I went out today and did 3 drops over the course of the day, but I’m not sure if I got every right with regards to tacho use or rest breaks. I think I did alright until lunchtime and then my brain was a bit fried trying to work out how much driving I’d done. If I post a link to a scan of my chart (with ID details blanked) could someone guide me through it? I’ll explain what work I’ve actually done compared to the chart and see if I’ve ballsed it up. Perhaps I’ll make a better job of it tomorrow (and make a better job of reversing too )
WTD kept entering my head too which probably didn’t help. I think I might need a deluxe egg-timer.
Drive from house to collect lorry from op base. Drive lorry to trailer pick up. Couple trailer and do 1 drop. Spend some time having problems at drop. Get unloaded and help with unloading. Return to client. Get loaded again and I think I took a 15 min break whilst waiting. Get going again and do next drop sat not helping whilst unloading. After drop take 30 min break. Return to client. Get loaded again and do next drop, sat not helping whilst unloading, return to client. Drop trailer and return lorry to op base. Drive home.
Day 2 - rough outline.
Drive from house to collect lorry from op base. Drive lorry to trailer pick up. Couple trailer and do 2 drops. Do first drop and help unload. Break something and repair 45mins + 15 mins break. Drive to next drop and wait to tip, not helping. Return to client, get loaded again and do 2 drops. Do first drop and wait to leave as exit is blocked. Drive to near second drop, take 30min break. Assist with unloading at 2nd drop. Drive back to client. Get sent to pick up. Find place and wait to be loaded by forks. Return to client and park up for night. Wait for lift home. Will start at client’s place on Wednesday morning.
Comments please on what the tacho says to what I’ve done.
As a relatively new driver to the profession, i carry a small diary with me and write in my driving hours as i go during the day, so if it gets to say, 3 in the afternoon, i can work out how much driving i`ve done and how much longer i can drive for.
It’s a little difficult to make out the times clearly but from what I can make out it looks OK. It looks like your first break on Day 1 was from 09:55 - 1010/15 and your second from just before 12:10 - just after 12:40 and if these times are correct you have had your 45 minutes as required. Second days breaks look OK as well, 08:30 - 08:45 and 12:15 - 12:45. My only concern would be there isn’t any room for error there, if I am reading those times correctly, and to be on the safe side it is advisable to take at least 16 minutes and at least 31 when splitting your break to prevent you coming up a minute short and getting an infringement.
OH, day 1 your start and finish mileages are the wrong way round.
I realised that at the end of the day when I was getting round to doing the optional day’s distance calculation!
The reason it isn’t very clear is the original size uploaded to Flickr has shrunk in the wash .
Here’s a closer look at the duty records:
I’m clear on the minimum break duration and order or splits, but at the moment I start thinking around lunchtime: How long have I actually driven for?
Bearing in mind on the first day I started at around 0525h and didn’t get my 30 minutes in until 1210. Assuming my driving time was under the 4h30m, then no problem. But looking at WTD break requirements would I have fell foul of that?
Given a 0525h start and 1755h finish day 1, then starting 0455h on day 2, I think I have got in a normal daily rest period in of 11 hours as intended or have a accidentally reduced them on day 1 by not taking into account starting earlier?
Example:
Start the day with driving 2 hours then break 16 minutes.
Then driving 2 hours then break 31 minutes.
Then driving 4 hours then finish for the day.
Do I have to add the second 45 minutes (or 30 if I’ve already taken a 15) to the daily rest time if I haven’t taken it before the tacho comes out?
Any problem with the change of end location day 2 and driving away from work to home and to work the next morning to start away from base. It’s pointless shifting it, but there’s regular work from client’s place.
Day 3:
Comment on this one please…
I’ve only taken 15 in the morning, but I don’t think I did more the 4.5h driving time.
As you see each day is very different and it’s stretching my brain more than nice regular trunking would
Good point about the notebook russjp, I’m working with scraps of paper handy at the moment! I might go back to wearing a digital watch too.
macplaxton:
Bearing in mind on the first day I started at around 0525h and didn’t get my 30 minutes in until 1210. Assuming my driving time was under the 4h30m, then no problem. But looking at WTD break requirements would I have fell foul of that?
No, because you had a break of at least 15 minutes at 10:00 and that satisfies the WTD at that point. You other break later on then satisfies the WTD requirement for 45 minutes of break for a shift of more than 9 hours.
macplaxton:
Given a 0525h start and 1755h finish day 1, then starting 0455h on day 2, I think I have got in a normal daily rest period in of 11 hours as intended or have a accidentally reduced them on day 1 by not taking into account starting earlier?
05:25 - 17:55 is 12.5 hours so you haven’t worked more than 13 hours, which if you had means a reduced daily rest no matter how much rest you then take. 17:55 - 04:55 is 11 hours and it all falls within the 24 hour period that began when you started work at 05:25 so that is a full daily rest period.
macplaxton:
Example:
Start the day with driving 2 hours then break 16 minutes.
Then driving 2 hours then break 31 minutes.
Then driving 4 hours then finish for the day.
Do I have to add the second 45 minutes (or 30 if I’ve already taken a 15) to the daily rest time if I haven’t taken it before the tacho comes out?
No, you can go straight onto daily rest at that point without adding on a break.
macplaxton:
Any problem with the change of end location day 2 and driving away from work to home and to work the next morning to start away from base. It’s pointless shifting it, but there’s regular work from client’s place.
Not really. Technically the time spent driving from the customers premises to your home and back should count as Other Work as it is not the regular base for the driver or vehicle but I wouldn’t worry too much about that.
macplaxton:
Day 3:
Comment on this one please…
I’ve only taken 15 in the morning, but I don’t think I did more the 4.5h driving time.
You started at 06:00 and finished at about 14:50, which gives a shift of 8 hours and 50 minutes and even if you did not reach 4.5 hours driving you did require a second 15 minute break for the WTD, which must be taken before the end of the shift even if it is just 1 minute before the end. The WTD requires breaks totalling 30 minutes for a shift of between 6 and 9 hours. Looking at the disc it appears to me you did around 4 hours 10 minutes driving so you didn’t require 45 minutes worth of break.
That’s made it clear. I didn’t think I’d drove too much, but I had an idea I was getting close to my 4h30m.
So it doesn’t look too bad, even with the missing 15 WTD break. It looks like I’m stuck this side of the water for a while anyway, so doubt I’ll have them too closely scrutinised.
If I understand that correctly, what you’re saying is that rather than finishing at 1450, I’d take a 15 to 1505 and knock off at 1506?
I’m also wondering about another thing I might have an assessment come up on a weekend for Tesco (possibly 19th/20th). The assessment would be on a Saturday (possibly 1245, but still to be confirmed) and if sucessful then some training is supposed to take place on a Sunday morning at 0700. How do these two bits of driving fit in with the tacho rules? (I presume that that they might both be as I’m required to bring both licence and digicard. Or would the Sunday be classed as “training” and therefore exempt?)
I’m not sure what I’m doing next week, but if I were called to an assessment + training and I had racked up driving on Monday to Friday, might it leave me out of time?
The Saturday assessment: there’s no exemption so you will be driving under EU tachograph regulations.
The Sunday training: depends what the training consists of, there’s no exemption from EU regulations, so if you drive on public roads you will be subject to the tachograph regulations.
To stay legal you will need to watch what hours you do in the weeks preceding and following the assessment and training.
Thanks, I think the Sunday stuff might either be none driving or yard stuff as they’d be a bit daft trying to recruit a currently working driver if he can’t fit in the hours.
)
