Most modern tachos only have a 3 position mode,
Bed, Work and crossed hammers.
I never had a problem with log sheets, 
I could use 3 or 4 different books and write what I liked 
When I do use a tacho I donāt use the switches. I just throw a chart in & then fill it in , from my time sheet, before I handing it into the office.
I either do Recovery or 16 seater PSVās, both are tacho exempt & with the recovery work we just use it to keep a record of driving for the office, all the vehicles have tracking fitted, but it just means they can see if we are driving smoothly & they back up our time sheets.
With PSVās if a tacho is fitted I use it for the same reasons given above.
I have always when actually driving moved mode switch to crossed hammers, when not driving but not resting then moved switch to square i.e. fuelling up, unloading etc and when actually resting i move switch to the bed symbol.
sorry to argue this point neil,
all the time i have been driving the square is used for driving,the x hammers is other work and bed is rest.thats the way its done and has been done since i started in 91.driving is not classed as other work which is wot the x hammers is stateing.ie unloading/loading is other work so your tacho should show otherwise.please donāt take it the wrong way neil,if thats how you have done it thatās fine.i have done it my way the way i was taught and never had problems on any reports.
this is why there are so many conflicting questions on how to fill tachoās in,what mode do you use for this that and the other.if it was laid down in black and white this is how itās done then the newbies would be taught at training school and that would be what they do untill told otherwise.just my opinion on the subject.
it annoys me that we have so many newbieās just past their test come on this site and others like it,asking the basic questionās that as a driver they should know the answers to.i aināt having a dig at any newbie here so please donāt take it as aimed at you,itās aimed at the instructors and training schools.they should not only teach them how to drive a truck, but should be teaching them the ways on how to fill tachoās inn and which mode they should be using.
i was sitting at hillington the other day and they have a an old car park that they do the reverse,emergency stop exercise on,this young lad was positioned wrong and the next thing the instructor is ā ā ā ā ā ā and other slagging words at him,instead of telling him where heās gone wrong.now if that was me paying Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£ās then iād be placing a complaint in about him.the course is hard enough without some jumped up instructor slagging you down.how does he expect some young lad that is nervous enough to pass his test when he needs comfidence rather than shouting at.iād be wanting a different instructor 
Regardless of the indicated setting, with a three position tachograph, when the vehicle is in motion, the actual chart will show driving.
The position that it has been set only becomes relevant when the vehicle comes to a halt, as then it will record the activity that it has been set to. Hence, keeping it set to rest would record inaccurate information when dealing with gatehouse staff or, more importantly, halted in traffic.
For some months, possibly 2 years, anyone passing a Cat C test has been issued by the Examiner with a video on Driverās hours and Tacho rules.
As regards your observation of the conduct of an instructor, then that is disgusting. The prime function of an instructor is to transfer knowledge. If a pupil fails to absorb the teaching then the onus is on the instructor to adapt their ātransfer of learningā to the capabilities of the ālearnerā. Whilst there are times that āribaldā language may be appropriate, these should be confined to discussion tinged with humour.
In practice, paying customers want to pass their test at the lowest possible price. They are not interested in additonal āAdd-onsā such as āTacho Trainingā. What they want is time on the road. And when they pass, to offer them such training at an additional cost is almost an insult. They are so euphoric that all they want to do is meet their mates in the pub (and I donāt blame them).
The lack of knowledge that is often demonstrated in this forum is not solely due to the quality of instruction, or perceived lack of, but rather the ergonimics of the training industry. If the customer wonāt pay. Itās their loss.
When I left the army, I did a course covering everything that I needed to know. It including tacho rules and a lot of other stuff which I later discovered was from the CPC course. I did my class 1 test on the same course. In total the course lasted a month. Two weeks in the classroom and another two weeks on the road. I failed the test on my first attempt, so I did a refresher and re-test with a local school.
The vehicles tacho clock was 12 hours out. When I pointed that out, the instructor asked me āhow did I knowā and āhow did you set it rightā?
kitkat:
all the time i have been driving the square is used for driving,the x hammers is other work and bed is rest.
As Krankee said, regardless of the tacho switch setting, it will record driving as soon as you begin to move, so whats the point of switching it over to crossed hammers when you start to drive.
There is one simple way to do it and it amazes me how often this crops up, the tacho stays on āother workā box with line through it. when the vehicles moves it will record driving time, when you stop it will remain on āother workā, when you have a break, switch it to bed, and then back to box with line through it when you have finished your break.
the tacho stays on āother workā box with line through it.
eh 
box with line through is drive x hammers is other work as far as i know it
Drive doesnt have a box, on the old old 4 switch tachos it was a steering wheel.
On a newer tacho, you have crossed hammers, a box with a line through it and the bed.
1.Crossed hammers = available for work
2. Box with line through it = Other work
3. Bed = Rest.
Regardless of what mode you have the tacho set to, as soon as you start driving the tacho will automatically record driving, then when you stop it will resort back to recording what the mode switch position was last left in.
As an example, if you left the tacho on the bed symbol and went about your days work, it would record driving when you are moving, and as soon as the vehicle is stationary it will begin to record the trace as break.
gurner, box with line ā¦drive
x hammers other work
bed ā¦rest
Just to add to that, according to the DFT website, the crossed hammers and box with line through it can be both used as āother workā where as the box with line through it can also be used as āavailableā for work.
So you either leave it on crossed hammers or box with line through it, let the tacho auto record driving when the vehicle moves, and switch to bed when you have a break then back to which ever one you use out of hammers or box.
kitkat:
gurner most up to date vehicles have a 3 mode system,your in the dark years m8,ask your boss to catch up
I dont understand what you mean, i have given the example using a 3 switch tacho
How hard is it to understand that when you had the old 4 switch system, they have simply removed the steering wheel option from the new ones, or for the last good few years, and it just records driving automatically, regardless of what position the tacho switch is set to!
A couple of points
Kit Kat
You said it annoyed you that newbies come on the site asking basic questions.
Dosenāt it annoy you that alot of the experienced drivers canāt agree on the answer, cause it amazes me. Not only here but at work as well.
Krankee
you said that paying customers wanted to pass their test at the lowest possible price amd are not interested in ad onās such as Tacho courses.
Canāt argue with that, but how much would it cost for training firms to make sure learners put a correctly filled in tacho at the start of each day and make sure itās on the right mode for what ever they are doing, ie to start the habit.
When you have experienced drivers differing on what is right and wrong what hope is there for us newbies.Iām glad to say all my tachos are checked and I am given a list of faults which are few and minor
it annoys me that we have so many newbieās just past their test come on this site and others like it,asking the basic questionās that as a driver they should know the answers to.i aināt having a dig at any newbie here so please donāt take it as aimed at you,itās aimed at the instructors and training schools.they should not only teach them how to drive a truck, but should be teaching them the ways on how to fill tachoās inn and which mode they should be using.
heres wot i typed knight please re read it b4 making statements m8
I dont understand what you mean, i have given the example using a 3 switch tacho
gurner i since deleted this quote as at the same time as you quoted me,and as we donāt have many tachos with the steering wheel on then we go with the 3 mode system m8.do we not?
If my instructor had started swearing at me I would
have changed instructor or training school as we
pay them and you donāt need that 
.
I like other paying customers want to pass my test at
the lowest possible price and would not want
Tacho and hours putting in the test but I would do
a course after the test as long as it was worth it
and they was teaching you the correct way. Or
as knight as said by doing it on your training.
Just a thought, but how do the trainers know who the ānewbieā is going to be working for. My point is, Royal mail run on British Domestic Hours, so should they have to train them on then as well? Also, each company seems to have itās own ideas about what and how to fill in a taco. Some require the total mileage field to filled in, some require you to write your start and end of shift times on the back to record your daily rest, some want lines drawn on the front of the taco. So just how is the trainer supposed to know all this. It is down the company you are working for to train you on their systems and proceadures, this includes use of tacoās in the vehicles and the use of the vehicles themselves. Once again we seem to be forgetting the basic duties that the employer needs to undertake.
this includes use of tacoās in the vehicles
I didnāt get taught how to eat Mexican food on my course!!! I want my money back!
There is one simple way to do it and it amazes me how often this crops up, the tacho stays on āother workā box with line through it. when the vehicles moves it will record driving time, when you stop it will remain on āother workā, when you have a break, switch it to bed, and then back to box with line through it when you have finished your break.
Thatās what iāve done for many years & I agree with.
When I drove for an owner driver many years ago he requested I keep it on break all the time. He had had several routine ministry inpections, including charts, & they didnāt have a problem with it, stating they were only interested in driving time.
I think we have a picked a most difficult time to discuss this issue just as changes are being implemented in light of the WTD new recordable time sector of POA.
I now, at my companyās request use:
X driving & other work
[ / ] POA (never used it yet)
IĆĀ¬ breaks/rest
Re the instructor above: as an ex LGV Instructor & current ADI (car) I totally disagree with his manner. However we should never jump to conclusions (regarding this matter or anything else in life) without knowing the back ground.
It may have been the instructors own son, it may have been a lad having his training funded elsewhere (government) & was totaly disinterested & just not putting any effort inā¦ and been the same for days. Enough to try the patience of a saint. Not condoning the instructors behaviour in any shape or form, just mentioning there could be wider picture.
It is not possible for Training Schools to teach every eventuality you might come accross. i.e. Every type of gear box, every type of curtain buckle, etc. However, some schools, only teach the driving aspectā¦which is mostly what the pupil has engaged them to do.
I always used to show pupils how to complete a tacho chart and teach them to couple/uncouple long before it came into the test.Those who had come to us having failed with another training establishment, were somewhat gobsmacked when i taught them this.
Regards, Jonathan
Ex. LGV C+E Instructor. Ex. Trade Plater. Ex O/D. DSA ADI (car). RoSPA Gold
Kit kat
Rereading what I wrote as well as what you wrote, I will admit that I didnāt put it very well I was not having a go at you or any body else. But It has surprised me that a lot of experienced drivers I have spoken to donāt know tacho rules as well as they need to.
If I have caused offence then I apologise that was not my intent.
what I said about training firms and tachos still stands as there is a basic way of filling in a tacho that could Iām sure could be taught.
knight:
Kit kat
Rereading what I wrote as well as what you wrote, I will admit that I didnāt put it very well I was not having a go at you or any body else. But It has surprised me that a lot of experienced drivers I have spoken to donāt know tacho rules as well as they need to.
If I have caused offence then I apologise that was not my intent.
what I said about training firms and tachos still stands as there is a basic way of filling in a tacho that could Iām sure could be taught.
no need for apologises knight,no offence taken m8.i thought that you had read it wrong hence why i placed it up highlighted.i agree with you that experianced drivers ( some ) donāt know alot about tachos,and i also agree with you that it should be a basic requirement that an instructor spends time explaning things properly,irrespective if the customer has paid for it or not.the tacho is part of the truck so it should be taught properly in every school of training.how many snack bars do these instructor visit,they can run over it there.they also have a 45min break to take yet another opertunity.no theyād rather sit there trying to impress the students with there driving experiance and wot type of trucks they have driven.sorry but i donāt really care wot they have done or have driven they r there to teach young and old how to drive a truck and everything that goes with it.is that not what the students have paid for.