Time For Drivers Hours Review?

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

How long have drivers been driving under the current driving hours regs?

EG 4.5 hours, 45 min break then another 4.5 hours driving,or variations there of then a break of 9 or 11 hours off then do it all again etc etc.

Would you like to be allowed to do more in a duty period, for example 12 hours driving with a 12 hour break. Maximum continous driving to dropped from 4.5 hours to say 3 with a minimum of 30 mins break?
No more 15 hour spread overs (far to long to be considered 1 days work in my opinion)
Or howabout a continous period of say 14 days driving providing a 3 day break away from the vehicle is taken after the 14 day period is up?

These are not specifics, just a few I have thought of off the top of my head and im sure there are a million and one arguments for and against change (the WTD being an obvious one :unamused: ) ,as well as there probably being a million and one suggestions for change that people could come up with themselves.

But if you take into account the change in driving conditions now from when the current hours regs were first invoked then maybe its time for a change or at least a review?

Borders across Europe are virtually non existant now,no waiting to clear in or out of a country, journey times are shorter than 20 years ago, there are more tarmaced / mettaled roads in place now than there were about then, London to Istanbul for example must be smoother and quicker than it was in the 70s and 80s, even Spain, Italy or Southern Europe in general have a vastly improved road network.

More importantly the changes and advances in vehicle technology have greatly improved the actual working enviroment of a driver (auto boxes, air-con, air ride axles, air sprung seats, sound proofed cabs, electric this that and whatever to name a few) thus helping to greatly reduce driver fatigue and hopefully therebye increasing driver safety.

How do people feel? Is it time for a complete overhaul of the regs to accomodate todays working conditions and vehicles or are you happy with the ways things are?

Just a thought :wink:

Cheers, bullitt.

2

I voted no, but they are being changed soon anyway. :cry: :cry:

3

I havent been in the industry long so I don’t have the benefit of much experience to comment on this but I’d like something along the lines of increasing the maximum driving time to 10 hours every day, maybe decreasing the duty period by one hour and increasing the daily rest from 11 to 12 hours and like now, only to be rejuced to nine at the drivers choice and I’d scrap the WTD without a second thought.

4

I voted no i think they work pretty well as they are, but why are we allowed to extend the hours, they should be just set. Eg 10 hours drive 12 hours work, the only thing that should be changed is the break it should be one hour, and it should be taken in one go, then drivers would get a break we all know what some do in there 15-20 minute break. :wink:

5

NO you can’t scrap the wtd not now i have a good job it has took me 22 years to get this job, that’s just bloody selfish :laughing: :laughing:

6

personally i believe the regulations in their current form are close to unworkable for many drivers, the 4.5 max driving period is a complete nonsense especially as the roads (uk) get ever more busier, on a bad day i can spend two or more hours crawling in traffic and getting no where in terms of distance covered but still using up, whats at the moment, a very valuable two hours driving time.
i see no reason why weekly driving hours can’t be extended to 50+ with 5 or 6 hour driving periods and a daily max of 12 hours. i’d also like to see the weekly break reduced to twenty four hours to give lads a chance of working every saturday if they choose to.

7

Coffeeholic:
but they are being changed soon anyway. :cry: :cry:

Yes, and the 30 minute break after 3 hours driving mentioned in the first post is one of the proposals.

8

paul b:
personally i believe the regulations in their current form are close to unworkable for many drivers, the 4.5 max driving period is a complete nonsense especially as the roads (uk) get ever more busier, on a bad day i can spend two or more hours crawling in traffic and getting no where in terms of distance covered but still using up, whats at the moment, a very valuable two hours driving time.

I agree with you there.

i see no reason why weekly driving hours can’t be extended to 50+ with 5 or 6 hour driving periods and a daily max of 12 hours. i’d also like to see the weekly break reduced to twenty four hours to give lads a chance of working every saturday if they choose to.

I think I agree with the first bit, the second bit I’m not sure about. The reason why I don’t mind doing very long hours during the week is because I know I’ve got the weekend to unwind on, I personally wouldn’t be happy with only 24hrs off and I’d think that if such a change was to come in, drivers would over time be ‘forced’ into accepting it, otherwise be shown the door and as a driver who is happy to work 60+ hours a week, 24hrs off just simply isn’t enough, unless you’re weekended then it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest, but if I’m home, I want some decent time off to relax after a long week.

9

I voted yes but for different reasons

I believe that the working week should be limited to 48 hours; 48 hours then home no exceptions other than to self employed owner drivers.

Why anyone would want to work and be away from their families and mates for more than 48 hours a week is beyond my comprehension!

10

perhaps the weekend bit would be over the top for most, it just seems incredible to me that people sat in an office somewhere in brussels can at the stroke of a pen decide how hard a working man should be able to work and how many of those working men are prepared to go along with it like sheep.

11

TC:
I voted yes but for different reasons

I believe that the working week should be limited to 48 hours; 48 hours then home no exceptions other than to self employed owner drivers.

Why anyone would want to work and be away from their families and mates for more than 48 hours a week is beyond my comprehension!

You should run for prime minister

simon

12

With the ammount of accidents, especially motorway accidents due to driver being tired, and some of you want to drive for longer without a decent break. :open_mouth:

I remember seeing some research which said that a driver should only drive for 2 hours before having a break, something to do with the metabolism and blood sugar levels.

Maybe for us that is impractical, but 4.5 hours is enough. without a decent break. The same goes for daily break, get rid of the 9 hours break and as for a 24 hour break, well I used to take as many 36 hour breaks as I could then have long weekends to make up the time, but by the time you’ve got home done your washing, shopping etc the weekends over and you wondered what happened to it. If you’ve also got to spend time with a family then there is no time to relax. I like driving trucks, but I would like to spend some time with family friends, it seems some of you want to be in your trucks 24/7.

13

TC:
I voted yes but for different reasons

I believe that the working week should be limited to 48 hours; 48 hours then home no exceptions other than to self employed owner drivers.

Why anyone would want to work and be away from their families and mates for more than 48 hours a week is beyond my comprehension!

I’d give up driving overnight if such a thing came into effect. It may be all very well for those who do planned runs every day and know what they’re doing but what about the continental guys, or the ones on containers, ferry freight or just standard general haulage who don’t know where they’ll be from one day to the next. 48 hours would be up by mid-week and whilst you’d be at home with your family, they’d be stuck at Southampton or Dortmund and not at home in Scunthorpe, Leeds or Preston because their poxy 48hrs are up. Its about time the regulations where made to fit around the real life working conditions of trucks and truck drivers for a change instead of trying to get the industry to into a 48hr week which it quite simply, never can do.

14

but what about the continental guys,

The problem is everyone wants to look at the black side to sorting the mess transport is in, for one all overseas freight would be dropped at docks, and then people who could deliver the goods because of working hour restrictions would take over. This would also help the UK transport industry because fewer foreigners would be on our roads. This would also work for UK only based freight! drop points would be opened all over the country and long distance drivers just move goods to drop points the goods then would be shipped into smaller vans and distributed to the masses in the cities! This would also solve the major hold ups that freight sometimes causes! Inside every possible bad point good points can be made so that it improves our transport and improves out lives as transport slaves.

15

TC:

but what about the continental guys,

The problem is everyone wants to look at the black side to sorting the mess transport is in, for one all overseas freight would be dropped at docks, and then people who could deliver the goods because of working hour restrictions would take over. This would also help the UK transport industry because fewer foreigners would be on our roads. This would also work for UK only based freight! drop points would be opened all over the country and long distance drivers just move goods to drop points the goods then would be shipped into smaller vans and distributed to the masses in the cities! This would also solve the major hold ups that freight sometimes causes! Inside every possible bad point good points can be made so that it improves our transport and improves out lives as transport slaves.

I don’t think Coffeeholic would be too impressed with that! The job wouldn’t be worth doing in my opinion, if a true 48hr week was brought in it would spell an end to most 1 man 1 truck operations, everyone would be a cab hopper, taking whatever is available, having to lug all your gear about, never being able to settle anywhere. No thankyou, I became a truck driver because I wanted that way of life, if I only wanted to work normal hours, I’d have opted for a normal boring job.

16

robinhood_1984:
having to lug all your gear about, never being able to settle anywhere…

Of course they could always take it all home and have a bit of time with their families just a thought

I’ll get my coat

17

jimti:

robinhood_1984:
having to lug all your gear about, never being able to settle anywhere…

Of course they could always take it all home and have a bit of time with their families just a thought

I’ll get my coat

The thought might be to do what most people do, and get a job compatible to their needs instead of bickering about a job that has long hours that we ALL knew about before we started doing it. If I didn’t like the smell of garlic I wouldn’t work in a Geest factory making garlic bread, if I didn’t like enclosed spaces I wouldn’t become a coal miner and if I didn’t want long hours, I wouldn’t become a truck driver.

18

get a job compatible to their needs instead of bickering about a job that has long hours that we ALL knew about before we started doing it

When I first started driving I did less than 40 hours a week, indeed drivers are working more hours now then they ever did!

19

robinhood_1984:
The thought might be to do what most people do, and get a job compatible to their needs instead of bickering about a job that has long hours that we ALL knew about before we started doing it. If I didn’t like the smell of garlic I wouldn’t work in a Geest factory making garlic bread, if I didn’t like enclosed spaces I wouldn’t become a coal miner and if I didn’t want long hours, I wouldn’t become a truck driver.

Thats right whilst the rest of industry moves into the 21st centry we are stuck with 19th centry working practices.
The principle of the 48 hour week is an average of 48 hours, not 48 hours each week, therefore you could still continue to do the long distance work, but then take the time off to make up for the extra hours you’ve worked.
And you don’t have to make the hours up un-paid, it’s only you 20 days compulsary holidays that don’t count towards reducing your average hours.

20

TC:

get a job compatible to their needs instead of bickering about a job that has long hours that we ALL knew about before we started doing it

When I first started driving I did less than 40 hours a week, indeed drivers are working more hours now then they ever did!

There are plenty of jobs out there where you’re home every night. You don’t have to ruin the whole industry by introducing a 48hr week just so you can have a 9-5 job. Just as you want to work short hours, there are plenty who want to work long hours. At the moment it is possible to chose, if you had your way, you’d ruin the jobs of a lot of people.