Hello all,
So i will be soon a class 2 HGV driver and got a question around the WTD.
What are the consequences of doing more than 48 hours on average? i mean who will find out? who checks how many hours you’ve done and to see if you’re complying with the legislation?
Yes everything is recorded on the Tacho but what if you have a full-time office job, typical 9-5 and also do some HGV jobs only on weekends, will the HGV employer ask if you have another job? if so, will they then monitor your office hours and HGV hours so they dont average more than 48?
As a driver on EU regulations you’ll be working to the Road Transport Working Time Regulations 2005.
The hours you do in your office job do not count towards the 48 hour average for the RT(WT)R 2005 so if you’re only driving for a day or two each week you will be OK.
You will need to make sure you have the required weekly rest periods though, it depends on your hours but typically someone working in an office 5 days a week will be able to legally drive HGVs one shift every second weekend.
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WTD you can ignore pretty much, most employers won’t care unless they are a supermarket or similar very large company.
Cant actually remember if that average covers non driving as theres two versions of WTD - all too complicated to worry about. 
What you have to watch is the EU regs as your day job is classed as other work, so you can only do one weekend a fortnight and make sure you keep a record of all hours in a diary for non driving and keep it with you.
As for employers, most will but agencies won’t worry. Could get complicated with tax however as pretty sure one job gets full rate tax.
(The dog has also looked and he says its too complicated to figure too).
Edit: what tachograph said about wtd.
trevHCS:
WTD you can ignore pretty much, most employers won’t care unless they are a supermarket or similar very large company.
Nearly every company I’ve driven for has required drivers to comply with the RT(WT)R, agency drivers can often/usually forget about the 48 hour average but I’ve been to very few companies that won’t expect all drivers to comply with the rest of the working time regulations.
Maybe that’s because I’ve worked for very few cowboy companies 
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tachograph:
As a driver on EU regulations you’ll be working to the Road Transport Working Time Regulations 2005.
The hours you do in your office job do not count towards the 48 hour average for the RT(WT)R 2005 so if you’re only driving for a day or two each week you will be OK.
You will need to make sure you have the required weekly rest periods though, it depends on your hours but typically someone working in an office 5 days a week will be able to legally drive HGVs one shift every second weekend.
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Can you please explain how the weekly rest period is worked out with the office job and HGV on weekends if you’re saying one could only drive for 1 shift every second weekend?
Say a typical 37.5 IT job (7.5 hours a day)
Put it simply,
Will i be okay to drive every weekends together with my 37.5 hour office job?
If i’m driving when i shouldn’t be due to rest or whatever… who can find out? whats the consequences?
Things aren’t very clear online and i’ve never had a HGV job so i want to be clear on this.
Cheers
Office job counts as other work for the EU regs so cannot be used as rest
EU regs require you to have at least 45 hours off in one go at least every other week and at least 24 hours off in one go on the other weeks
Legal example (very simple)
start
mon = office 9 to 5
tue = office 9 to 5
wed = office 9 to 5
thu = office 9 to 5
fri = office 9 to 5
sat = driving 6 to 7
sun = off
Reduced weekly rest of 38 hours leaving 7 to be paid back
mon = office 9 to 5
tue = office 9 to 5
wed = office 9 to 5
thu = office 9 to 5
fri = office 9 to 5
sat = off
sun = off
Regular weekly rest taken and payback easily sorted
Back to start
ibby730d:
Put it simply,
Will i be okay to drive every weekends together with my 37.5 hour office job?
If i’m driving when i shouldn’t be due to rest or whatever… who can find out? whats the consequences?
Things aren’t very clear online and i’ve never had a HGV job so i want to be clear on this.
Cheers
To put it simply you should be fine.
People do it all the time I’ve known many drivers who have more then one job or do like part time mechanic work in their spare time. Most have enough sense though not to be too vocal about it.
Even if you are vocal about it you should be fine unless some douche who knows the rules decides to drop you in it with your boss even then your boss may not care etc…
TLDR: You should rest on your days but as of yet VOSA are not going door to door looking for drivers working on their rest days.
adam277:
TLDR: You should rest on your days but as of yet VOSA are not going door to door looking for drivers working on their rest days.
VOSA will never be doing it in the future either because they do no exist any more - DVSA might though 
ibby730d:
Will i be okay to drive every weekends together with my 37.5 hour office job?
I can’t say whether or not you could legally drive every weekend without knowing what time you finish Friday and start on Monday.
ibby730d:
If i’m driving when i shouldn’t be due to rest or whatever… who can find out? whats the consequences?
I assume you’re talking about weekly rest not daily rest period, the people you need to bother about finding out are the DVSA because apart from the police (to a lesser degree) that’s who enforces the drivers regulations.
In reality unless you was involved in a serious accident which could lead to a thorough investigation it’s unlikely that anyone would find out unless you tell them, as far as the consequences are concerned: if you was found to be regularly not having the required weekly rest periods it could potentially involve a hefty fine and possible suspension of your HGV licence.
Just crack on, keep schtum and don’t go posting about it on internet forums. 
Harry Monk:
Just crack on, keep schtum and don’t go posting about it on internet forums.
Ahaha my bad man. I just didnt know how strict things are in the HGV world and what people actually do/can do.
Do employers ask or are bothered about how many hours you’ve done and/or about rest?
ibby730d:
Do employers ask or are bothered about how many hours you’ve done and/or about rest?
Some companies ask you to fill in a form to say you’ve had the correct daily and weekly rest but most don’t.
If they know you haven’t had the correct rest no decent company would let you work.
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