but the clock says only 50. This is where my dilema comes in.
If I had taken just the second 30, legally I’d have had at least 45 minutes break (ok an hour but you know what I mean), split into 2 with the second period at least 30 minutes, before 4.30 driving. So legally I would have been reset, yet the dash would still have said 50? It was just over 4 hours drive back, so would the time have read 4.50 even though I had only driven for 4? And would have I got pulled up on it when the card was downloaded or would the download read correct?
In the end I took a 45 to reset myself again to be on the safe side, but it is annoying when in a world where we can get a satellite to zoom in to a guys bald spot, then fire a missile from 20km away which hits him bang on, we can’t sort the software out to tell the difference between Availability and Rest in a sodding digi tacho. Especially with the laws as needlessly over complicated as they are.
In that situation, the download would read fine and you wouldn’t get an infringement, it’s only the tacho machine that gets confused, not the tacho analysis.
I tested that exact situation when I was at Turners, because I was responsible for downloading the cards and emailing the info, I kept a copy of my own download and ran it through the tachograph analysis (free download) and it came up fine even though I’d been showing driving time in excess of 4.5hrs on the screen.
I’d heard of companies that pay POA but not break, but never found 1 yet (thank god).
geebee45… what you’ve put isn’t exactly precise, it only registers as break after 15 mins, so you can do 14mins poa + 14mins poa + 14mins poa + 14mins poa and it still wouldn’t reset the clock, but you are correct in that 23 mins poa + 23 mins poa would on certain tachos, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t on the latest, but 23 mins poa + 23 mins poa + 23 mins poa still definately would, same as 15 mins break x 3 still resets too.
I was told by my DCPC trainer (so it must be true !) that only the UK opted for poa and no one else in europe uses it - which seams a load of ollocks to me - but i only got my computer back today so aint bin on here to find out
Jenson Button:
I was told by my DCPC trainer (so it must be true !) that only the UK opted for poa and no one else in europe uses it - which seams a load of ollocks to me - but i only got my computer back today so aint bin on here to find out
It is OK, Google did it for you, Article 6 section 5 from a sample of different regulations 
GB
- A driver shall record as other work any time spent as
described in Article 4(e) as well as any time spent driving a
vehicle used for commercial operations not falling within the
scope of this Regulation, and shall record any periods of
availability, as defined in Article 15(3)(c) of Regulation (EEC)
No 3821/85, since his last daily or weekly rest period. This
record shall be entered either manually on a record sheet, a
printout or by use of manual input facilities on recording
equipment.
F
- Un conducteur enregistre comme autre tâche, tout temps
tel que défini à l’article 4, point e), ainsi que tout temps passé Ã
conduire un véhicule utilisé pour des opérations commerciales
n’entrant pas dans le champ d’application du présent
règlement, et enregistre toute période de disponibilité, telle
que définie à l’article 15, paragraphe 3, point c), du règlement
(CEE) no 3821/85, depuis son dernier temps de repos
journalier ou hebdomadaire. Cet enregistrement est inscrit
manuellement sur une feuille d’enregistrement, sur une sortie
imprimée ou à l’aide de la fonction de saisie manuelle offerte
par l’appareil de contrôle.
F
A driver shall record as other work any time
as defined in Article 4, paragraph e), and any time spent
driving a vehicle used for commercial operations
not within the scope of this
Regulation, and record any periods of availability, such
as defined in Article 15, paragraph 3, point c) of Regulation
(EEC) No 3821/85, since his last resting
daily or weekly. This recording is listed
manually on a recording sheet at an output
or printed using the manual entry facility provided
by the control device.
D
(5) Der Fahrer muss die Zeiten im Sinne des Artikels 4
Buchstabe e sowie alle Lenkzeiten in einem Fahrzeug, das für
gewerbliche Zwecke außerhalb des Anwendungsbereichs der
vorliegenden Verordnung verwendet wird, als andere Arbeiten
festhalten; ferner muss er die seit seiner letzten täglichen oder
wöchentlichen Ruhezeit verbrachten Bereitschaftszeiten im
Sinne des Artikels 15 Absatz 3 Buchstabe c der Verordnung
(EWG) Nr. 3821/85 festhalten. Diese Zeiten sind entweder
handschriftlich auf einem Schaublatt oder einem Ausdruck
einzutragen oder manuell in das Kontrollgerät einzugeben.
D
The driver has the time for the purposes of Article 4
Letter e and any time spent driving a vehicle for
commercial purposes outside the scope of
this Regulation shall be used, as other work
hold, he must also since his last daily or
weekly sleep time spent availability times in
Meaning of Article 15 paragraph 3 letter c of Regulation
(EEC) No 3821/85 with. Those days are either
handwritten on a record sheet, a printout
or manually entered into the control unit.
PL
- Kierowca zapisuje jako inną pracę cały czas określony
w art. 4 pkt e), a także cały czas spędzony na prowadzeniu
pojazdu używanego do działalności zarobkowej nieobjętego
zakresem stosowania niniejszego rozporzÄ…dzenia oraz zapisuje
wszelkie okresy gotowości określone w art. 15 ust. 3
lit. c) rozporzÄ…dzenia (EWG) nr 3821/85 od ostatniego
dziennego lub tygodniowego okresu odpoczynku. Zapisu tego
dokonuje się ręcznie na wykresówce, na wydruku lub przy
użyciu funkcji ręcznego wprowadzania danych do urządzenia
rejestrujÄ…cego.
PL
A driver shall record as other work all the time specified
in the art. 4, point e), as well as the time spent driving
vehicle used for commercial operations not falling
scope of this Regulation and shall record
any periods of availability referred to in art. Paragraph 15. 3
Lit. c) of Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 since the last
daily or weekly rest period. this record
by hand on the sheet, a printout or by
use of manual input of data to the device
registrant.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Jenson Button:
I was told by my DCPC trainer (so it must be true !) that only the UK opted for poa and no one else in europe uses it - which seams a load of ollocks to me - but i only got my computer back today so aint bin on here to find out
Whilst its law across the EU I’ve yet to meet any driver from outside the UK who uses POA or even Other Work. Ive always made a point of asking foreign drivers how they do things and so far every Dutch, German, Pole etc has always just shown driving and break/rest. Like we used to not so long back before we became a country of accountants obsessed with number crunching, time keeping and pen pushing, rather than just getting on with the job with the least amount of bother.
I’ve never used POA for a single minute and I use other work very sparingly. I’m not bothered what the EU says, I do whats the most convenient for myself. I’ve always been paid day rate so pratting about with tacho modes and needlessly extending my day has never been in my book, especially as I have no intention of being caught out with WTD regs by exceeding the six hour rule and things of that nature. If you get paid by the hour/dont get paid for break time then fair enough but I refuse to over-complicate my working day for the sake of bureaucracy when the end result is the same thing.