Hello Everyone I am not to sure where to start my question from, as I need a knowledge about my work and driving days availability. Ok I Work permanent 4 days on 12 hours a day shift and 4 days off… 4 on and 4 off (None driving). For the company I work for has got class 2 vehicles, Okie rather than me asking a question I will simply ask this, Am I allowed to work 1 driving shift out of my 4 days off? The reason I ask this because I was working last year but then I stopped driving as I thought if I pulled over by VOSA by any chance then I don’t know what to say to them? Only 1 shift I want to work so I can gain some experience I have already spoken to Transport manager, he just asked me to pass the days when I am available. Soon I will be going for my Class 1 again. Please reply with some knowledgeable answers whether am I allowed to drive 1 shift out of my 4 days off or not if I am then if I ever pulled over by VOSA what am I to say to them. THANKS.
The way I understand it, you have to average 48 working hours or less per week
Breaks/lunch don’t count as working hours
So in theory your 4 on 4 off 12 hour shifts - lets say you have 1 hour for lunch, means you’re working a total of 44 hours per week. so you have 4 hours spare to hit the maximum average, which is calculated over 4 months
You can exceed your 48 hours per week up to a maximum of 60 hours per week working, as long as you still average 48 hours over those 4 months
That’s how I understand it anyway. However in reality, if your other work is not on a tachograph - How would Vosa know unless you tell them ?
Hyh:
The way I understand it, you have to average 48 working hours or less per week
Breaks/lunch don’t count as working hoursSo in theory your 4 on 4 off 12 hour shifts - lets say you have 1 hour for lunch, means you’re working a total of 44 hours per week. so you have 4 hours spare to hit the maximum average, which is calculated over 4 months
You can exceed your 48 hours per week up to a maximum of 60 hours per week working, as long as you still average 48 hours over those 4 monthsThat’s how I understand it anyway. However in reality, if your other work is not on a tachograph - How would Vosa know unless you tell them ?
DVSA (old VOSA) are NOT interested in WTD but some employers give internal infringements
Employer not driver is responsible for the 48 hours a week WTD bit - driver responsibility to give info to employer (usually by presenting card for download)
You could work an extra day every week assuming you signed the opt out for the 48 hour week. (Everywhere I’ve worked they have asked me to sign the opt out declaration. )
If I was you I’d just do the 1 day a week and worry about getting your driving time breaks done correctly, if you get pulled by VOSA they wont care if you’ve only driven 1 day that week.
adam277:
You could work an extra day every week assuming you signed the opt out for the 48 hour week. (Everywhere I’ve worked they have asked me to sign the opt out declaration. )
If I was you I’d just do the 1 day a week and worry about getting your driving time breaks done correctly, if you get pulled by VOSA they wont care if you’ve only driven 1 day that week.
The 48 WTD week for lorry drivers cannot be opted out of
The normal WTD can be opted out of
If doing one non driving job and a driving job then they are under two different WTDs so opting out of the normal one leaves only the lorry driver one
ROG:
adam277:
You could work an extra day every week assuming you signed the opt out for the 48 hour week. (Everywhere I’ve worked they have asked me to sign the opt out declaration. )
If I was you I’d just do the 1 day a week and worry about getting your driving time breaks done correctly, if you get pulled by VOSA they wont care if you’ve only driven 1 day that week.The 48 WTD week for lorry drivers cannot be opted out of
The normal WTD can be opted out of
If doing one non driving job and a driving job then they are under two different WTDs so opting out of the normal one leaves only the lorry driver one
I wonder why truck drivers can’t opt out but bus drivers can( I have )■■
Does this mean I could work my 5 days 12 hour shifts on the bus then do 2 days on a truck (hypothetically of course,I’m neither young enough nor mental enough to do this) 
Make sure you get your weekly breaks in between driving and non driving jobs. Minimum of 45 hrs non working time every other week, if I’m right?
Do any EU regs driving in a week and you are subject to daily and weekly rest rules
If bus driving is uk domestic then that counts as other work for EU regs
spacemanZ10:
Make sure you get your weekly breaks in between driving and non driving jobs. Minimum of 45 hrs non working time every other week, if I’m right?
Yea I will definately be on more than 45 hours break. That’s why I choose to do 1 shift alone. And have 3 days off.
And also I am averaging out 42 hours per week cause I do 14 shifts in a month or 16 shifts depends how it plans out in a month.
Can some one please give me a straight answer to whether am I eligible to do 1 shift after my 4 shifts off or not. And about driving breaks/other works I am sure my rule applies 30 minutes in 6 hours. As I won’t be driving 4:30 hours before it hits 6 hours. I think I will probably pick driving breaks up as I go along with other drivers as I know all of them before hand. Also I am thinking of write it down on my dairy when I do drive and what time I started and what time i finish.
Question remains the same which I am still confuse at is my 1 shift driving. Sorry to be a pain but I just want to be steer clear of all dodgy things which might put me in trouble thanks.
Yes you can, no issue done it myself.
15 mins for 6 hours not 30
Best advice is to do this … if possible with driving time breaks that are needed
take 15 mins before 6 hours of work then another 30 mins later = split 45 driving time break for 4.5 driving
That way you are unlikely to go over the 6 hours and will comply with all WTD rules
Yep that’s sums up everything that I wanted to know, Thanks Rog and Adam and everyone else that has replied with informational answers thanks again.
adam277:
You could work an extra day every week assuming you signed the opt out for the 48 hour week. (Everywhere I’ve worked they have asked me to sign the opt out declaration. )
If I was you I’d just do the 1 day a week and worry about getting your driving time breaks done correctly, if you get pulled by VOSA they wont care if you’ve only driven 1 day that week.
I can see how you’d have thought that, as I’ve been offered to sign that a few times by agencies.
And when I tell them it won’t be valid, they look at me blankly! 
Hyh:
The way I understand it, you have to average 48 working hours or less per week
Breaks/lunch don’t count as working hoursSo in theory your 4 on 4 off 12 hour shifts - lets say you have 1 hour for lunch, means you’re working a total of 44 hours per week. so you have 4 hours spare to hit the maximum average, which is calculated over 4 months
You can exceed your 48 hours per week up to a maximum of 60 hours per week working, as long as you still average 48 hours over those 4 monthsThat’s how I understand it anyway. However in reality, if your other work is not on a tachograph - How would Vosa know unless you tell them ?
4 on 4 off actually means that a lot of weeks you only do 3 shift in a given week. That to me suggests plenty of scope for other work
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OK.
Is it possible to work 5 days (non driving business) then drive weekends?
GregoryStoke:
OK.
Is it possible to work 5 days (non driving business) then drive weekends?
Partially
Generally, to comply with EU rest regs, you can drive for one day every other weekend
The non driving job counts as other work for the EU regs so cannot be counted as rest
The other work also needs recording but it seems in the UK the DVSA will accept a diary of the times done in the non driving job
Evil8Beezle:
I can see how you’d have thought that, as I’ve been offered to sign that a few times by agencies.
And when I tell them it won’t be valid, they look at me blankly!
I’ve always assumed it is valid as you can work over the 48 hours to up to 60, then it is down to the employer to make sure your average is no more then 48 hours over the reference period. Tbh the laws need to be simplified.
adam277:
Evil8Beezle:
I can see how you’d have thought that, as I’ve been offered to sign that a few times by agencies.
And when I tell them it won’t be valid, they look at me blankly!I’ve always assumed it is valid as you can work over the 48 hours to up to 60, then it is down to the employer to make sure your average is no more then 48 hours over the reference period. Tbh the laws need to be simplified.
Eh? Working up to a maximum of 60 hours in one week is the limit of the WTD rules, but you can’t do more than that.
Yes the average has to be 48, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do more than that one week, and less the next.
What you can’t do is work over 60 hours in a week if the job is within scope of the regs.
i.e. You can’t opt out and then bang in a 70 hour week of ‘Driving’ and ‘Other Work’, trying to make it back the next week for your 48 hour average.
If the OP is doing say 50 hours in a non driving job from mon-fri then that is under the normal WTD which can be opted out of in full
The driving job do ing say 15 hours will be under the mobile worker WTD which cannot be opted out of
From what we can gather the two do not get added together and if they did then by opting out of the normal WTD would only leave 15 hours
What do you guys think do I have to do manual entries on tacho head for other work which is none driving or am I allowed to just write it down in diary that I worked from 6 am till 6 pm in my none drovint job and now I am driving and having 3 days off?
And when you guys say how will vosa find out if you don’t tell them what other work you are doing, I mean won’t they be asking why there is only 1 9 hour shift recorded on tacho and what do I do apart from that?