Van driving hours (3.5t or under)

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hi guys quick question,

Due to start a van driving job delivering boilers. Been told by agency shifts usually 12/13 hours a day mon to fri. Is this not illegal? Ive been reading its max 10 hours drive and 11 duty in vans? Thanks

2

I’d you have hgv licence then you have to follow tacho rules 13 hrs or 15 HR days no more than 9 hrs driving a day apart from twice a week where can be 10 hours driving.
If you don’t have a hgv licence then
in a van can work as many hours as you want really

Don’t know how it works if you have a hgv licence but are employed as a van driver and don’t intend to use your hgv licence

3

Almost.,. You have to follow EU (or whatever the name is now) rules if you work In Scope of EU during that week. If you never work EU rules (normally for most of us) in a week then you can work totally outside of those rules, during that week.

Pretty much , yes, correct.
But remember that breaks and rest do not count towards driving nor duty. A 12hr day, start to finish, taking out breaks and sitting around waiting, may drop below 11 hrs.

Some of the bigger van delivery/courier outfits are apparently quite switched on with this. Their apps monitor how long the van has been moving, and the driver working, and will tell the driver to return to base.

Smaller and some express delivery companies are…ummm…less particular.
There is not much Police etc control of vans and hours worked I think. But if you are in a bad accident then they will try to look at what you have been doing.

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4

Look at the regs, as an employee, max shift / on duty is 11 hrs and however you wriggle it, minimum rest is 10hrs.

5

From the .gov site above
“In any working day the maximum amount of duty permitted is 11 hours”
and
" This includes all periods of work and driving, but does not include rest or breaks"
and
“Whilst the GB domestic rules make no specific provision for rest periods or breaks, employers are required, under The Working Time Regulations 1998, to ensure that drivers have ‘adequate rest’ (which includes adequate breaks). Adequate rest is defined as being long and continuous enough to ensure that a driver does not harm themselves, fellow workers or others and that they do not damage their health in the long or short term. Taking “adequate rest” means a driver’s personal circumstances need be considered when scheduling duty and driving periods.”

6

The UK Domestic rules for LGVs is here. Drivers' hours: GB domestic rules - GOV.UK

11 hrs total duty, with a max of 10hrs driving per day, but up to 16hrs spread-over.
At least 10hrs off between days, but reducible to 8hrs30.

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