Weekly rest reduction

ASK THE EXPERTS SAFETY, LAW AND WORKING TIME DIRECTIVE FORUM (INTE
1

Hi all after a quick bit of information please, mainly to refresh the ol brain box tbh… :unamused:

Havn’t had to do it that often but how often can you reduce a weekly rest period? I was under the impression if i take a reduction to 36 hours one weekend, i have to pay back the owed hours the following weekend, is this right, or not?

Because reading up on this the rules they say about paying back en bloc at the end of the 3rd week. So if i have this right i can reduce weekend one’s rest period to 36 hours, the following weekend rest period to say 40 hours and by the 3rd weekend i owe 14 hours as well as the 45 needed?

Just we’ve started taking trucks in for service and such on a Saturday, and want to be clear on what the rules are on reduced rest periods.

Many thanks,

Stu :smiley:

2

NO,NO and NO again mate,they have done away with the 36 hour rule,it is now 24,45,then 24.

3

If you have a 24 hr rest on week 1 then you ‘owe’ 21 hours, week 2 has to be at least 45 hours weekly rest, but you still owe 21 hours. Have 45 hours on week 2 then week 3 has to be 76 hours weekly rest

If week 2 rest if 76 hours then week 3 can now be 24 hours again

Hope this makes a little bit of sense

Paul

4

What rule book have you been reading? There are two main figures for rest lengths…45 and 24.

45 is the minimum weekly rest required, but it can be reduced to a 24 hour rest. But this can only be done once in any two weeks and can not be consecutive…i.e. cant do 45, 24, 24, 45…can be 45, 24, 45, 24…

But lets say on week one you do 36 hours rest, that means that within the next 3 weeks, you have to of made up the 9 hours on top of another weekly rest, or on top of a daily rest.

5

yes, i did forget the bit that needs to be made up can be done on daily rest but thought the rest of it was about right, and sounded about right.

Paul

6

tell a lie…you can take 2 reduced weekly rests consecutively…ie you can do 45, 24, 24, 45.

7

You did good to ask,rather than get a fine and parked up for a long time by VOSA or the Police,the area of Northern Spain,called the Basque country,would have relieved you of telephone number size fines.The Mosses of Catalonia,thats the Barcelona area,also are hot on big fines,along with Germany`s BAG and Austria,they work day and night on both sides of the road.

8

Stu190:
Hi all after a quick bit of information please, mainly to refresh the ol brain box tbh… :unamused:

Havn’t had to do it that often but how often can you reduce a weekly rest period? I was under the impression if i take a reduction to 36 hours one weekend, i have to pay back the owed hours the following weekend, is this right, or not?

Because reading up on this the rules they say about paying back en bloc at the end of the 3rd week. So if i have this right i can reduce weekend one’s rest period to 36 hours, the following weekend rest period to say 40 hours and by the 3rd weekend i owe 14 hours as well as the 45 needed?

Just we’ve started taking trucks in for service and such on a Saturday, and want to be clear on what the rules are on reduced rest periods.

Many thanks,

Stu :smiley:

For a start lets say that for the purpose of this post a week is a fixed week from 00:00 Monday to 24:00 Sunday.

(Saves me keep pointing out that I’m referring to a fixed week :wink: )

A regular weekly rest period is 45 hours consecutive rest.

A reduced weekly rest period is a rest period of at least 24 consecutive hours rest.

In any two consecutive weeks a driver must have either two regular weekly rest periods or at least one regular weekly rest period and one reduced weekly rest period.

In other words you must have a regular weekly rest period at least every other week.

You cannot legally go two consecutive weeks without having at least one regular weekly rest period.

Compensation for a reduced weekly rest period should be paid en-block by the end of the third week following the week in which you had the reduced weekly rest period, the compensation should be paid back by adding it onto any rest period of at least 9 hours.

Lets say you had a reduced weekly rest of 30 hours this week and that was the only weekly rest period you had this week, you would need to have a regular weekly rest period of at least 45 hours next week, compensation of 15 hours would need to be paid back en-block by the end of the third week following this week, in other words by the end of week three starting next Monday.

9

Tachograph that’s spot on, thank you very much sir! I was a bit suspect when a driver was telling me i could do two reduced on the bounce and pay back on the 3rd week.

I knew about reduced breaks because of doing it every now and then but always repayed the hours the following weekend anyway.

He got the last bit right, but i’d would be in the ■■■ with doing two 30 hour breaks! :open_mouth:

Toby - Too right, i thought i know a place to ask! :smiley:

10

tachograph:
In other words you must have a regular weekly rest period at least every other week.

Not true…as I’ve just found out lol

11

dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/R … Europe.pdf

Page 18 think explains all this
, might be page 21 depends how you work out page numbers
Paul

edited to change information

12

Although just found the pdf i’ve been searching for :unamused:

dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/R … Europe.pdf

Page 19… looks i can take two reduced together?

Edit - Sniped! Paul beat me to it

13

paul_r:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/Rules%20on%20Drivers%20Hours%20and%20Tachographs%20-%20Goods%20vehcles%20in%20the%20UK%20and%20Europe.pdf

Page 18 think explains all this

Paul

True…but if you look at page 19…the legal example it gives is 45, 24, 27, 45

14

Adam_Mc:
tell a lie…you can take 2 reduced weekly rests consecutively…ie you can do 45, 24, 24, 45.

You can only do that if two of those weekly rest period are to count for the same week.

You can have two or more weekly rest periods or reduced weekly rest periods in the same week but you cannot legally have a regular weekly rest in week 1, a reduced weekly rest in week 2, a reduced weekly rest in week 3 and a regular weekly rest in week 4.

It’s illegal :wink:

15

Page 19 example you talk about both the rest periods are within week 2, not seperate weeks

Paul

ok, beaten to it, and explained better than me, thanks tachograph

16

Well regarding what I’ve learnt from reading page 19…this is what you can do…

Ill start with a 45 first though…

45, 30, 30, 45, 60, 60…week 5 has to be a minimum of 60 to pay back for week 2, and week 6 has to also be a minimum of 60 to pay back for week 3 (unless paid back on top of a daily rest).

17

tachograph:

Adam_Mc:
tell a lie…you can take 2 reduced weekly rests consecutively…ie you can do 45, 24, 24, 45.

You can only do that if two of those weekly rest period are to count for the same week.

You can have two or more weekly rest periods or reduced weekly rest periods in the same week but you cannot legally have a regular weekly rest in week 1, a reduced weekly rest in week 2, a reduced weekly rest in week 3 and a regular weekly rest in week 4.

It’s illegal :wink:

Well originally i thought it was illegal too but then i found the diagram and realised that the 2 reduced rests were in the same week…but if you actually read the text above the diagram properly it says that you can do it :S

"The following tables are examples of how a driver’s duties might be organised in compliance with
the rules on weekly rest, which allow two reduced weekly rest periods to be taken consecutively.
This complies with the rules because at least one regular and one reduced weekly rest period have
been taken in two consecutive ‘fixed’ weeks."

18

Adam_Mc:

tachograph:
In other words you must have a regular weekly rest period at least every other week.

Not true…as I’ve just found out lol

Care to explain :confused:

The regulations are quite clear that in any two consecutive weeks you must have at least one regular weekly rest and one reduced weekly rest.


Article 8.6 - (EC)561/2006:
6. In any two consecutive weeks a driver shall take at least:
– two regular weekly rest periods, or
– one regular weekly rest period and one reduced weekly
rest period of at least 24 hours. However, the reduction
shall be compensated by an equivalent period of rest
taken en bloc before the end of the third week following
the week in question.
A weekly rest period shall start no later than at the end of six
24-hour periods from the end of the previous weekly rest
period.

19

tachograph:

Adam_Mc:

tachograph:
In other words you must have a regular weekly rest period at least every other week.

Not true…as I’ve just found out lol

Care to explain :confused:

The regulations are quite clear that in any two consecutive weeks you must have at least one regular weekly rest and one reduced weekly rest.


Article 8.6 - (EC)561/2006:
6. In any two consecutive weeks a driver shall take at least:
– two regular weekly rest periods, or
– one regular weekly rest period and one reduced weekly
rest period of at least 24 hours. However, the reduction
shall be compensated by an equivalent period of rest
taken en bloc before the end of the third week following
the week in question.
A weekly rest period shall start no later than at the end of six
24-hour periods from the end of the previous weekly rest
period.

Do you think that maybe we’ve stumbled upon something? one thing is saying no you can’t, and another thing is saying yes you can lol

20

Adam_Mc:
Do you think that maybe we’ve stumbled upon something? one thing is saying no you can’t, and another thing is saying yes you can lol

Was beginning to wonder that meself… Although i think ill stick to not doing two reduced back to back to be safe :sunglasses: