Hi. Looking for my first proper driving job since passing my test and lots of question keep popping into my head. My main ponderer revolves around the situation of being stuck in traffic but with nowhere suitable to stop for a break when its due. What happens.
Also. Im sure that sooner or later ill be running well behind where i should be some days. Are you expected to bring the lorry back to its depot (im signing with an agency) with the job partly complete or would i be expected to sleep overnight to finish the job at my own time and expense ?
Just wondering what would normally happen.
I know id phone the agency and the contractor but what can i expact from them and what is usual practice in these situations. ?
hello paul, i try not to leave my break right until i have to have it ie after my 4 1/2 hrs drivings up, this gives me a reasonable chance of finding somewhere to stop for 45 mins. if its completely unavoidable you can mark the back of your tacho to run to safe parking… but bear in mind the police know where the rta`s have happened and will collar you if its untrue. the agency should tell you if its night out work or not… some firms would pull you back with drops still on-others would tell you to do them the next day… but NEVER stop out at your own expense paul… your there because they need you… not because you like them . good luck-jon
When I have done agency work in the past and realised I wasn’t gonna get all the deliveries done, I phoned in to ask what to do. Most companies know that you can’t always do the same amount of drops a regular employee can do cos you don’t know the run - so will be leanient. If you have to do extra hours, your agency should always claim for those hours for you, so you ought to get paid.
As for running out of hours, do as Jonboy says - write “break delayed due to being caught in traffic jam” or words to that effect on the back of your tacho. I have only had to do it once when caught in a 3 hour gridlock when the M6 was shut cos of an accident. Was 35 minutes late in parking up at the end of my shift.
Don’t worry too much about the hours, as the others have said just fill in the back of the tacho. If you think you are not going to get all the drops off just phone in as early as possible, this will give the customer time to priortise the drops you have left on. Just be honest with them. Also, let them know before you leave the yard if you think you will have trouble with the number of drops, and ask them what they expect you to do if you are running out of time.
Further to previous replies, I was caught out on the M42 last weekend, as they closed it completely for roadworks - I never got above 10mph in 90 minutes, and in that time I managed about 3 miles. I probably could have stopped within my 4.5 hours, but it would have been a case of searching for the nearest random layby in the middle of nowhere, and I knew that I was only a few miles from the next MSA (and didn’t feel tired at all), so I pressed on, and only had to go over by about 5 minutes. I noted the overrun and reason on the tacho, so hopefully there shouldn’t be any problem.
I think that if you’re honest about it, and don’t go ridiculously over (or go over regularly), they should be reasonably understanding - I don’t think that they’re out to catch people who accidentally go over every now and then because of an unforseen holdup. However, if you were to run out of time 50 miles from base, I’d either park up or call for a rescue, since they’d probably prosecute you if you drove all the way back just to get home. Of course, there is the odd one every now and then that wants to be pedantic, but on its own, I doubt that a small overrun due to unusually bad traffic congestion would result in a prosecution.
Remember - the fact that you were in slow-moving traffic for a long time will show on the tacho. Of course, if your schedules are such that you’re running out of hours regularly, then you need to get the TM to redo the schedules.
However, if you were to run out of time 50 miles from base, I’d either park up or call for a rescue,
Good point. If as youve said im apparently out of time and away from home. What if ive finished the drops etc required. Is it a case of tough luck for me, ive got to spend the night as a rest period and return asap tomorrow if theyre not bothered about getting the truck back and wont send a driver. Should i get paid for this period.
AND… new subject. Do you get paid for the hours sleeping if a job requires you to stay overnight because of the distance or workload,e.g. London to Glasgow and Back again for instance…Ive seen things like £20 for nights out but that hardly seems appropriate for what is effectively a 24+ hr shift.
You normally get paid for the hours you are on duty, that is the hours between your daily break. Then you get a night out subsistance allowance which is a tax free payment (up to an amount agreed by hauliers and the tax man) this is to cover expenses, but not parking fees that should be paid upon production of a reciept, hauliers are also allowed to pay £2 per day tax free as a meal allowance.
You are allowed to run over you hours but must stop at the first suitable place to rest, but only for major hold up on the roads, such as RTA’s. You cannot do this if some depot takes to long to load unload you. You must record any deviation from the tacho regs on the back of the card and a reason for it.
you wont get paid for the hours your asleep paul… dont push it . but while ever your on duty even if empty and running in, the firm would be expected to pay you. its the same as any other job, if your working you get paid. theres a few exceptions like percentage work but thats another thread!
Let me just add that if you run out of hours in a day cabbed wagon (no bunks in it) they have to come and fetch you by law. You do not have to sleep across the seats .
I remember my early days of wagon driving and some of the things I did then I’m shocked at now.
One of the main companies I was contracted to was Moores Furniture at Wetherby. I was only class 2 at the time but it was their busy period and they had a large slab of Sprinters and 7.5 tonners in. Many of the leased 7.5 tonners were only day-cabs, especially the Salford Van Hire ones.
I’d not long passed my test and was keen for work and a job came up to run up to Edinburgh empty, meet up with one of their own wag & drag drivers and take some deliveries off him as he wouldn’t have time to get them all off and get back for Friday night. No problem says I and without thinking about it, was handed the keys to one of the new Sprinters . Off I goes at warp-speed up to Edinburgh eager as an eager thing but realised as I was coming out of Wetherby that I wouldn’t get up there, do these deliveries and get back in a day, even at 90 .
A quick call to the agency and I told them what I was thinking and the answer was, “oh yeah, didn’t x tell you it was a night-out ?”. “But it’s a van, there’s no bunk in here”. “Oh right, I didn’t know it was a van job. Well you’re being paid for a class 2 job on it”. “Right, thanks, but that still doesn’t alter the fact there’s nowt to sleep on” . “How much would you want to sleep in it if you ran home and picked up your duvet and pillow?”. “You’re kidding right? £50 cash in hand at least”. “Right. I’ll come back to you in a minute”… “Rob, it’s x. Yeah, crack on with it, they’re desperate for the job so they’ll pay it”.
Great thinks I. Picked my stuff up and off I went. Collected my deliveries off the other driver and off I went up towards Inverness where my first drop was. Got about half way along the A9 and had had enough so found a services in some poxy village to get a wash and then cracked on a bit further up the road and lay-by’d it. I managed to get settled okay, although for a 6’3 bloke the Sprinter’s a bit narrow to spread out on. Also, the hand-brake proper gets in the way, so I jammed the wheel against the kerb so that it wouldn’t role away and took the hand-brake off and left it in gear. Got reasonably comfy and eventually drifted off the sleep.
Then an hour later when the cabs cooled down from not having the engine or heater controls running you realise what a mistake you made because trust me, it gets bloody cold up there . Also, no curtains either
Cheers everyone, some interesting points there. Especially about being collected if unavoidably delayed. Best to keep a sly eye on the clock then and hope that the workload is mostly do-able with the odd delay. Dont fancy phoning home with a “help me” most nights.
Probably not the way to endear myself to my new employers. (whoever they might be)
paulwalldall:
Cheers everyone, some interesting points there. Especially about being collected if unavoidably delayed. Best to keep a sly eye on the clock then and hope that the workload is mostly do-able with the odd delay. Dont fancy phoning home with a “help me” most nights.
Probably not the way to endear myself to my new employers. (whoever they might be)
True, but if the TM knows what he’s talking about (and yes, that’s a very big “if”), they shouldn’t be scheduling you runs where you’re likely to run over hours if you hit “reasonable” traffic. If you think you’re going to go over, call them sooner rather than later, as it’ll give them more options.
And remember: you’re allowed to run over hours to get to “safe” parking (the definition of “safe” may vary depending on your load and the area), not to get home.
Just remember too if they send a driver for you they must send 2 one to drive the truck and one to drive you home as you would be driving a company vehicle and therefore technically be over your hours.
I,m not sure about this maybe someone can verify but i think you cannot discount time for known roadworks as you know in advance they are there, the correct term is UNEXPECTED hold up,s.
Yep, Your right there Jammy. The phrase IS Unexpected Holdups. Long delays occur every day at (for eg) The Water Jump. You have to take that sort of thing into account when planning your breaks . Your TM is also supposed to take that into account when planning your route . They never do , so you have to do it for them .
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. Off I goes at warp-speed up to Edinburgh eager as an eager thing but realised as I was coming out of Wetherby that I wouldn’t get up there, do these deliveries and get back in a day, even at 90 
“But it’s a van, there’s no bunk in here”. 
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