Breaks while tipping

[neil1024]

I’ve just completed my first month driving with a digi card, hence lots of questions.

From another thread:

Coffeeholic:
It’s best to know because it you can laugh at other drivers who come out with the ever popular myth - “You can’t take a break on a bay while being tipped coz you ain’t free to dispose of your time” ■■■■■■■■.

I had a bad day on Tuesday and only got 10 hours in (which I needed to get home) by setting the tacho to Break while tipping at my last drop. That has made me very ‘break’ aware and the need to use any time hanging around waiting to tip or being tipped so if I think there’s a chance of getting a 15 or even 45 in, I’ve been setting the tacho to Break.

Sometimes it works (as on Tuesday) but sometimes I have to move before 15 minutes (or 30 if it’s the second part of a split break).

The print at the end of the day looks odd as a result as there are lots of odd periods of Break (I’m on multi-drop) in between driving periods.

Is there a problem with this and would VOSA get curious?

Form the rules, if I’m sat in the cab while the customer unloads me, this seems valid:

‘break’ means any period during which a driver may not
carry out any driving or any other work and which is
used exclusively for recuperation

Just checking and thanks for your patience. I did try a search before posting.

N

[tachograph]

There’s nothing wrong or illegal about putting the tachograph on break whilst you’re waiting or being unloaded as long as you’re not working.

If you were never showing any “other work” it may create curiosity and therefore some questions from VOSA but a few breaks that don’t reach 15 minutes shouldn’t be a problem.

Your biggest problem is likely to be the fact that most digital tachographs will count every 15 minutes of break as if it were a break that counts towards the 45 minutes driving break and reset the clock after three x 15 minutes break, which of course isn’t correct so you need to watch what breaks you have.