What would be your prefered legal driving hours?

[iguana]

Most of us will be used to the euro regs, but other countries have naturally different regs, many with longer legal driver hours & shorter breaks, plus log books rather than tachos.

USA is 11hrs DT per day-

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/...

Canada (I think) 13 hrs DT-

http://www.adrivers.com/hoursOfService.php#.UjsRY3...

Australia 12 hrs DT-

http://www.truckmovers.com.au/truckmovers/tools/de...


NZ 13 hrs DT-

http://nzta.govt.nz/resources/factsheets/02/docs/0...


I do find the euro regs a tad restrictive, if I'm running in a non tacho vehicle on a long run I find I can happily do a 12 or 13 hr run, usually to get me to a euro destination in one hit, but I have a couple of at least 30 min stops on route then have decent 9 hrs break then back down to nearer 9 & 10 hr days, with 9-10 hr stops, also are some days when if i could just do that extra hour over my 9 or 10 hr day it would help so much, or im stranded not quiet able to get back to base or deliver in business hours.

Doing all week 13 hr days- as is legal elsewhere, for me is too much tho, don't think I could cope with that.

[chilistrucker]

Would like to see the hours simplified myself.
Maybe keep the 6 days a week max, and at the end of that a minimum 30 hour break, at home, or away from base.
No more than a 12 hour shift per day, with a max of 10 hours driving on any given day.
All this 15 hours on, with a 9 off is abit of a piss take, but that's only my opinion.
The minimum daily rest period I'd like to see would be 11, but would prefer 12

[speedchick]

15 hours on and 9 off should only apply to trampers, in my opinion it starts getting a bit dangerous when day drivers are only getting 9 hours between 'clocking off and then on', especially if they don't live right next door to the yard.

[Upatdawn]

arent employed non-tacho drivers (say sprinters,etc) still obliged to observe driving hours though?

[Jimbo.]

Upatdawn said:

arent employed non-tacho drivers (say sprinters,etc) still obliged to observe driving hours though?

Nope. Working Time Directive only IIRC.

[leggly]

I'd be happy with going back to Domestic rules. Much simpler way to work than all the regs we suffer now.

[grumpy52]

12hours on 12 hours off 2 breaks of 30mins taken in the 12 hour spread , 5 shifts then 24 hours off AWAY from the truck.

[BonzoG]

Jimbo. said:

Upatdawn said:

arent employed non-tacho drivers (say sprinters,etc) still obliged to observe driving hours though?

Nope. Working Time Directive only IIRC.

You sure? Understanding within our company is that Domestic Hours rules apply to all the small vehicles we run (vans <3.5t) - for us the only exemption being in Northern Ireland, where vans <3.5t don't have the limit. All our routes are planned (in theory) to 10 hours max driving, 11 hours max duty.

The actual rules as published on the DfT/gov.uk websites are a bit of a fudge as they always get mixed in with the HGV/PSV stuff, leading to the impression that they don't apply elsewhere - http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/consultations/info... seems to back us up though.

[mph1977]

Upatdawn said:

arent employed non-tacho drivers (say sprinters,etc) still obliged to observe driving hours though?

no tachos and 70 mph on the motorway is why in some settings they will send several 3.5 tonners rather than an LGV

e.g. Parcelforce the later departures ( i.e. after midnight) from the national Hub for Scotland and the far SouthWest are multiple 3.5 tonners as they can get to the local depot quicker than an LGV would

[Upatdawn]

GB Domestic rules

GB Domestic rules apply if:

the maximum permissible weight of your vehicle is under 3.5 tonnes
your journey is entirely in the UK

GB Domestic rules also apply in the UK if your vehicle is exempt from EU rules

"You must record your hours on a weekly record sheet or on a tachograph"


https://www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/gb-domestic-rules

Edited by Upatdawn on Friday 20th September 21:20

[mp3manager]

'Office' hours

[spike50]

I would really like to go back to the 8 hrs driving 12 1/2 hr spread over , I know its restrictive but its a more natural working pattern and who else really works more than 12 hrs a day ?
but that's as a employed driver
as an o/d I would like 13 hrs day spread over but allowed 11 hrs drive with 1 , 1hr break somewhere in there.

[Upatdawn]

mp3manager said:

'Office' hours

Council office hours?...

[R0G]

As no set of rules with be right for everyone then it will be difficult to please all but perhaps making them simpler would give more flexibility

1st - forget all fixed week rules and reset everything after a weekly rest has been taken

2nd - make minimum daily rest rules so 9 for not at base and 11 when at base

3rd - impose a max time period between any two rest periods be they daily or weekly which would mean a max shift time perhaps being 12 hours?

4th - scrap the RTD(WTD) but add a new rule to the regs for a break of at least 30 mins or 2x15s in any 6 hours on shift to protect those who might drive less than 4.5 hours in a shift

5th - minimum weekly rest time of 36 hours at base but can be reduced to 18 without needing payback when away from base
Finishing at 6pm on a saturday and restarting at 6am on a monday has always been a good 36 hour rest for most I know of when at home

6th - drivers to be given legal rights over employers/planners for all desicions over rest hours and driving times etc

7th - max driving limit of 10 hours between any two rest periods with no weekly or two weekly limits

[Upatdawn]

First of all, ALL drivers earning a living should be on Tacho - from a Nemo to a Scania, and taxi's too

[mph1977]

Upatdawn said:

First of all, ALL drivers earning a living should be on Tacho - from a Nemo to a Scania, and taxi's too

it would make sense although the arguements about cost would be an issue ...

putting Hackneys and PHVs on tachos would tighten things up quite a bit if there was enforcement / checks by the LA Taxi Office / VOSA

what about S19 permit minibuses ? or volunteers for the emergency services, in both service provided vehicles and their own cars ? who is going to foot the bill for driver cards for them and tachos for their private vehicles? ( the volunteer - given 'paying to work ' is frowned upon?, the organisation they volunteer for ? the government ?) - a lot of owned / leased ES vehicles have some form of logging / telematics anyway ... it would also remove the temptation for the Gof Smith's of this world to push the envelope ...

Edited by mph1977 on Sunday 22 September 13:56

[folos]

Upatdawn said:

First of all, ALL drivers earning a living should be on Tacho - from a Nemo to a Scania, and taxi's too

Would be restrictive on bus drivers, though there needs to be a way of closing the loophole wherein companies can "split" longer routes up so drivers can work up to 5.5 hours on domestic rules.

For example Stagecoach split the X3 from Cardiff-Abergavenny up into the X3/X33 as a "through" route with the same bus and driver, changing at Pontypool so it doesn't exceed the 50km limit on "local" bus routes.

Luckily we don't have anything like that where I work, and with our union agreements none of our duties have any portion of work over 4.5 hours drivers at other companies aren't so lucky. Five and a half hours is a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time to be driving on local service work, 4 is torturous at times!

[Panda76]

Driving: I would like to see the 10 hour twice a week rule gone,it's always exploited by vindictive desk jockeys. 9 hours max per day.
Working: no more than 12 hours per day.
12's can be bad enough if its a rough busy labouring day,never mind 15 and only 9 off.
Who in their right mind wants to do that these days.

(salaried can work a sixth shift for ot if I want it)

[GC8]

iguana said:

I do find the euro regs a tad restrictive, if I'm running in a non tacho vehicle on a long run I find I can happily do a 12 or 13 hr run, usually to get me to a euro destination in one hit.

I can drive a car for hours and not be too tired. Driving an HGV can leave you exhausted and in dire need of a rest after three hours!

The limits have to suit all in-scope vehicles and whilst I regard them as a PITA, I dont think that theyre far out.

Our max driving time is 10hrs a day after all, which isnt that much less than other countries which have longer periods due in part to their size and their easier driving conditions.

[ThatsWhatShe]

The main issue seems to be that the driving you do one week can count against you for weeks after.


No count backs. A weekly rest resets the situation.