Started work at 6am Saturday morning, put my digicard in as normal and did a manual entry to record I finished my previous day at 17.45 then I did my drivers checks and looked at paperwork etc. I then start driving and the tacho flashed BREAK as it says I have been driving for 4 hours 15 minutes and I can do nothing to change this so I carry on. I took a 45 minutes at 10 am whilst waiting for a load and finished the shift at 12:45. So I have done nothing wrong. Started work at 06:00 - 45 minute break - finished at 12:45 but when I downloaded my card it flashed up SERIOUS INFRINDEMENT and I get a told off by the TM who is complaining that this will go on their database. No amount of explanation or input from me is accepted even though they have clocked me on at 6am in the yard to start work, I am trying to get it through to this acting TM that I was not here to drive through the night but he just pointed at the screen, eyes glazed over making him look like a synthetic robot who believes computers are always right so I have broke the law. The shunter in the yard says that the unit I picked up was used for shunting all night without a card in.
No printout as there was no paper roll in so what happens now and should I contact VOSA to explain?
You haven’t actually said what the “serious infringement” is for.
You have implied it’s for the shunting done through the night with no card in. If that’s the case, you have got nothing to worry about as it’s bugger all to do with you!
alder:
Started work at 6am Saturday morning put digicard in as normal and did a manual entry to record I finished my previous day at 17.45 then did my drivers checks and looked at parperwork etc. I can do to change this so I carry on. I took a 45 minutes at 10 am whilst waiting for a load and finished the shift at 12:45. So I have done nothing wrong. Started work at 06:00 - 45 minute break - finished at 12:45 but when I downloaded my card it flashed up SERIOUS INFRINDEMENT and I get a told off by the TM who is complaining that this will go on their database. No amount of explanation or input from me is accepted. I have broke the law. The shunter in the yard says that the unit I picked up was used for shunting all night without a card in.
No printout as there was no paper roll in so what happens now?
Put your tacho in another truck, do a printout for the day before and a printout for that day, take some pics and we can have a gander
paper roll for a start…
as waynedl says “Put your tacho in another truck, do a printout for the day before and a printout for that day, take some pics and we can have a gander”
teatime:
paper roll for a start…
as waynedl says “Put your tacho in another truck, do a printout for the day before and a printout for that day, take some pics and we can have a gander”
I am at home now and I am agency so probably won’t go back to that yard for a while or ever if I am banned as I am now viewed as some sort of mass murderer
Take 2 printouts from another truck, write your start and finish times on the back and sign them. Keep one for yourself, and hand the other into the robot, so he can staple it to his “Serious Infringement Chart of Death”, or better yet his forehead…
Do not contact DVSA, do not worry about it, do not fear for your job. Move on its someone else’s problem.
I still don’t see how he could tell by downloading your card that the vehicle had been used before your shift, surely he would need to download the VU to do that? So it’s possible you could have cocked up your beginning shift entries…maybe… but even if you had, the first paragraph would cover it!
The only minor error on your part was having zero tacho roll out with you. It’s there to help you in situations like this. If you get assigned a unit with no roll in it, go get some from the office, they won’t bite!
teatime:
paper roll for a start…
as waynedl says “Put your tacho in another truck, do a printout for the day before and a printout for that day, take some pics and we can have a gander”
I’m sure you’re supposed to have ‘sufficient paper’ for the tacho ■■ No idea what that means, but I carry a box of tacho’s with me, if I change one then I get one back at depot - they are my own though that I’ve acquired over the years
But, that wouldn’t come up on a tacho download - no idea what he’s got a serious infringement for…
F-reds:
Take 2 printouts from another truck, write your start and finish times on the back and sign them. Keep one for yourself, and hand the other into the robot, so he can staple it to his “Serious Infringement Chart of Death”, or better yet his forehead…
Do not contact DVSA, do not worry about it, do not fear for your job. Move on its someone else’s problem.
I still don’t see how he could tell by downloading your card that the vehicle had been used before your shift, surely he would need to download the VU to do that? So it’s possible you could have cocked up your beginning shift entries…maybe… but even if you had, the first paragraph would cover it!
The only minor error on your part was having zero tacho roll out with you. It’s there to help you in situations like this. If you get assigned a unit with no roll in it, go get some from the office, they won’t bite!
Thanks for your reply, he could not tell the vehicle has been used for shunting it was the shunter guy in the yard who told me that. The guy in the office was just convinced that I had committed a serious tacho infringement because the downloaded data from my digicard was telling him that I had driven some 7 hours plus without a break and the previous day I had not had at least 9 hours daily rest.
It doesn’t matter whose truck it is. Just the next one you get into will be fine. The second printout you can keep for posterity writing, “this belongs to ■■■■ A at so and so industries”…
PS I didn’t realise you are agency, you probably are a mass murderer…
alder:
I am just going to leave it but I am fed up as I want a clean card
That’s what I was saying mate, the guy at the computer shouldn’t be able to tell that the vehicle had been used before you put your card in, by downloading your card! Unless you have cocked up your entries!
Your card only records data from when it is in the truck, or what you tell it to record via a manual entry.
Key thing here is to just remember not to worry about it. Even is your card is dirty than your local whorehouse, a DVSA examiner will not just take for granted what’s on his screen. This where your printout helps
sounds more like you havent done your manual entry correct to me as it showed you have done 4.5 hrs straight away. Did you clear the tacho first before putting your card in. It will be flashing driving without card. if you didnt when you put your card in it will think you have been driving without your card.
Make a note of it all. What time you started where you delivered to what time you finished. If you have all info available should you get questioned it is far more plausible than saying “dunno mate”. They are on the whole fair. I got stopped by Vosa and I drive for various firms as well as run a business. With various analogue and digital tachos. When I mentioned that her eyes lit up wanting to know how many hours I worked blah blah. I got my recent 30 days tachos out and with my card and a spreadsheet I keep on my phone with office and driving hours log. She soon gave up because I could explain it.
Dazza1980:
sounds more like you havent done your manual entry correct to me as it showed you have done 4.5 hrs straight away. Did you clear the tacho first before putting your card in. It will be flashing driving without card. if you didnt when you put your card in it will think you have been driving without your card.
Depending on the tacho unit, this is the problem. I have had this before, jumping into a double shifted wagon, and not taking enough care to get tbe manual entriez right. As mentioned, do the printouts in the next truck you drive, and you’ll be fine. The TM is a dimwit apparatchik…
I doubt it has anything at all to do with the unit being used during the night. As noted by others, I suspect the OP has simply cocked up the manual entries.
On earlier digi tachos, you are asked the question “End of shift?” If you answer “yes” you then set your start time for the new shift and ignore all the hours in between. On the newer units, no such question is asked and you have to set the thing to “bed” symbol to cover the entire Rest period.
If you don’t do this, the last driving period of the earlier shift is added to the first driving period of the current shift, resulting in the problems experienced by the OP.
In fact the TM would appear to be correct in what he says - an infringement has been recorded and will indeed be shown on both the company’s records as well as the driver’s card. As a driver, you cannot change this (although if you were to “lose” your card it will not show during a roadside check. Provided they don’t look any further, of course…
What the OP should have done of course was to take a printout as soon as the mode error became apparent, and make a written entry on the back explaining it. That’s one of the reasons you must always have “sufficient” printer rolls in the cab - checking this should be part of your pre-use checks - especially if you are in and out of different vehicles on a daily basis.
Yeah def sounds like you made an arse of the manual entry, done it myself before on a Monday morning accidentally showed other work for 50hrs over the weekend. So started my shift on 4hrs 20mins driving.
If you don’t have paper in the tachohead can still view what you have been doing on the LCD screen on the tachohead. This is what i mainly do because otherwise i’d have no spare rolls be constantly putting them into other trucks.
All you can do, is do a print off and write on the back of it the mistake you made, plus handy a copy into the person your working for, and that should explain the infringement which is a mode mistake for your daily rest rather than any actual driving time or rest infringements. Even if you got pulled by VOSA or what ever they are called doubt it would be a big deal, it will show clearly as a mistake.
