Drivers hours/rest periods, help please

[Nigel Worc's]

Gentlemen.

Be gentle with me, I'm new to all this.

I am not a lorry driver, I'm an engineer who chose to use a small van (a VW Caddy), instead of a 5 series BMW as a service vehicle, a year or so ago, a decision that may need to be reversed now, but I'm trying these hours things first, as the van is just so useful.

The rules for you, as I'm guessing a few of you are going to be as surprised as I was when I was "introduced" to them : https://www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/gb-domestic-rules

I now have my "tachodisc" logbook, and I've filled it in with my first week of details, but I don't understand the "rest period" stuff, if indeed it even applies to me.

I am asked for, total rest, daily rest, rest available for weekly rest compensation, then, rest taken, rest available for weekly rest compensation, compensation required hours, then before end of week no, compensation taken, then hours and for week no.

My first logged weeks driving hours are ;

Monday 7 hours, Tuesday 5 hours, Wednesday 1/2 hour, Thursday 2 hours, Friday 1/2 hour, giving me a massive weekly total of 15 hours !

Many thanks in advance for any help, and it is interesting to note that my supposed duty cycle of 11 hours per day is less than lorry drivers are allowed.

[ymwoods]

You should only need to worry about EU driving rules if driving something over 3.5t.

Has work told you to do this?

[Massey135]

If you drive for less than 4 hours in any given day then the rules don't apply for that day. In reality very few van drivers record their hours like you are describing. The rules do exist but unless you're doing an excessive amount of driving or extremely long days then I'm surprised you or your employer are recording the details.

[Magic919]

I'd have thought he was more of a commercial traveller than any kind of driver.

[Nigel Worc's]

Many thanks for the replies gentlemen.

Just to give you a few more details.

I am an engineer, an electronic one, rather than a delivery driver or commercial traveller, but that matters not a jot.

They are GB domestic rules, nothing to do with the EU, it is something "our lot" have dreamt up for commercial vehicles not covered by EU rules (so anything that is a van but is less than 3.5 tons).

It only applies on mainland Britain, even the Northern Irish haven't implemented them, but we have.

I am at the moment self employed and employed (I work for one company for two days a week).

When employed I have a "duty cycle" of eleven hours (max ten hours driving), when self employed my work doesn't count towards a duty cycle, only the ten hours driving applies.

My part time employer didn't even know about these rules, they've always used cars.

I was introduced, very politely, to these rules, by a chap from VOSA and a HA man, on a service area, in some sort of publicity campaign they are doing regarding this.

I've no idea how long they've existed, or how rigorously they are going to be enforced, from people I know I understand it isn't a good idea to cross VOSA, thus I'm looking at it very carefully, and attempting to comply.

If it becomes too much of an issue, I'll go back to a car.

When I first discovered the rules, I did a thread in general gassing, a few people knew of them, most didn't, one of the chaps that did said I could go a thousand years without being stopped, or I could get stopped five times in a week, it is completely random.

If caught breaking the rules VOSA have some interesting powers, including issuing on the spot fines, so I'm keen to know the rules, what I have to comply with, and what I can ignore, hence the rest period logging questions.

[Massey135]

Ok so if you want to be seen to be compliant then simply record your duty hours and driving hours in a log book, ensuring you haven't exceeded any of the periods.
I realise it's not EU rules, but believe me there are very very few van drivers on the road who record their hours under domestic rules.

[BonzoG]

Nigel Worc's said:

I am an engineer, an electronic one, rather than a delivery driver or commercial traveller, but that matters not a jot.

This is key. It doesn't matter if you are employed or self-employed. You are exempt from the duty but not the driving limit when driving a van <3.5t used "for any service of inspection, cleaning, maintenance, repair, installation or fitting; - as an engineer that's bound to cover you.

Under the domestic rules the only rest you are entitled to is "adequate rest". It sounds like the record book you have is for drivers under the EU/tacho rules where there are some allowances for different rest periods and compensatory/carried over rest to make up for it. So just ignore those sections.

See here - Page 26 and associated annexes.



In short: Drive no more than 10 hours a day, don't worry about the duty limit as it doesn't apply to you, and briefly note your daily breaks/rest.

[Nigel Worc's]

Massey135 said:

Ok so if you want to be seen to be compliant then simply record your duty hours and driving hours in a log book, ensuring you haven't exceeded any of the periods.
I realise it's not EU rules, but believe me there are very very few van drivers on the road who record their hours under domestic rules.

For now I suspect you are absolutely correct, how long it stays that way will depend upon VOSA I guess.

Do you understand the rest stuff I was asking about ?

(there is no space to record duty hours in this book, and mostly duty hours don't apply to me anyway).

[Massey135]

I certainly do understand.In your case, for domestic rules, you're not obliged to record your hours in any specific book. So, if you like, make up your own book/ printed spreadsheet or whatever and record your duty, driving and rest each day in this format. You are then compliant.

[Nigel Worc's]

So just recording my driving hours, as I've done for this week makes me compliant ?

If so, good, and thank you.

[waynedear]

I would use a diary, is your vehicle fitted with a tracker ?? if not you can put pretty much anything you want in it to keep yourself compliant.