Must have been asked before on here, so I apologise in advance, but …
You are at an RDC, on a bay, surrendered your keys and are sat in the drivers room.
I have always understood it correct that you should NOT be on ‘break’ (bed), but I tend to just back on the bay and then just let the tacho go onto ‘other work’ (cross hammers) on its own.
However, another driver has told me that is wrong, and I should ALWAYS set it to ‘POA’ (box) when in a drivers room, as it should NOT be on ‘other work’ during this time.
Can anyone kindly enlighten me?
Thanks in advance …
Yep if contract doesn’t include pay for breaks it wold be other work or POA.
Without this contract restriction I would select whatever of the 3 modes suited my requirements and how much driving/working I had done to that point.
Break mode- If it helps me out later on (which it usually does)
POA if no break needed
Other work- If I was doing other work
I try to balance these out during the day so i’m not showing 3 hours break and no POA and very little other work.
Not unknown for me to have a break later on and stick it on POA as I don’t class an RDC waiting room as a true break in my definition so it owes me one, sort of.
What gets recorded does not always reflect what the driver is actually doing … take driving time - it only records when the vehicle is moving but being behind the wheel is deemed as driving in UK law - that is reflected in the UK domestic regs
espresso:
However, another driver has told me that is wrong, and I should ALWAYS set it to ‘POA’ (box) when in a drivers room, as it should NOT be on ‘other work’ during this time.
Can anyone kindly enlighten me?
Apart from the fact that you can in some circumstances use break whilst waiting it’s not you that needs enlightening it’s the other driver.
There’s no reason at-all why you “should ALWAYS set it to ‘POA’ (box) when in a drivers room”, what mode you use will depend on the circumstances, and in some circumstances POA would be illegal.
espresso:
Must have been asked before on here, so I apologise in advance, but …
You are at an RDC, on a bay, surrendered your keys and are sat in the drivers room.
I have always understood it correct that you should NOT be on ‘break’ (bed), but I tend to just back on the bay and then just let the tacho go onto ‘other work’ (cross hammers) on its own.
However, another driver has told me that is wrong, and I should ALWAYS set it to ‘POA’ (box) when in a drivers room, as it should NOT be on ‘other work’ during this time.
Can anyone kindly enlighten me?
Thanks in advance …
Poa( not that it is) ,just if you want to keep within you 48 hr WTD and in the company good books you have too,think your mate is just saying what most companies want,poa at every opportunity.
espresso:
However, another driver has told me that is wrong, and I should ALWAYS set it to ‘POA’ (box) when in a drivers room, as it should NOT be on ‘other work’ during this time.
Can anyone kindly enlighten me?
Apart from the fact that you can in some circumstances use break whilst waiting it’s not you that needs enlightening it’s the other driver.
There’s no reason at-all why you “should ALWAYS set it to ‘POA’ (box) when in a drivers room”, what mode you use will depend on the circumstances, and in some circumstances POA would be illegal.
This^^^^^^^^^
The other driver is a ■■■■. Ignore him. Actually, no. Tell him he needs to study the tacho laws a bit more…
Dipper_Dave:
I’ve heard rumours that there are drivers who have stuck it on break when doing other work…
I don’t know why people spread these rumours, I’m sure no professional driver would ever do anything like that
Ive heard rumours, back in the early 90’s drivers could put it on break whilst driving, just turn that MAN key back half a turn
I’ve heard rumours that there was a time when we used to write any old nonsense in log books, but I wouldn’t like to incrimina… er I mean comment on whether it’s true or not
Whether you are breaking the law or not depends on you. If you back on the bay, select mode, lock up and walk off it’s an offence. It’s not a break as you have to walk to the office and deal with keys and paperwork. It can’t be poa as you haven’t yet been told how long you will be for the same reasons. I tend to leave it on crossed hammers for 5 mins before selecting break, just to show that I handed my keys and paperwork in before returning to my unlocked vehicle to change the mode switch
I understand the rules and the way that a Period of ‘Availabilty’ is defined but it has always seemed to me that this definition is perverse. Surely if you are told exactly how long it will be before resuming normal duties then you are free to go and do whatever ie have a break for the time allocated.
If the exact time of delay is unknown then you would remain ‘available’ to resume normal duties at any time, hence the title ‘Period of Availability’. This seems to me the logical approach and I am sure this was the intention but along the way some no nothing d*****headed beaurocrat has applied the rules we now have to live with.
OVLOV JAY:
Whether you are breaking the law or not depends on you. If you back on the bay, select mode, lock up and walk off it’s an offence. It’s not a break as you have to walk to the office and deal with keys and paperwork. It can’t be poa as you haven’t yet been told how long you will be for the same reasons. I tend to leave it on crossed hammers for 5 mins before selecting break, just to show that I handed my keys and paperwork in before returning to my unlocked vehicle to change the mode switch