I finish with my current employer on Friday and start with the new company Tuesday next week.
What happens regarding my last working Tacho from this week?
The reason I ask, is that, by law, if I get pulled over next week, I must provide my last working tacho disc from the previous week, however my current company want all discs, including my last and will provide me with a photo-copy of it. Surely this is not genuine proof of last day driving?
If, I take my last disc with me, what happens to it? Does my new employer keep it? Or do I return it to old employer?
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks
John
take a photo copy u keep the copy this covers u
According to the VOSA website they want you to carry the charts themselves, not copies…
If you are worried about it then their number is:
0870 6060440 or 01792 470470
G
Keep hold of the original, and when you have a weeks worth of tachos from your new employer, post your tacho back to your ex employer.
A photo copy is no good, and as long as your ex employer recieves the tacho within the time limit, then there is no problem.
Thats my opinion anyway.
gurners right matey, post the original back, get your soon to be ex-boss to have the photocopy of your last days chart , thats what a lot of firms do with agency drivers
John, you will need to retain more charts than just the last one from this week and take them with you to your new job. You say you are starting with your new company next Tuesday, 2nd May and there is the rule change for the amount of charts you need to carry coming into force on the 1st May, when you must carry all the charts for the current week and charts covering the 15 day period prior to the current week. This means that at any time during the week commencing 1st May you will have to be able to produce charts back to, and including, the 16th April. For the following week, commencing 8th May, you will need charts covering the period back to, and including the 23rd May. It will not be until the start of the following week that you will no longer need charts from your current employer.
You can return the charts to your old company in two lots, first lot from the period 16th - 22nd April at the start of w/c 8th May and then the charts from the period 23rd until you finish on the 28th April at the start of w/c 15th May.
You must have the original charts, photocopies are not acceptable and you can find a link confirming this on the VOSA site HERE (FAQ no.62) should you wish to show your current TM.
Knowing what you have said about your TM in the past I think he may refuse you the charts and the only option open to you if that is the case would be to inform VOSA with a phone call, followed by a letter, of the situation. That way you have covered yourself should you get stopped.
i seriously can’t see how this is going to work, theres so many potential problems for the operator. 1.a firm takes on an agency driver to cover a two week holiday period for one of their regulars, they won’t see that drivers tahos for a month, he could be breaking every rule in the book, who’s responsible? is the operator blameless or does he carry the can because it’s his wagon?
2. an operator can’t produce tachos for one of his vehicles for a five day period because the drivers lost em out of the cab after carrying em for a fortnight, who takes the blame, the operator, the driver, or both?
and on it goes.
obviously the new regs are to tie in with digital tahos but have the powers that be, realised it’s going to be four or five years before the majority of wagons on the road are fitted with digital?
seems a strange idea when you think the operator is responsible for holding tacho’s for all his vehicles under lock n key for a year so that he can produce those records at any time and yet they’re now saying it’s ok for the driver to keep charts for the best part of three weeks in his cab which might well mean shifting em from cab to cab several times!
crazy.
paul b:
1.a firm takes on an agency driver to cover a two week holiday period for one of their regulars, they won’t see that drivers tahos for a month, he could be breaking every rule in the book, who’s responsible? is the operator blameless or does he carry the can because it’s his wagon?
An operator can still check them more frequently, just has to give them back to the driver to carry.
paul b:
2. an operator can’t produce tachos for one of his vehicles for a five day period because the drivers lost em out of the cab after carrying em for a fortnight,
That could still happen under the current regulations, so no real change
paul b:
the operator is responsible for holding tacho’s for all his vehicles under lock n key for a year so that he can produce those records at any time and yet they’re now saying it’s ok for the driver to keep charts for the best part of three weeks in his cab which might well mean shifting em from cab to cab several times!
I think most drivers are capable of looking after a few charts for a period of time, after all they don’t tend to lose their driving licences or other documents on a regular basis. Under the current regs, drivers can carry 21 days worth in the cab and for the vast majority of drivers the new regs will mean very little change to that.
coffee is 100% correct. also vosa will be enforcing this. i know 
so thats it then,
it’s not another crazy idea from the braindeads from brussels, after all,
in fact everythings hunky dory!
paul b:
so thats it then,
it’s not another crazy idea from the braindeads from brussels, after all,
in fact everythings hunky dory!
Given that having more charts available gives the enforcement authorities more chance of spotting infringements, regarding excessive hours/lack of rest, at a roadside check, especially with regards foreign vehicles where VOSA don’t have the luxury of being able to visit their premises to check charts, I think rather than being “another crazy idea from the braindeads from Brussels” it is a positive move.
Surely anything that improves the chances of catching the cowboys and/or foreign drivers that are taking the [zb] with regards to the regulations, at little or no inconvenience to drivers, should be welcomed? I’m sorry but I just don’t see much to complain about here, instead of carrying 6 or 7 used charts you might have to carry 18 -21, or a few more if you haven’t been back to base. Where is the hardship in that?
how does it work with regards to starting the new ruling?
If i were to drive on the 1st of may, would i need to have 15 days worth with me or just the previous weeks? Or would i only need 15 days worth from the 15th of may onwards?
The rule comes into force on 1st May and from that day you must carry more charts than under the previous regulations. So you will need the charts covering the 15 day period prior to that week, which is back to and including 16th April, with you on the 1st May.
Coffee I drive sometimes all week and then maybe no driving for 3 days and so on do I have to keep blank charts when I have not driven and date them…I move from agency to agency and company to company some never ask me for them …some photo copy them at the end of the shift and want the original after 21 days and others don’t seem to give a hoot.
Dave
Coffeeholic:
John, you will need to retain more charts than just the last one from this week and take them with you to your new job. You say you are starting with your new company next Tuesday, 2nd May and there is the rule change for the amount of charts you need to carry coming into force on the 1st May, when you must carry all the charts for the current week and charts covering the 15 day period prior to the current week.
dont take this as doubting you mate, im not but where the hell did this one come from? i heard that from 01012008 we will need to carry 28 days worth but i havent heard about this new 15 day rule. just as well i havent handed my tachos in yet 
thecoder0:
Coffee I drive sometimes all week and then maybe no driving for 3 days and so on do I have to keep blank charts when I have not driven and date them…I move from agency to agency and company to company some never ask me for them …some photo copy them at the end of the shift and want the original after 21 days and others don’t seem to give a hoot.
Dave
No need for blank charts for days you haven’t worked Dave, you only need the charts you have used in the 15 day period prior to the current week, and that would be days you have worked on. The 21 day rule hasn’t actually been removed from the legislation but it will not be enforced, unless the driver is carrying an excessive amount of charts.
Coffeeholic:
paul b:
so thats it then,
it’s not another crazy idea from the braindeads from brussels, after all,
in fact everythings hunky dory!
Given that having more charts available gives the enforcement authorities more chance of spotting infringements, regarding excessive hours/lack of rest, at a roadside check, especially with regards foreign vehicles where VOSA don’t have the luxury of being able to visit their premises to check charts, I think rather than being “another crazy idea from the braindeads from Brussels” it is a positive move.
Surely anything that improves the chances of catching the cowboys and/or foreign drivers that are taking the [zb] with regards to the regulations, at little or no inconvenience to drivers, should be welcomed? I’m sorry but I just don’t see much to complain about here, instead of carrying 6 or 7 used charts you might have to carry 18 -21, or a few more if you haven’t been back to base. Where is the hardship in that?
my honest opinion?
yet more red tape wrapped, meaningless rules made by people who have no knowledge of the industry but think they know whats best for people trying to earn a living out of a job thats already strangled by ridiculouse and unworkable regulations!
the whole things a farce and the most worrying thing about it is that the industry as a whole in the uk seems happy follow any new rule thrown at em, like sheep.
scanny77:
dont take this as doubting you mate, im not but where the hell did this one come from? i heard that from 01012008 we will need to carry 28 days worth but i havent heard about this new 15 day rule. just as well i havent handed my tachos in yet
It has been known it was coming for a while, the only vague thing was the date which would be 20 days after the EU published the changes to the hours regulations. They were published on the 11th April. Most of the changes come in on the 11/04/2007 but a few come in on the 1st May, and the amount of charts a driver needs to carry is one of those changes.
You can find the FTA press release HERE
Also you may like to check THIS thread that has been on this forum since the Th April.
paul b:
my honest opinion?
yet more red tape wrapped, meaningless rules made by people who have no knowledge of the industry but think they know whats best for people trying to earn a living out of a job thats already strangled by ridiculouse and unworkable regulations!
the whole things a farce and the most worrying thing about it is that the industry as a whole in the uk seems happy follow any new rule thrown at em, like sheep.
I think most people seem to be of the opinion that getting worked up over having to have a few extra charts with them isn’t worth it, bearing in mind the potential benefits it can also bring.
One reason for changes to the regulations was to make enforcement easier and make it easier to spot and catch those who ignore the regs. This is one of the changes that does that.
There have been countless posts on this and other forums, complaining about the fact foreigners “get away with it” and this new requirement, along with some other changes will help make it harder for them to do that. What I find strange is that some of the people who have complained longest and loudest about the foreign drivers flouting the laws are also loudest in their complaints against this change, I had a long conversation with one today. I know you can’t please all of the people, all of the time but some you just can’t please at all.
