I’m doing a job today which involves much more other work than driving. I’ve already taken 3x15 min breaks whilst waiting to be loaded at customer sites, mainly so that I can keep resetting the 6 hour WTD and have the flexibility to work up until the 4.5 hours driving limit.
However, the tacho has now reset my driving hours to zero which is erroneous as 3x15 isn’t an acceptable way to take the 45 mins required.
Can I now take a 30 min break and be compliant to drive for another 4.5 hours or do I need to take a full 45? My reasoning is that if 1x15 and 1x30 is adequate then surely 3x15 and 1x30 is also ok as it’s even more rest time.
Some tachos just reset once the 45 mins is reached breakwise whether that’s done as required or if you took 45 one minute breaks…
As above just take your 30 mins as required before 4.5hrs driving.
Hope you get paid breaks with the way you are doing it?,don’t understand why tbh as you are bound by the drive time break requirements either way so taking extra 15 minute breaks won’t achieve much,Max you’d need to take is 2 x 15 minutes which would cover you upto 9 hours then you’d have to take 30 mins to reset your driving time even if it wasn’t reached at that point.
Assuming that you did some driving before the 15 minute breaks only one of them will count as a driving break regardless of what the tachograph says.
The original digital tachographs counted all 15 minute breaks as driving breaks, I’ve never actually tried it but I think you’ll find this was corrected with later models.
xichrisxi:
you are bound by the drive time break requirements either way so taking extra 15 minute breaks won’t achieve much,Max you’d need to take is 2 x 15 minutes which would cover you upto 9 hours then you’d have to take 30 mins to reset your driving time even if it wasn’t reached at that point.
Why would the OP need to take a 30 minute break at 9 hours even if he doesn’t need to have a driving break
Sorry if I’m misunderstanding what’s being said but there’s no requirement to have a 30 minute break at 9 hours working time
tachograph:
Assuming that you did some driving before the 15 minute breaks only one of them will count as a driving break regardless of what the tachograph says.
The original digital tachographs counted all 15 minute breaks as driving breaks, I’ve never actually tried it but I think you’ll find this was corrected with later models.
xichrisxi:
you are bound by the drive time break requirements either way so taking extra 15 minute breaks won’t achieve much,Max you’d need to take is 2 x 15 minutes which would cover you upto 9 hours then you’d have to take 30 mins to reset your driving time even if it wasn’t reached at that point.
Why would the OP need to take a 30 minute break at 9 hours even if he doesn’t need to have a driving break
Sorry if I’m misunderstanding what’s being said but there’s no requirement to have a 30 minute break at 9 hours working time
There’s a requirement to have another 15 mins break if you are working over 9hrs so to not take 30 mins instead to reset driving time would be a bit silly,obviously unless you know for sure that you won’t reach 4h30 driving before the shift finishes…just saves stopping again for half an hour if you hit traffic or a diversion.
