teekaydee:
The 6 hour rule?
Here’s a question I’m still stuck with even after viewing all the Gov sites I could surf and read.
Question 1
IS IT THIS?
… Lets suppose I start work and sign in at 01.00. … I do 1hr as POA and then 1hr other work - I then drive for 3hrs before doing 1 hrs further otherwork then drive another 1hr before taking a 45min break…Have I broken the 6 hour rule? (its now 07.00)
According to my reckoning it’s 0800 not 0700. My understanding of it is that POA can be used as a break, so if your POA exceeds 45 minutes then you can begin a fresh 6hr RTD period and 4.5hr drive.
It depends how you want to work it. If you choose to use your first hour of POA as POA then you’d need a break at 0700. If you choose to use your first period of POA as a break then you haven’t broken any rules and you are due for a break at 0800.
You could still take your 30 minute break (if your duty for the day isn’t going to exceed 9hrs. If it is, then a 45 minute break is required) at 0700 if you so wished and no-one would legally (afaik) be able to complain about you doing so, because you’d decided to use your first hour as POA. Bear in mind that if your duty for the day isn’t going to exceed 9hrs then you will need to take another break of 15 mins (continuously) when you have acculumated 4.5hrs driving and/or other work.
Question 2
OR IS IT THAT?
…Let say I start work at 01.00 …I do 1hr POA and then 1hr other work- then I drive for 3hrs and do a further 1hr period of other work before taking a 30min break.
Legal, but if you choose to use your first hour as POA rather than a break then bear in mind - like I said above - that if your duty for the day isn’t going to exceed 9hrs then you will need to take another break of 15 mins (continuously) when you have acculumated 4.5hrs driving and/or other work.
Question 3
OR IS IT THIS AND THAT?
As long as you dont exceed 41/2 driving (break needed anyway) or a mixture of other work and driving to a total of 6hrs (30min break needed WTD) - surely as I read it …you can work for 1hr- drive for 3hrs- take POA for 2hrs-Work another 1hr -drive again 1hr before having to take your first 30min WTD break !!
I’m not trying to bend the rules only understand them. The Gov sites say working time is driving, other work, unloading,loading and so on…It then says POAs and breaks are not included in your work time.
So if you do a mixture of work, driving and POAs during a shift, as long as the work and driving dont total a max of 6hrs your are safe. So you could work 2hrs then POA 2hrs and drive 4hrs before having to take your first WTD 30min break RIGHT?
Confused.com■■?
What do you say lads?
Your last one is rather confusing and I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make.
Basically, I consider POA’s as breaks. If I can leave the wagon and go wandering about - use a site canteen or have a kip without someone coming chasing me to move the wagon to get tipped or loaded or whatever then I will consider that a POA / break. At all other times I am either driving or doing ‘other work’ even if that means sitting there with my feet up on the dashboard reading the paper waiting for my bay number to come up on the matrix board at Argos.