kitkat:
I think you won’t find a set time limit for your checks to be done by any law,but what you will find if you get stopped by vosa and they check tacho/digicard and they notice that you jumped in the truck and drove off according to your tacho/digicard,then i think they might ask if you did the vehicle checks.The best way is put your tacho/digi card in 1st thing before doing anything and put it on other work,then carry out your daily vehicle checks.Thats the way i do it,at least they can see the other work recorded and if they ask you what you was doing you just tell them vehicle check’s.everyone’s happy.
Thats what I do, so by the time I have walked around the truck and wiped my mirrors its time to go…
As a follow up to Diesel Dave’s post about “It’s the law”
Who are, “They”? “They” reckon. “They” will do you. “They” said. “They” normally talk out of their collective arse’s
I am sure this question was asked somewhere else.
There cannot be a fixed time limit as Dave rightly pointed out, different vehicles require different checks.
A 4 wheel rigid should only require 8 minutes as it has less wheels, no coupling, less gears and a smaller load etc.
I think the 15 minutes is a fair time rather than start the engine, drive off 3 hours up the road to find someone has been in your trailer, nicked half the load and left the back door swinging open
aranger:
Are yous busy and if not are they looking for things so they can give it the not working out speech.
Start taking 45 minutes to do them as that’s what some places give you.
Change their tune if you have a few drivers and they all did this.
I hate to pee on your parade but we’ve got 200 drivers at Bedford and, you’ve guessed it, we get 45 minutes to couple up and do our daily checks. Safety costs money.
If you read what I have written you will realise that you merely confirmed what I said and have infact joined my parade not peed all over it.
If he is averse to getting pulled up he should take it to the other extreme and theres nante they can do about it as its considered good practise to take 45 in some depots.
aranger:
Are yous busy and if not are they looking for things so they can give it the not working out speech.
Start taking 45 minutes to do them as that’s what some places give you.
Change their tune if you have a few drivers and they all did this.
I hate to pee on your parade but we’ve got 200 drivers at Bedford and, you’ve guessed it, we get 45 minutes to couple up and do our daily checks. Safety costs money.
If you read what I have written you will realise that you merely confirmed what I said and have infact joined my parade not peed all over it.
Sorry, misinterpretation by me no offence meant and I stand corrected.
I think the point is you have to show enough other work before you start driving to prove you’ve done your checks. Especially if you’re taking minimum rest otherwise vosa can prove you’ve not had enough rest.
I do my paperwork the nite before put my card in on other work after 9_05 hours off do my checks finish my tea and hit the road after 10 mins.
Guide to maintaining
roadworthiness
Commercial goods and
passenger carrying vehicles
A responsible person must undertake a daily
walkaround check before a vehicle is used.
As a driver, you may carry out the check before
you first drive the vehicle on the road each day.
Assistance may be required at some time during
the inspection, for example to see that lights are
working. Alternatively, a brake pedal application
tool may be used as an effective way of making
sure stop lamps are working and that the braking
system is free of leaks. In addition, a torch, panel
lock key or other equipment may be needed.
A system of reporting and
recording faults
The person made responsible by the operator
must carry out a minimum of one check in 24
hours. The check should consist of a walkaround
look over the whole vehicle or combination. On
multi-trailer operations a defect check should be
made on each trailer being used.
The check should cover the external condition,
ensuring in particular that the lights, tyres,
wheel fixings, bodywork, trailer coupling, load
and ancillary equipment are serviceable.
Drivers must be made aware of their legal
responsibilities regarding vehicle condition and
the procedures for reporting defects. This can
be achieved by writing a letter to each driver,
describing defect reporting systems as well as
any other duties they are expected to perform.
The driver should sign this letter to show in
writing that they have received the letter and
understand what is required. Drivers share the
responsibility for the vehicle’s roadworthiness
with the operator. Drivers may be prosecuted
for the existence of defects found on the
vehicles they drive if they are considered
partly or wholly responsible for the existence
of them. Failure to take these responsibilities
seriously could result in the loss of the
driver’s licence to drive
All drivers’ defect reports must be given to
a responsible person with sufficient authority
to ensure that any appropriate action is taken.
This might include taking the vehicle out of
service. Any report listing defects is part of
the vehicle’s maintenance record and must
be kept, together with details of the remedial
action taken, for at least 15 months.
‘Nil’ defect reports, if they are produced, should
be kept for as long as they are useful. Normally
this is until the next one is received or until the
next scheduled safety inspection is undertaken.
‘Nil’ defect reports are not required under the
conditions of operator licensing. However, they
are a useful means of checking that drivers are
carrying out their duties in this respect.
If you are an owner-driver, you will probably
not have anyone to report defects to, except
to your transport manager (if you have one).
In these cases, defects can simply be recorded
and held for at least 15 months
and you must show that you did other work which before the truck moves, can not do your checks on rest cos as you know doing you checks is other work and other must be shown on you tacho
if you go from rest to drive straight away then this would be deemed as an infringement cos it shows that you may not of do a walk round check
Start at 1600
get keys at 1605
walk to unit 1607
open up but bag in and sit arse on seat 1608
fill out tacho and run sheet 1610
turn on lights and haz put into revers to have alarm and rev lights on 1611
get out open front 1612
check oil , rad level , break fluid, stearing fluid, 1615
walk round checking wheel and tyres lights and suzies with a rag to wipe over lights to back of trailer 1617
open and check inside trailer 1618
continue walking up offside wiping and checking lights wheels and tyres1619
check dog clip and handle locked in 1619
back in cab check height indicator 1620
sodoff back to smoke hut till 1630
then off on the road
Whenever I did the International CPC last year and we did the working out bit with the drivers hours for a certain trip, we had to show on the sheet 15 minutes checks in the mornings or we got marked down for it.
nick2008:
Start at 1600
get keys at 1605
walk to unit 1607
open up but bag in and sit arse on seat 1608
fill out tacho and run sheet 1610
turn on lights and haz put into revers to have alarm and rev lights on 1611
get out open front 1612
check oil , rad level , break fluid, stearing fluid, 1615
walk round checking wheel and tyres lights and suzies with a rag to wipe over lights to back of trailer 1617
open and check inside trailer 1618
continue walking up offside wiping and checking lights wheels and tyres1619
check dog clip and handle locked in 1619
back in cab check height indicator 1620
sodoff back to smoke hut till 1630
then off on the road
No rush less haste all checked
it aint a race its a job
I don’t want to seem picky but when do you put your card in? If you do it at 16.10 you’ll show 20 mins for your checks and be ok but if you wait till 16.30 you won’t show any and get into trouble!!!
nick2008:
Start at 1600
get keys at 1605
walk to unit 1607
open up but bag in and sit arse on seat 1608
fill out tacho and run sheet 1610
turn on lights and haz put into revers to have alarm and rev lights on 1611
get out open front 1612
check oil , rad level , break fluid, stearing fluid, 1615
walk round checking wheel and tyres lights and suzies with a rag to wipe over lights to back of trailer 1617
open and check inside trailer 1618
continue walking up offside wiping and checking lights wheels and tyres1619
check dog clip and handle locked in 1619
back in cab check height indicator 1620
sodoff back to smoke hut till 1630
then off on the road
No rush less haste all checked
it aint a race its a job
I don’t want to seem picky but when do you put your card in? If you do it at 16.10 you’ll show 20 mins for your checks and be ok but if you wait till 16.30 you won’t show any and get into trouble!!!
he was probably in a rush and for got to put it in
I start my card at 1600 man entry till it goes in so I show 30mins in total. card gooes in when i’me in the cab at 1610 before I do anything else
always have always will even when we go digi in 2 or 3 weeks
nick2008:
Start at 1600
get keys at 1605
walk to unit 1607
open up but bag in and sit arse on seat 1608 fill out tacho and run sheet 1610
turn on lights and haz put into revers to have alarm and rev lights on 1611
get out open front 1612
check oil , rad level , break fluid, stearing fluid, 1615
walk round checking wheel and tyres lights and suzies with a rag to wipe over lights to back of trailer 1617
open and check inside trailer 1618
continue walking up offside wiping and checking lights wheels and tyres1619
check dog clip and handle locked in 1619
back in cab check height indicator 1620
sodoff back to smoke hut till 1630
then off on the road
No rush less haste all checked
it aint a race its a job
I don’t want to seem picky but when do you put your card in? If you do it at 16.10 you’ll show 20 mins for your checks and be ok but if you wait till 16.30 you won’t show any and get into trouble!!!
I’d say he puts it in when he has filled it out along with his run sheet.
Being agency it is quite easy to show 30 mins checks (some companies don’t like it as you are costing them money but not as much as if you get pulled and aint legal.) I will always do a thorough check of a vehicle as nine times out of ten you get the knackered old one no-one else will drive, plus you need to sort your cab out with Satnav, maps, run sheet and so on. Whack the card in do the checks then set the cab up.
What I also do is have a defect sheet all of my own (made in excel) for if I do find anything I fill it in and get someone at the company to sign it to say I have reported it and they are saying it is ok to drive as it is in for repair/maintenance in a few days/when I get back. If there is no one around I phone the company and the agency to let them know and note the times of the phone calls and who I spoke to. There is no way I’m getting done for not doing checks/being defective. This all takes about 30-45 minutes. Job done and away we go.
Our lot like us to have at least 15 mins at the start of the shift on the tacho showing other work , while you are doing the daily checks, and aonther 15 mins at the end of the day doing paper work etc
I usually get in the cab stick the chart in, do the daily check then go back into the office fill my flask with hot water, walk back to the wagon, set up the pratnav ,and then compare its route to the AA truckers atlas, and then turn it back off as I dont use it for most of my journeys
At the end of the day its back to the other work setting on the tacho, sort out the delivery notes and write the reg number and the date on the back ( something our TM likes you to do for some odd reason) make a cuppa , have aquick walk round the wagon again checking for damage and then take the chart out after 15 mins of stoppping
doesnt bother me doing it like that as its another 30/40 mins pay a day for doing next to nothing
Like Gibsa I’m agency and as he says we tend to get the rubbish, so I take my time and am careful. Never had a complaint yet, but if they didn’t like it I’d go home. It’s my life and my license. I also do the tacho first.
Yep I’m an agency driver have been for 15yrs
yes was on gen haulage before that
and I started on vans at the age of 18
did a lot till i took my Class one at 24yoa
even more after
I’m 48 this year so thats 30yrs in the industry you can work out the rest
One place I went to, once (well more than one place tbh ).
I was instructed by the agency, to report for work at 7am.
I arrived on site and was at the office, reporting in at 6.55am.
The desk bod asked me, “where have you been, we need you to be driving out the gate at 7am”?
I replied that I’d been instructed to start work at 7am, it was not yet 7am so I was early.
“Yes thats right”, he said, “you start work when your about to drive out the gate”.
“Now here’s your delivery notes, go and find your deliveries, get the forky to load them onto your wagon, that’s your wagon over there”.
(I pointed out that, as an agency driver I was paid by the hour and I didn’t work for nothing. If I was required to report for work at 6 or 6.30 am then that is when I should be booked for. I started work when I arrived on site, I finished work when I was about to walk off site after completing the assignment.
It didn’t go down well .)
Now, if I don’t start work until I’m about to drive out of the gate, but before I start work I have to find my load and get it loaded, when should I do my vehicle checks?
I can’t do them in my time, because that would be falsifying, but I can’t do them after I start work either because I’ll be driving by then.
Just how did we get here??
This country is already a joke, it gets worse as each day goes by.
My next job will be out of the UK…If it is not, I shall end up in prison!!!
You guys are welcome to this ■■■■…
I can understand all this BS regulations if your agency or hopping into different cabs every day like supermarket operations but…if you are a tramper or do continental and live and work in the same truck all week or sometimes 2 or 3 weeks at a time why would it take 15 mins■■?
Personally speaking i may take 10mins after i get back to my truck after a weekend off but the rest of the week its just a quick visual walkround taking no more than 5mins…same at the end of the shift.
The one thing i will always do after a night out somewhere is check fifth wheel lock…only because i have heard some horror stories…think you know what i mean.
Anyway my point is if its your truck and only your truck, its a no-brainer…
