Yes, and the 30 minute break after 3 hours driving mentioned in the first post is one of the proposals.
Ah well i’ll be ok then as it takes me 2 days to clock up 3 hrs driving. 
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.
TC personnelly i couldn’t care less what they do with the driver’s rule’s and reg’s as i only work mon-fri with every w/end off.But i don’t see why owner driver’s get different rule’s than the employed driver working for a company.As far as i’m concerned they should be placed under the same banner as me and every other driver who work for companies around the country.Just because they are o/d and need to keep the wheel’s turning to pay for the big new wagon’s and to make a living doesn’t mean that they should be give special right’s,they should be made to employ another driver if they want the truck rolling 24/7.just my opinion. 
kitkat:
But i don’t see why owner driver’s get different rule’s than the employed driver working for a company.As far as i’m concerned they should be placed under the same banner as me and every other driver who work for companies around the country
I can understand you thinking that way mate, but when you have your own company you have no choice in working all the hours god sends, with the paperwork as well as getting the job done and a million other things its impossible to keep a even small business mans hours regulated. As a Ex business owner and I am sure Rikki, Lucy and Davey Driver will confirm you need the whole family behind you and work ■■■■ hard just to have any chance of becoming the next Richard Branson. All business is built on long hours and hard work and it’s the one thing that should never be stopped, we all would be in trouble if it was.
Sorry TC i can’t agree with you there m8,They ( owner driver’s) have to take responsibility for their own company making sure it’s run legal and above board.There is no reason for anyone to work all hour’s that god send’s if they run their fleet/company correctly.
I agree with TC, small businesses such as owner drivers are important to the economy. The long hours,as already mentioned, includes the administration side of the business not solely the driving so the assumption that this means ‘running bent’ is false. I’m afraid long hours ARE a part of running a business.
kitkat:
Sorry TC i can’t agree with you there m8,They ( owner driver’s) have to take responsibility for their own company making sure it’s run legal and above board.There is no reason for anyone to work all hour’s that god send’s if they run their fleet/company correctly.
sorry mate but that statement would only be made by someone who has never been in business! can you really knock someone for working hard and wanting to make a go of something they’ve invested in?
theres been safety issues mentioned, a tired driver is dangerouse, nobody can disssagree with that but how dangerouse is a driver that’s pulled the fuse because he’s got to get from A-B at warp factor 7 because new regulations mean he can only drive three hours before some crazy law say’s he’s got to have a 30min break? i know most will jump on that and claim it’s only owner drivers that do such things but those that fly past me everyday on the m1and the 42 aren’t o/d’s they’re fleet drivers who no doubt are on trip money because the last round of regulations meant the job wasn’t worth doing on an hourly rate!
what i find odd is that all those that shout how they want to be treated as “proffessionals” are also those that are in favor of regulations that assume that a driver isn’t capable of making decissions for him self, as regards when he needs a break and how much driving he is capable of doing on any given day.
sorry mate but that statement would only be made by someone who has never been in business! can you really knock someone for working hard and wanting to make a go of something they’ve invested in?
No m8 i ain’t knocking someone for trying to make their buisness work.All i’m saying is that at the end of the day you are a driver and you and every other o/d should be goverened by the same rules as me.Just because your an owner driver shouldn’t give you any special treatment.I understand that if your wheel’s ain’t turning then you ain’t making money,but if you need your unit to be earning then you should be employing another driver(s) to help you run your buisness effectively without bending rule’s.And it does happen Paul,if you think that certain o/d’s don’t run bent then sorry Paul but you would need to take your blinker’s off.(I see it pretty regular as well )and i make my feeling’s known to them but they have done it for so long they just laugh it off.
I have for a very long time anticipated a change in the daily rest…and i too would like to see a maximum 12 hour day…with 12 hours rest…always got sick of working the 15/16 hour day…having 9 hours off and doing it all again. The weekly rest of 24 hours away from base is a joke too…everybody should be allowed a minimum 48 hr rest. Ok…some will say they dont like a long weekend away…so i say…dont do the job then…if it involves a longer time away from home…and you dont like it…your in the wrong job…when i leave my wife and family to go on my international travels…i always part with the words…see ya when i see ya…for as everyone should know…there are no plans when you join the trucking fraternity…a lot of us have missed our kids growing up…missed the school play or pantomime…missed their birthdays…etc…etc…and generally left the missus to run the ship…but thats our choice…we dont have to do it if we doint want to…so i welcome the WTD…where the rules are changing…and supposedly for our benefit and safety…its a great pity that employers dont think the same way …especially when giving out the work…that sometimes is an almost impossible task…best bet…is …stick to the rules…and what dont get done today…gets done tomorrow…or bring it back to the depot…and let them have the worry…and learn a lesson the hard way…providing you do the work to your best ability…and keep the firm informed as to delays etc…theres no problem…is there ■■
kitkat:
sorry mate but that statement would only be made by someone who has never been in business! can you really knock someone for working hard and wanting to make a go of something they’ve invested in?
No m8 i ain’t knocking someone for trying to make their buisness work.All i’m saying is that at the end of the day you are a driver and you and every other o/d should be goverened by the same rules as me.Just because your an owner driver shouldn’t give you any special treatment.I understand that if your wheel’s ain’t turning then you ain’t making money,but if you need your unit to be earning then you should be employing another driver(s) to help you run your buisness effectively without bending rule’s.And it does happen Paul,if you think that certain o/d’s don’t run bent then sorry Paul but you would need to take your blinker’s off.(I see it pretty regular as well )and i make my feeling’s known to them but they have done it for so long they just laugh it off.
I can understand it from both points of view but my thoughts are the same as Jim’s. If you can’t make it pay running within the same regs as everyone else then you should accept that and either find something that will pay or sell up. Common sense should be telling you that something’s wrong if you’re having to run around for 70-80 hours per week to make a half decent income 
.
As far as the original thread question goes, I think they hours should be 12 on, 12 off, hour break (continuous; no splitting into smaller segments) after 4hrs driving/work and 48 off for weekly rest, NO EXCEPTIONS. Oh and a minimum hourly rate of a tenner per hour for driver’s on artic work.
truckyboy:
I have for a very long time anticipated a change in the daily rest…and i too would like to see a maximum 12 hour day…with 12 hours rest…always got sick of working the 15/16 hour day…having 9 hours off and doing it all again. The weekly rest of 24 hours away from base is a joke too…everybody should be allowed a minimum 48 hr rest. Ok…some will say they dont like a long weekend away…so i say…dont do the job then…if it involves a longer time away from home…and you dont like it…your in the wrong job…
Crikey 
. Great minds, and all that eh Bob?! 
I think we’re getting 45 hours weekend break, with no reduction, unless away from base. I’ve no problem with a 24 hours break away from base, as it means that the time is then made up back at home. Which has to be better for the driver.
Don’t like 9 hour breaks, especially when at base, because of driving home eating, then unwinding time before sleep getting up going back to the yard. Give very little time for sleep.
The whole point of the drivers hours regulations should be to improve road safety by reducing driver fatigue and improve the quality of life for drivers.
kitkat:
sorry mate but that statement would only be made by someone who has never been in business! can you really knock someone for working hard and wanting to make a go of something they’ve invested in?
No m8 i ain’t knocking someone for trying to make their buisness work.All i’m saying is that at the end of the day you are a driver and you and every other o/d should be goverened by the same rules as me.Just because your an owner driver shouldn’t give you any special treatment.I understand that if your wheel’s ain’t turning then you ain’t making money,but if you need your unit to be earning then you should be employing another driver(s) to help you run your buisness effectively without bending rule’s.And it does happen Paul,if you think that certain o/d’s don’t run bent then sorry Paul but you would need to take your blinker’s off.(I see it pretty regular as well )and i make my feeling’s known to them but they have done it for so long they just laugh it off.
unless they’ve changed the tacho regs this week, owner drivers run under exactly the same regulations as everyone else 
if your talking about the wtd nonsense, well, you all excepted it, and it’s now so full of holes with so many companies finding ways round it, in reality it exists in name only. i was talking to a firms driver just this afternoon who booked 120 hours last week, of coarse he didn’t work that many and stayed within the tacho regs and probably within the wtd but he and many like him make more now than they ever did before it was introduced.
muckles:
I think we’re getting 45 hours weekend break, with no reduction, unless away from base. I’ve no problem with a 24 hours break away from base, as it means that the time is then made up back at home. Which has to be better for the driver.
Don’t like 9 hour breaks, especially when at base, because of driving home eating, then unwinding time before sleep getting up going back to the yard. Give very little time for sleep.
I agree with that. Nine hours isn’t enough if like you say, you’re back at the yard, you’ve got to drive home etc etc etc and as such I always have my full 11 hours which I’m entitled to as its my choice to reduce my hours and no one elses. The only time I’d do 9hrs is if I’m having a night out and would be staying with the truck. Like you, I also have no problem with reducing my weekly rest if I’m away from base because it will ultimately benefit me as I’ll have a longer weekend when I make up for it.
I think none of us should have to work more than 9 hours a day with at least an hour for lunch Saturday and Sunday driving should be banned and a 40 hour driving limit imposed straight away,with allowance for 5 extra hours in the week for emergencies but this should be compensated for by the following week.
thers plenty of jobs like that now, IF you can’t afford to take one?
paul b:
what i find odd is that all those that shout how they want to be treated as “proffessionals” are also those that are in favor of regulations that assume that a driver isn’t capable of making decissions for him self, as regards when he needs a break and how much driving he is capable of doing on any given day.
What choice do we have as professional drivers when we are doing JIT work, etc?? I thought these regulations weren’t there to control the driver but rather to control the company’s that want to flog us to death on minimal wages
Oh, I forgot to say, I voted yes…Although they are going to change soon any way, the changes are not very useful in my oppinion…I think they should have banned the 24 hr weekend…I have seen too many trucks in ditches on Monday mornings to believe it is safe for drivers to be driving nights just 24 hours after driving days, I would guess that this is a far bigger problem in Europe than it is in the UK though
so you get a pull and one of your tacho’s shows you overtime, but it’s not down to you, it’s the firms fault that pays your wages
i wonder what the ministry man would say to that?
paul b:
:shock:
so you get a pull and one of your tacho’s shows you overtime, but it’s not down to you, it’s the firms fault that pays your wages
i wonder what the ministry man would say to that?
If that happens the ministry are also likely to visit your employer, to see if they have a culture of allowing or forcing drivers to run bent. It could also be a black mark against their operators licence.
I don’t know if it happens so much now there’s a driver shortage, but a few years ago when drivers were 10 a penny, there were hauliers who gave you an ultimatum, do it my way or you’re out. And faced with a job or the dole some would do it.
paul b:
:shock:
so you get a pull and one of your tacho’s shows you overtime, but it’s not down to you, it’s the firms fault that pays your wages
i wonder what the ministry man would say to that?
Drivers are responsible for their own actions, bosses will always want their pound of flesh…these regulations give drivers the tool to refuse to work more than is allowed. Bad bosses will still try to get their drivers to work outside the law when needed, but with well thought out, easy to understand and clear regulations backing the driver, this would be hard
unless they’ve changed the tacho regs this week,
Your correct i wasn’t talking about Tacho reg’s.
if your talking about the wtd nonsense, well, you all excepted it,
Yes i was talking about the WTD, and remind me did the goverment ask you personnelly if you wanted the WTD brought in. 
I know i wasn’t asked.It was simple Paul one day you can work all hour’s god send’s,then next day sorry your only allowed to do 48hrs. 