Hi folks, here’s one for advise please. Started back in the recovery game after a twenty year break about three months ago. Asked others about the hours rules, 60 miles etc and got lots of different answers! A very grey area apparently!! Found a guide on line issued by dvla. It states that once you go onto tacho you have to manually record any other duties for that day and come within scope of EU driving regs. Not a problem!! I started my shift at 16:00, worked locally until 22:30 when I was asked to go from Gt Yarmouth to Southampton. Even with no hold ups this is just over four and half hours driving each way. My protest to the controller was that I didn’t have enough duty hours left to do the job. Can it be relayed? No! Well I can’t do it then I reply. Controller gets the arse, I get twenty questions! Bearing in mind I’d been on tacho all week by then. Eventually it gets relayed half way, I’m back within my 15 hours. I’m now dreading going into work today, as been off for a couple and now I’m expecting ■■■■? Now I know there are plenty of driver that would have just done it and sod the concequensis! My question is does any one know if I was correct? Or have I miss interpreted the rules wrong?
Could be looking for a new job in a couple of hours!
Can’t give you an answer but if more were like you the job would get done legally! Good luck mate just didn’t want to read and run with no comment. Bet the person who give you the job to do would be away home in his hours though!
Without digging out that guide for clarification, you are right, pretty certain you’ll also be limited to 10 hours driving too, both domestic and EU driving hours count towards the 10
Unless you are on fantastic, £1000+ (take home) per week wages, I don’t understand why people put up with this kind of ■■■■. 24 hour a day standby, running all day, and getting fuct about when you try to keep legal.
the nodding donkey:
Unless you are on fantastic, £1000+ (take home) per week wages, I don’t understand why people put up with this kind of [zb]. 24 hour a day standby, running all day, and getting fuct about when you try to keep legal.
Couldn’t agree more Donkey!
I looked into recovery work and for the amount of crap you have to take, you get paid a pittance and it just doesn’t seem worth it!
the nodding donkey:
Unless you are on fantastic, £1000+ (take home) per week wages, I don’t understand why people put up with this kind of [zb]. 24 hour a day standby, running all day, and getting fuct about when you try to keep legal.
That’s not even enough to be honest. Yes it’s double a lot of people’s wages, but it’s usually at least twice the work. I’ve got a good mate on a large recovery firm, and he does roughly 20 hrs a day, 8 on 2 off. No thanks, even for his £5000 a month take home. As most forget, your hours push you up into the higher tax bracket, so you’re just forgoing sleep to pay for some tossers housing benefit 
as I understand it if you don’t stay within 100km of your base your on eu rules anyway, 4.5 hours one way takes you well over 100km. try the aa good when I was there.