Ferry Rest Breaks

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS EURO DRIVING FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

I know this has been done to death already, but something just occured to me…

Now, we call know that you must have access to a bunk or a couchette so therefore Dover - Calais is a no no… or is it…
Now, a few years back we were parking in the FSA, at say 1900hrs, putting our papers in, getting up at say 0345, getting our paperwork, using our 2 movement rule to get us onto the boat(Dover-Calais), then card in once the boat docks and away we go…
Back then we were not aware, or if we were we ignored it, that you could not do it on Dover-Calais, but because the majority of your rest is taken in the bunk of your truck, surely it can then become legal as you’ve had access to a bunk or a couchette therefore fufilling the letter of the law…

And just incase anyone asks why we didnt take another 15 minutes and have 9 off, doing it this way, it enabled us to get to St.Louis without wasting a 15hr day…

2

Rest can only be recorded if at the time of recording it the driver has access to bunk etc

A maximum total of 1 hour can be used to split up that rest
Rest can be split twice
A total of 11 hours rest must be taken within the 24 hour period

I think I said that right ?

3

Moving from Freight Services to the port, would not count as a movement on to the ferry though in my opinion.

4

GBPub:
Moving from Freight Services to the port, would not count as a movement on to the ferry though in my opinion.

Movements have nothing to do with it, the regulations don’t talk about movements, it’s two interruptions to the rest period. so, you could interrupt your rest to move from FSA to the port to the ferry as long as it didn’t take more than an hour.

5

ROG:
Rest can only be recorded if at the time of recording it the driver has access to bunk etc

That’s just nonsense.

ROG:
A maximum total of 1 hour can be used to split up that rest
Rest can be split twice
A total of 11 hours rest must be taken within the 24 hour period

I think I said that right ?

This is about interrupted rest when using a ferry or train. Split rest is something else.

6

BuzzardBoy:
I know this has been done to death already, but something just occured to me…

Now, we call know that you must have access to a bunk or a couchette so therefore Dover - Calais is a no no… or is it…
Now, a few years back we were parking in the FSA, at say 1900hrs, putting our papers in, getting up at say 0345, getting our paperwork, using our 2 movement rule to get us onto the boat(Dover-Calais), then card in once the boat docks and away we go…
Back then we were not aware, or if we were we ignored it, that you could not do it on Dover-Calais, but because the majority of your rest is taken in the bunk of your truck, surely it can then become legal as you’ve had access to a bunk or a couchette therefore fufilling the letter of the law…

Few things.

It has never been about movements, it’s interruptions.

Back then it was one interruption, not two.

You require, and required then, access to a bunk or couchette for all of the rest not just the majority.

In the situation you describe you would have been pushing it as you would need another 2.25 hours rest to give the 9 hours extended by 2 that was required back then and you wouldn’t always squeeze that in on a Dover-Calais crossing.

We ignored it through either not knowing or not caring and all was well until we got nicked by the French. At which point it became their fault because, “The French don’t recognise the ferry rule”. :wink: :smiley:

BuzzardBoy:
And just incase anyone asks why we didnt take another 15 minutes and have 9 off, doing it this way, it enabled us to get to St.Louis without wasting a 15hr day…

You were using one of your three allowed reductions per week, and therefore wasting a ‘15’, regardless as that would have been a 9 hour rest extended by 2 hours, unless the ferry was really delayed by weather and you got 4.25 hours on board to make it an 11+2 hours.

7

I thought that the old ferry regulations only allowed one interruption.

As I remember it, you put in a fresh card for every country :laughing:

8

Wheel Nut:
I thought that the old ferry regulations only allowed one interruption.

They did, see above. :smiley:

9

Coffeeholic:

Wheel Nut:
I thought that the old ferry regulations only allowed one interruption.

They did, see above. :smiley:

Im only going back 3/4 years to the start of 2008 and through to 2009, when i believe it was 2 movements unless i am totally wrong…

You were using one of your three allowed reductions per week, and therefore wasting a ‘15’, regardless as that would have been a 9 hour rest extended by 2 hours, unless the ferry was really delayed by weather and you got 4.25 hours on board to make it an 11+2 hours.

Unless i am reading this incorrectly, i didnt think a Ferry break counted as a reduced break, in the same way as the old split break 8h night break + 3H during the day didnt…

10

GBPub:
Moving from Freight Services to the port, would not count as a movement on to the ferry though in my opinion.

Well all we were doing was a Ferry Rest but the other way round, using it at the start of a shift rather than the end. No one had a problem with coming off the boat and going to the FSA to park up at night… We just parked there at night and went to the boat in the morning…

11

Coffeeholic:

Wheel Nut:
I thought that the old ferry regulations only allowed one interruption.

They did, see above. :smiley:

Cor both posted at 12.33

It would be interesting to see all the old rules from donkeys years ago, from log book days to the present, but many people will read the wrong rules unless we could make it known which is which…

1985 Regulations
eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Lex … 20:EN:HTML

12

Article 9

Notwithstanding Article 8 (1) where a driver engaged in the carriage of goods or passengers accompanies a vehicle which is transported by ferryboat or train, the daily rest period may be interrupted not more than once, provided the following conditions are fulfilled:

  • that part of the daily rest period spent on land must be able to be taken before or after the portion of the daily rest period taken on board the ferryboat or the train,

  • the period between the two portions of the daily rest period must be as short as possible and may on no account exceed one hour before embarkation or after disembarkation, customs formalities being included in the embarkation or disembarkation operations,

  • during both portions of the rest period the driver must be able to have access to a bunk or couchette.

The daily rest period, interrupted in this way, shall be increased by two hours.

13

BuzzardBoy:

Coffeeholic:

Wheel Nut:
I thought that the old ferry regulations only allowed one interruption.

They did, see above. :smiley:

Im only going back 3/4 years to the start of 2008 and through to 2009, when i believe it was 2 movements unless i am totally wrong…

Ah, you and I have a different definition of a few years back. the interruptions changed from 1 to 2 in April 2007 so you are correct.

You were using one of your three allowed reductions per week, and therefore wasting a ‘15’, regardless as that would have been a 9 hour rest extended by 2 hours, unless the ferry was really delayed by weather and you got 4.25 hours on board to make it an 11+2 hours.

BuzzardBoy:
Unless i am reading this incorrectly, i didnt think a Ferry break counted as a reduced break, in the same way as the old split break 8h night break + 3H during the day didnt…

I was working to the pre April 2007 rules when you could interrupt a reduced rest, something no longer possible, oh and the old split was 8+4 with the 4 in no more than two parts minimum of 1 hour.

BuzzardBoy:

Article 9

Notwithstanding Article 8 (1) where a driver engaged in the carriage of goods or passengers accompanies a vehicle which is transported by ferryboat or train, the daily rest period may be interrupted not more than once, provided the following conditions are fulfilled:

  • that part of the daily rest period spent on land must be able to be taken before or after the portion of the daily rest period taken on board the ferryboat or the train,

  • the period between the two portions of the daily rest period must be as short as possible and may on no account exceed one hour before embarkation or after disembarkation, customs formalities being included in the embarkation or disembarkation operations,

  • during both portions of the rest period the driver must be able to have access to a bunk or couchette.

The daily rest period, interrupted in this way, shall be increased by two hours.

Yeah, that’s the pre April 2007 version.

14

Coffeeholic:

ROG:
Rest can only be recorded if at the time of recording it the driver has access to bunk etc

That’s just nonsense.

ROG:
A maximum total of 1 hour can be used to split up that rest
Rest can be split twice
A total of 11 hours rest must be taken within the 24 hour period

I think I said that right ?

This is about interrupted rest when using a ferry or train. Split rest is something else.

That’s why I asked if I said it right !

Change the word split for interupted - does that make it ok?

15

ROG:

Coffeeholic:

ROG:
Rest can only be recorded if at the time of recording it the driver has access to bunk etc

That’s just nonsense.

ROG:
A maximum total of 1 hour can be used to split up that rest
Rest can be split twice
A total of 11 hours rest must be taken within the 24 hour period

I think I said that right ?

This is about interrupted rest when using a ferry or train. Split rest is something else.

That’s why I asked if I said it right !

Change the word split for interupted - does that make it ok?

Doesn’t matter what you change, that is still not true.

16

if you go DFDS dover - dunkerque evevn though it’s only a short crossing, in the drivers’ area there is a room with 8 couchettes in it so you can use the new double split break legally

17

richknape:
if you go DFDS dover - dunkerque evevn though it’s only a short crossing, in the drivers’ area there is a room with 8 couchettes in it so you can use the new double split break legally

debatable and you have to look sharp to get one!

18

richknape:
if you go DFDS dover - dunkerque evevn though it’s only a short crossing, in the drivers’ area there is a room with 8 couchettes in it so you can use the new double split break legally

Those aren’t couchettes. They are little more than a fancy sun lounger like the ones on the Spirit of Britain. A couchette is a bunk, the kind of thing you get on sleeper trains.

19

Coffeeholic:

richknape:
if you go DFDS dover - dunkerque evevn though it’s only a short crossing, in the drivers’ area there is a room with 8 couchettes in it so you can use the new double split break legally

Those aren’t couchettes. They are little more than a fancy sun loumger like the ones on the Spirit of Britain. A couchette is a bunk, the kind of thing you get on sleeper trains.

So if they’re not couchettes, I’m breaking the law split breaking on Dover/Dumpkerque?

20

richknape:
if you go DFDS dover - dunkerque evevn though it’s only a short crossing, in the drivers’ area there is a room with 8 couchettes in it so you can use the new double split break legally

It’s also debatable as to whether it’s a short crossing or not, 3 times recently I’ve managed to get a 3 hour break on the boat!