I’ve been using a siemens tacho sim online and watching a video on usage and am getting a bit confused on the definition and usage of the tacho in the above two modes.
Could anyone give a definition and example of (and appropriate use of) these modes, please?
“Other work” is any work other than driving, such as loading or unloading.
“Availability” or POA (Period Of Availabilty) as it’s usually known is time that the driver is not required to remain at the workstation but is available to start work when requested, this usually means waiting time or time that you’re sat in the passenger seat when multi-manning.
If you were waiting to unload would you change it to POA? Does the engine or the vehicle have to be motionless for this?
Roop298:
If you were waiting to unload would you change it to POA? Does the engine or the vehicle have to be motionless for this?
Legally to book POA you need to know in advance how long you will be waiting and should be free to leave the vehicle, if these criteria are not met then the waiting time should be booked as other work, or break if you can sit back and relax for a while.
If the vehicle is moving and you’re driving then you can’t book POA because you’re working, anyway the tachograph automatically records driving when the vehicle moves, so if your card is in slot 1 of the tachograph the vehicle must be motionless while on POA.
It makes no difference whether the engine is running or not as long as the vehicle is not moving.
The sim voiceover said that the tacho ‘controls’ driving and rest periods. Is the tacho simply intended to record the precise type of activity or, as a driver, are you trying to maximise your available driving time and mitigate all other activities to none driving?
Lets say you’re loading the vehicle and the tachograph is on “other work” (crossed hammers), as soon as the vehicle starts moving the tachograph automatically changes to “driving” then when the vehicle stops moving the tachograph changes back to “other work”, there’s not really any way to record driving time as none driving time … well not legally anyway 
The tachograph records all your activities during the working day, if you have a break you change the tachograph mode switch to “break”, when you finish your break and start work again you change the tachograph mode switch to “other work”.
Regardless of what activity the tachograph is on it will change to “driving” whenever the vehicle moves, you cannot select driving manually it’s automatically selected when the vehicle moves, the other activities “break/rest” “other work” and “POA” can be selected manually by using the mode switch on the tachograph.
Although the digital tachograph simulator is a good way to get the idea of how a digital tachograph works, you should be aware that digital tachographs have changed a bit since the simulator was created, on newer tachographs you now manually record daily rest periods when the card is inserted at the start of a working day.