You’re not ‘wasting your time’ by doing checks, what if some ■■■■■ scum slashed your curtain, stole your fuel cap or slashed your tire? I’ve always checked my vehicle, even if I live in it 24/7, I was unsure if it was a legal VOSAstapo requirement, that’s all. I see that it isn’t, but I’ll still do it in ‘work time’.
Those who do it have no reason to worry if the unfortunate happens look at it that way!
The UK is rapidly becoming the most depressing place in Europe to drive a truck with its mindless box ticking culture. I tipped at a place the other day where I wasn’t allowed on the deck of the trailer and had to stand in a corner behind a bin whenever there was a forklift in the yard. Totally pathetic and makes things take so much longer.
Its the same with bulk tipper work we tip at a few places where you tip in a little hole in the floor but yet you have to stand behind the trailer when its tipped up if the grid bungs up with straw as you need to clear it and you need to make sure the sock you tip through fits into the whole!Then there are signs saying dont stand behind a raised body,they give you no option but to.One place had pits you tipped into and they covered them over so you now tip into a hole!
switchlogic:
The UK is rapidly becoming the most depressing place in Europe to drive a truck with its mindless box ticking culture. I tipped at a place the other day where I wasn’t allowed on the deck of the trailer and had to stand in a corner behind a bin whenever there was a forklift in the yard. Totally pathetic and makes things take so much longer.
I was out with a friend picking up a trailer in an RDC last month and the little man in the office had a go at her because she was apparently too close to the truck in front that was sat still at a gate! Unreal, I did have a chuckle.
“Where there’s blame there’s a claim” has lead to all these rules I think. 
dinosteveus1:
You’re not ‘wasting your time’ by doing checks, what if some [zb] scum slashed your curtain, stole your fuel cap or slashed your tire? I’ve always checked my vehicle, even if I live in it 24/7, I was unsure if it was a legal VOSAstapo requirement, that’s all. I see that it isn’t, but I’ll still do it in ‘work time’.
You clearly do not understand my point, I live and work in my truck for several weeks at a time and because of this spend all day every day in and around it. For the simple reason that I dont need any more hassle than I ordinairly get I and many like me continually monitor the state of the vehicle, not just a once a day check around to see what is going on. Tyres in particular are a fetish of mine, and many like me. Unlike a lot of you VOSA lovers, I actually have to change my own wheels at the side of the road using a thing called a jack and another thing called a wheel brace and this big long thing called a bar. Its bloody hard graft especially when the nuts have been gunned on, the rim rusted to the hub and its either 40 degrees above or below zero at two oclock in the morning.
P.S. What have slashed curtains got to do with it? I cant wait to hear this.
Good post Hombre but I fear like with my posts no one will listen. They can’t seem to get their head round the fact that it’s possible to be 100% on top of a trucks condition without the sacred 15 minute check every morning. And I too change my own wheels. Although its only been 3 in 10 years so can’t really complain.
Hombre:
dinosteveus1:
You’re not ‘wasting your time’ by doing checks, what if some [zb] scum slashed your curtain, stole your fuel cap or slashed your tire? I’ve always checked my vehicle, even if I live in it 24/7, I was unsure if it was a legal VOSAstapo requirement, that’s all. I see that it isn’t, but I’ll still do it in ‘work time’.You clearly do not understand my point, I live and work in my truck for several weeks at a time and because of this spend all day every day in and around it. For the simple reason that I dont need any more hassle than I ordinairly get I and many like me continually monitor the state of the vehicle, not just a once a day check around to see what is going on. Tyres in particular are a fetish of mine, and many like me. Unlike a lot of you VOSA lovers, I actually have to change my own wheels at the side of the road using a thing called a jack and another thing called a wheel brace and this big long thing called a bar. Its bloody hard graft especially when the nuts have been gunned on, the rim rusted to the hub and its either 40 degrees above or below zero at two oclock in the morning.
P.S. What have slashed curtains got to do with it? I cant wait to hear this.
You clearly have a problem understanding me. WTF is VOSA lover, saddo.
I dont give a toss if you have to change your own tyres, so what, its not my fault if you get so many punctures.
Please read my OP again.
I dont think anybody here is saying you cant be on top of it, but they are saying that if things go breasts up you will be accused of not paying attention because you have no way of proving you did the checks. 10-15 mins at the start of a shift with the card in the reader on other work clears the ‘worry’, and kicks the lawyer in the knuts 
Walk around, paper work, brew, and a visit to the little boys room before setting off… 10-15 mins. Your covered. no problems
iain
dinosteveus1:
Hombre:
dinosteveus1:
You’re not ‘wasting your time’ by doing checks, what if some [zb] scum slashed your curtain, stole your fuel cap or slashed your tire? I’ve always checked my vehicle, even if I live in it 24/7, I was unsure if it was a legal VOSAstapo requirement, that’s all. I see that it isn’t, but I’ll still do it in ‘work time’.You clearly do not understand my point, I live and work in my truck for several weeks at a time and because of this spend all day every day in and around it. For the simple reason that I dont need any more hassle than I ordinairly get I and many like me continually monitor the state of the vehicle, not just a once a day check around to see what is going on. Tyres in particular are a fetish of mine, and many like me. Unlike a lot of you VOSA lovers, I actually have to change my own wheels at the side of the road using a thing called a jack and another thing called a wheel brace and this big long thing called a bar. Its bloody hard graft especially when the nuts have been gunned on, the rim rusted to the hub and its either 40 degrees above or below zero at two oclock in the morning.
P.S. What have slashed curtains got to do with it? I cant wait to hear this.
You clearly have a problem understanding me. WTF is VOSA lover, saddo.
I dont give a toss if you have to change your own tyres, so what, its not my fault if you get so many punctures.
Please read my OP again.
Jesus Christ why are you so angry and confrontational all the time. You come across as having a massive chip on your shoulder and launch in to angry tirades at nothing. Calm down, you never get your point across acting like you do.
welder:
I dont think anybody here is saying you cant be on top of it, but they are saying that if things go breasts up you will be accused of not paying attention because you have no way of proving you did the checks. 10-15 mins at the start of a shift with the card in the reader on other work clears the ‘worry’, and kicks the lawyer in the knutsWalk around, paper work, brew, and a visit to the little boys room before setting off… 10-15 mins. Your covered. no problems
iain
So your saying filling in the daily check book means nothing? Like I said before I’d like to see a lawyer pin a non existent law on me.
if your filling in the book then you have some cover, if you have a digi card they will want you to show the time filling that book in on the card - its other work. Lawyers dont have to prove you broke the law [whether it exists or not] just that you do not work within the spirit of it.
iain
Apart from when I was on agency in Asda where they gave 30 minutes for the checks, so I took 30 minutes because it was money in the bank, I have never taken as long as 15 minutes to do the checks in the 28 years I’ve been doing this job. Usually at most 5 minutes and never had a problem in any control or checkpoint for not showing this mystical 15 minutes on the tacho/digi card. They don’t take much longer than 15 minutes to do a full MOT so why we need to show 15 minutes is beyond me.
welder:
if your filling in the book then you have some cover, if you have a digi card they will want you to show the time filling that book in on the card - its other work. Lawyers dont have to prove you broke the law [whether it exists or not] just that you do not work within the spirit of it.iain
Lawyers don’t have to prove you broke the law? Ok then if you insist. Christ. That means by your standards we can be prosecuted for not working within the spirit of laws that don’t actually exist. Did you read that back before you posted it?
And your assuming I don’t book any other work during the day in which I could have filled out the book.
switchlogic:
Good post Hombre but I fear like with my posts no one will listen. They can’t seem to get their head round the fact that it’s possible to be 100% on top of a trucks condition without the sacred 15 minute check every morning. And I too change my own wheels. Although its only been 3 in 10 years so can’t really complain.
Fair enough you keep saying that your truck is 100% defect free and you don’t feel the need to do a 15min daily check. You might be lucky enough to be the only one who drives your truck, but as for me and probably some others, my truck is double shifted. Something might break during the night run, so i’m just covering my ■■■ by doing a daily check. Like I said before, if I can tick some boxes on a sheet and show 15mins on my digi card, then I have a defence should something happen. It might not be stated in law that it needs to be done, but as far i know, its a condition on the operators licence to carry out daily checks and keep a written record. Recording it on your digi card also helps show compliance. But one thing i don’t need to worry about is changing my own wheels so it aint all that bad. 
Yes I understand trucks are double shifted and the need for the checks on fleet trucks which I mentioned but a lot of you don’t understand my point of view about drivers like me and hombre despite me trying time and time again to explain it. So for that reason I’m out.
your on one tonight aint you…
First thing I do is unlock the door and put the card in. I know my back is covered, what you do is up for you. Just remember that its not the road side check thats gonna throw the problems, its the idiot who pulls out in front of you and tries to claim you slammed in to their arse… and that lawyer will try to prove that your negligent…
‘It says here that you did your checks that morning, yet your card shows no entries for it, why? Maybe you filled out these records after the crash?’
The lawyer aint gonna do anything but prove doubt, and if you slam up the arse, you always loose doubt.
peace
iain
Hey Ditchlogic, don’t lose the plot. I asked a question, don’t wet your knickers over it, if you don’t feel the need to check your vehicle after a kip then good for you. For my own piece of mine I do a check of mine. What I asked was, do we have to do a check legally and if so does it need to be dine on the card. That’s been answered.
How you conduct your business is of no concern or interest to me, thanks anyway.
switchlogic:
welder:
I dont think anybody here is saying you cant be on top of it, but they are saying that if things go breasts up you will be accused of not paying attention because you have no way of proving you did the checks. 10-15 mins at the start of a shift with the card in the reader on other work clears the ‘worry’, and kicks the lawyer in the knutsWalk around, paper work, brew, and a visit to the little boys room before setting off… 10-15 mins. Your covered. no problems
iain
So your saying filling in the daily check book means nothing? Like I said before I’d like to see a lawyer pin a non existent law on me.
You are a dip ■■■■ most of the time.
The non existent law is the fact that if you drive a vehicle (any vehicle, motorcycle, car or lorry) on the road with a defect, you will get done. End of
There are no laws in the land that say you must spend 15, 20 or 36 minutes walking around your lorry, but the law does say, that your vehicle must be roadworthy. If you don’t want to write a defect sheet out and spend a few minutes walking round your lorry, don’t come on here and complain that VOSA or the BAG took £120 off you for a bald tyre