What about the driver who checks round the night before (if lorry not going out with night driver) is this OK? I do this now the light evenings are here, show 10mins on digi other work done, time for extra coffee/tea next morning or 10mins more in bed !!
Gembo:
These are the words I was told by a DCPC guy (yeah, yeah, i know
)
“”“Vosa will look for a period of “other work” every day before the truck moves to show that you have done your daily walk around check”“”
The 15 minute quote is a load of ■■■■■■■■!
And the point is that they’re only going to look for that if you’re standing at the side of the road with a light out saying “it was working when I checked it before I left the yard”.
You should do the checks, and you should put the card in before you do them (or record the work in some other way), but that’s about the beginning and end of it.
all honesty, ive never entered manually when doing a walkround. The daily checks are neccesary cuz vosa will pull you and find something that you didnt (because you didnt do yer checks) and youll be looking for more overtime to pay the fine! 
The company that i work for, give you a disiplinary for not doing proper checks on our wagons also.
Let’s face it, unless you are driving as soon as you put your card in then nobody can say you didn’t carry out any checks as there is no time stipulated. If I’m using the same vehicle they take less time than if it’s a different one. Most of the time is taken up doing company paperwork anyway as well as the defects book.
splitshift:
What about the driver who checks round the night before (if lorry not going out with night driver) is this OK? I do this now the light evenings are here, show 10mins on digi other work done, time for extra coffee/tea next morning or 10mins more in bed !!
What happens if a tyre goes flat overnight, or someone takes your tail-light bulbs?
Then you’ll notice before you set off after you’ve woken up because you’re expected to do your checks every day.
Watch the VOSA dvd about walk round checks.When the young totty asked the VOSA man on the dvd how long does it need to be he said as long as it takes.There is no set time but you should show something on your card because if they find something on a check and no other work on the card,no excuses really. I have seen some so called training websites that state you must do half an hour.
mick.mh2racing:
Then you’ll notice before you set off after you’ve woken up because you’re expected to do your checks every day.
My point exactly…which is why doing them the night before is no good.
He does sound a bit of a knob in the way he addressed it, but what he said is true in fact, VOSA do want to see 15 minutes of other work before you start driving.
I was pulled in a VOSA check and the inspector pointed this out to me. I explained that it doesn’t take 15 minutes to do a walk-round check. He said “Look, I know that and you know that, but it’s what they want to see. Just put your tacho on other work while you’ve got the kettle on and are brewing up a coffee”.
So yes, this does seem to be the new thing, 15 minutes of other work before you start driving.
Harry Monk:
He does sound a bit of a knob in the way he addressed it, but what he said is true in fact, VOSA do want to see 15 minutes of other work before you start driving.I was pulled in a VOSA check and the inspector pointed this out to me. I explained that it doesn’t take 15 minutes to do a walk-round check. He said “Look, I know that and you know that, but it’s what they want to see. Just put your tacho on other work while you’ve got the kettle on and are brewing up a coffee”.
So yes, this does seem to be the new thing, 15 minutes of other work before you start driving.
I see your point Harry but why then dont they put this out in some form of written English so everyone could see it?
You’ve heard via a friendly chat where some maynot be so lucky. I spoke to a VOSA inspector today, wish I’d asked him now but didn’t, was talking about load security instead.
truckerjon:
Pops77:
Some advice please….Finished ma shift the other day via agency, a driver (permanent driver) to come up to me and ask I do a 24h print out, I duly did (don’t know why) and he started to check it and started to ask when I did walk around check. Cut a long story short I didn’t do manual entry to go back to include when my shift started and to include when I started walk around checks.
He claimed it ‘was the law’ to have 15 mins walk around check which I’m pretty sure isn’t the case. He had a fair point about manual entry which I agreed was a mistake. At that point I asked who exactly he was, he dais a driver assessor. Anyway he duly went into the office and grassed me up to the transport manager who is an ar*e on a good day. Suffice to say he gave me an earful
So is the 15 min walk around a legal obligation?
Think that is one driving assessor that needs to go back to school. He will probably be teaching the company drivers for thier DCPC!
wish it was me he asked, i would have put him back in his place!
Or on his arse
When I’m in the UK I crack it on to ‘Other Work’ while I have a wee, check no ones pulled my pin, the back doors a closed and the lights are on. I usually give it 5 mins on that mode before driving off. I’m in the same truck all the time, all week and I check the trailers fully as and when I pick them up on the docks. 15 minutes is a joke, I couldn’t possibly stretch it out that long even if I tried. Thats just another self opinionated jobsworth trying to screw the job up with regulation and bureaucracy rather than getting the job done. So you havent shown a manual entry, big bloody deal.
Here in North America many states/provinces actually want to see 30 minutes each day for a pre-trip. Yeah right, whatever. Its recorded in my log book that each pre-trip inspection is 30 minutes but I’ve never taken more than 5 minutes.
splitshift:
Have done 21 hrs DCPC, so far every trainer has mentioned daily checks,min 8 mins, max 15 mins to be shown on disc or digi,have checked VOSA books(2007)drivers hours&roadworthiness can’t see any mention!but I guess if said time is shown it may mitigate if a later check by VOSA throws up defects1
How can they set a limit either way… Might not take 8 mins, so the minimum is a weird one, but we’ll let that go…
BUT, 15 mins max?? so, you do your checks, find a bulb out, go fill out the defect sheet, go get fitter, new bulb about to be fitted but you’re showing 16 mins work, what do you have to do then? Drive?
It takes as long as it takes, but, as others have said, paperwork is also other work, so 15 mins isn’t a bad amount of time really…
cruisin comet:
Watch the VOSA dvd about walk round checks.When the young totty asked the VOSA man on the dvd how long does it need to be he said as long as it takes.There is no set time but you should show something on your card because if they find something on a check and no other work on the card,no excuses really. I have seen some so called training websites that state you must do half an hour.
She is fit as ■■■■… I used to work for 1 of the firms featured (Mayne) in the vid.
As I do nights out my general setup is this… Alarm goes off, swing legs out of bed and shove tacho card in, the get dressed, coffee, cereal, ■■■■ and wander round make sure everything is as I left it. Now this could be a slow mooch with coffee in hand or if it’s raining a quick jog, either 20 mins shown.
jessicas dad:
As I do nights out my general setup is this… Alarm goes off, swing legs out of bed and shove tacho card in, the get dressed, coffee, cereal, ■■■■ and wander round make sure everything is as I left it. Now this could be a slow mooch with coffee in hand or if it’s raining a quick jog, either 20 mins shown.
Exactly what i do.
15mins checking the truck, driving at 38, knocking the cruise control back a few clicks on the motorway, 3hours on a bay then a 45 down the road, its suprising some drivers actually get any work done.
I agree.
Wander over to the truck, tacho in, walk round check, sort the cab out, complete transport sheet, vrmmm, off we go. Sometimes 5 minutes, sometimes 30 minutes, depends how I feel and what I find. If I go out at the weekend I’ll do a tyre pressure check as well…
Cheers
Paul
I once got asked about checks from TM, I had showed about 10 mins on my last few tachos, this was with curtain siders, he asked me to show my checks, wich i did including opening back doors, did,nt open curtains just visual check on straps… he told me i should open the curtains and check the load… the way he explained it made sort of sense (especially with the forkies at the time) he asked that this was done every morning as its a preload… guy was ok so was,nt being your normal gaffer… but never seen it done on any vosa stuff ect…
Connect up, lights on, coffee, walk round, ■■■■, talk to the office totty, (If applicable.) more coffee, set off = 15 minutes minimum.
Job done.
When I worked at Somerfields, we were given 45 minutes to do all that, but then as we were logged out of the gatehouse electronically, (In order to get to the first shop to snooze.) the management cut it to 30 minutes. All hell broke loose, and we said it takes as long as it takes. Needless to say thereafter, it did. 
Ken.