I have just started my first job as lorry driver (although is on a 7.5 tons) and…
…I really need some answers after having spoken to another driver few days ago:
is it true we need to bring with us, on the truck, the employment contract? (he said in case of an accident, for example).
I have done lots of mistakes with the tacho, thi is because the employer has no knowledge at all of the rules and his instructions on how using the tacho were “press 1 to drive and press 2 when on break” (yes guys, I can imagine your faces right now…): my main mistake is that every morning I start I do not add any new entry (I mean, what I have done between last time I have finished the previous shift and now that I am inserting the card). Is this a big issue for the VOSA?
Tomorrow I will do in the correct way… is there a chance I can correct previous shifts?
However… my biggest mistake on the tacho has been delaying a break (too ashamed to let you know how much delay…) because my employer was asking me to deliver before 5pm to two customers. I had a break of 25 minutes only and before coming at the depot I have got a 45 minutes but the shift was 12 hours long… is VOSA killing me? Is it true I have to wait 28 days before that stupid thing I have done (not telling the boss I had to take a break so, sorry, no time to deliver before 5pm) will vanish?
Could you recommend any NOT expensive sat-nav for trucks? my car sat nav send me in some shortcuts that are quite difficult to manage. I have seen few online, but would read your comments.
1 No
2 Manual entries are a good idea as well as being legally required. Shows willing if nothing else
3 Depends on driving/wtd hours so if you give us some times?
Best to get doing things the right way now, boss can’t force you to do anything illegal
Remember its your licence/money if you get done.
Trucktables always get good reviews for theirs.
Hope that helps
Unfortunately you cant change anything already record on the tacho.
Tommy7437:
CAR sat navs are for cars hence reason they are called CAR sat navs
You’re stupid not taking breaks for employers sake as your licence!
As for employment contract question? Never heard of that before. Would be surprised if true
other potential employers told me that they were giving me their sat navs, this one asked me to bring mine…just the day before. I haven’t got big problems apart one day where the sat nav decide to bring me in a Z road
yes, I’ve been so stupid not telling him I needed a break and so no deliveries if customers were closing at 5pm, no excuses.
El Deano:
1 No
2 Manual entries are a good idea as well as being legally required. Shows willing if nothing else
3 Depends on driving/wtd hours so if you give us some times?
Best to get doing things the right way now, boss can’t force you to do anything illegal
Remember its your licence/money if you get done.
Trucktables always get good reviews for theirs.
Hope that helps
Unfortunately you cant change anything already record on the tacho.
Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
yeah, that thing of the contract never heard as well, good.
3 = can you give a rough breakdown of your shift such as …
work 1 hour
drive 3 hours
work 1 hour
break 20 mins
etc etc
Hi ROG, I always read your answers on other topics, very helpful
I don’t have with me now the printout but was more or less this:
6am 60 mins hammers
7am 2 hours driving + unloading of 20 minutes
9.20 am 17 minutes break
9.37 90 minutes driving + 13-15 minutes unloading circa
11.20 25 minutes break (I wrote on the printout that I had calculated badly with my watch, 25 instead of 30)
so, from 11.45 onward I did another hour driving and 10-15 minutes unloading
at 13 circa (after the unloading) I was driving 2 hours and making 2 close deliveries, I have taken my 45 minutes at around 3.15 pm and drove back to the depot for circa 2 hours where I arrived and unloaded the truck finishing around 6 pm. so 12 hours shift.
is it true we need to bring with us, on the truck, the employment contract? (he said in case of an accident, for example).
No that’s total bullcrap.
I have done lots of mistakes with the tacho, thi is because the employer has no knowledge at all of the rules and his instructions on how using the tacho were “press 1 to drive and press 2 when on break” (yes guys, I can imagine your faces right now…): my main mistake is that every morning I start I do not add any new entry (I mean, what I have done between last time I have finished the previous shift and now that I am inserting the card). Is this a big issue for the VOSA?
Tomorrow I will do in the correct way… is there a chance I can correct previous shifts?
Sorry mate but it’s your job to learn how to operate a tachograph before you start work, your boss may be partly to blame but so are you.
Although you’re supposed to manually enter any work that’s not automatically recorded on the tachograph plenty of drivers don’t
You cannot correct previous tachograph entries except by doing printouts and writing on them, whether or not it’s worth it depends on what you have failed to record, not everyone needs to do manual entries.
However… my biggest mistake on the tacho has been delaying a break (too ashamed to let you know how much delay…) because my employer was asking me to deliver before 5pm to two customers. I had a break of 25 minutes only and before coming at the depot I have got a 45 minutes but the shift was 12 hours long… is VOSA killing me? Is it true I have to wait 28 days before that stupid thing I have done (not telling the boss I had to take a break so, sorry, no time to deliver before 5pm) will vanish?
I can’t say for certain but from what you’ve since posted it looks like you probably went over your driving time by not much more than about 15 or so minutes, as a new driver you should be given some leeway on this so don’t worry about it.
But in future you do need to be more careful
By the way, you don’t use a watch to track your break times on a digital tachograph, it’s shown on the display.
Could you recommend any NOT expensive sat-nav for trucks? my car sat nav send me in some shortcuts that are quite difficult to manage. I have seen few online, but would read your comments.
I can’t help with that one I’m afraid.
Mac74:
2) I have done lots of mistakes with the tacho, thi is because the employer has no knowledge at all of the rules and his instructions on how using the tacho were “press 1 to drive and press 2 when on break” (yes guys, I can imagine your faces right now…): my main mistake is that every morning I start I do not add any new entry (I mean, what I have done between last time I have finished the previous shift and now that I am inserting the card). Is this a big issue for the VOSA?
Tomorrow I will do in the correct way… is there a chance I can correct previous shifts?
Sorry mate but it’s your job to learn how to operate a tachograph before you start work, your boss may be partly to blame but so are you.
Although you’re supposed to manually enter any work that’s not automatically recorded on the tachograph plenty of drivers don’t
You cannot correct previous tachograph entries except by doing printouts and writing on them, whether or not it’s worth it depends on what you have failed to record, not everyone needs to do manual entries.
However… my biggest mistake on the tacho has been delaying a break (too ashamed to let you know how much delay…) because my employer was asking me to deliver before 5pm to two customers. I had a break of 25 minutes only and before coming at the depot I have got a 45 minutes but the shift was 12 hours long… is VOSA killing me? Is it true I have to wait 28 days before that stupid thing I have done (not telling the boss I had to take a break so, sorry, no time to deliver before 5pm) will vanish?
I can’t say for certain but from what you’ve since posted it looks like you probably went over your driving time by not much more than about 15 or so minutes, as a new driver you should be given some leeway on this so don’t worry about it.
But in future you do need to be more careful
By the way, you don’t use a watch to track your break times on a digital tachograph, it’s shown on the display.
yes, I had a general idea on how to operate the tacho, that’s why the answer from my employer I understood straight away was ridiculous, but about the morning additional entry I did not know too much. So I have now downloaded a manual for a generic tacho that I have found online and so I can better manage it. Unfortunately does not explain ALL the displays, and this is when the other driver taught me: how to check how long is the break you are taking. I also found couple of decent youtube videos explaining how to check the 15,30,45 minutes break.
by the way, tachograph, is it true that after 28 days this mistakes are no more trackable on the digicard?
tachograph:
On a VDO tachograph when the vehicle is stationary press OK and the following screen will be displayed.
Top left is the accumulated driving time since the last 45 minute break.
Bottom left is the accumulated driving time in the 2 week period.
Bottom right is the length of the current break.
Top right shows the accumulated break since the last 45 minute break.
yes, this is the display that I have been taught from the other driver and youtube, unfortunately on the manul I have found online did not explain this part.
Mac74:
by the way, tachograph, is it true that after 28 days this mistakes are no more trackable on the digicard?
PS
many thanks
No the data on your card is not overwritten after 28 days. The card only has to legally hold the information for the last 28 days.
However the card will hold a heck of a lot more. Months even a year or more is possible to still be on the card. I would be able to go back months on my card to do a printout from anytime within a decent time frame. Although I did have a replacement card as mine was faulty and can’t remember how long I’ve had this card. My previous card had more than 12 months data on it.
Evil8Beezle:
They’ve nailed it with this CPC malarkey!
Sorry Mac I shouldn’t laugh, but at least you’ve come here and are asking the questions, so that’s a step forward!
You’ll get there pal, just keep asking questions…
the fact is, from a questionnaire to the reality check, the difference is so big I cannot believe it: my employer asked me to come to have a chat, and after 20 minutes he sent me with another guy of the warehouse (not a driver) to do 4 hours delivering and asked me to start the morning after at 5 am, so no time to be prepared for anything, and I was so eager to start this new career that I started saying yes to almost every request (not all, anyway).
the employer has already 2 drivers, but the chances to speak to them are zero because we have different starting and finishing times.
the employer ask me to load the 7.5 tons and set off… no bloody vehicle check (that I quickly do anyway), no bloody time to check the best route where to go, no time for seating and asking things in the right way… indeed I am in talk with an haulage company nearby that pays less weekly but gave me a better feeling for my role as a driver.
But this has been the opportunity to start a job and get experience to learn things and payment is decent (every week I am on £ 550 gross more or less). now I cannot rick my license.
Mac74:
by the way, tachograph, is it true that after 28 days this mistakes are no more trackable on the digicard?
PS
many thanks
No the data on your card is not overwritten after 28 days. The card only has to legally hold the information for the last 28 days.
However the card will hold a heck of a lot more. Months even a year or more is possible to still be on the card. I would be able to go back months on my card to do a printout from anytime within a decent time frame. Although I did have a replacement card as mine was faulty and can’t remember how long I’ve had this card. My previous card had more than 12 months data on it.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
ok, pfffffffff, I just have decent explanations anyway, but really not happy of the mistakes. in few minutes I will be a better driver, inputting the additional entry, at least!
Mac74:
I don’t have with me now the printout but was more or less this:
6am 60 mins hammers
7am 2 hours driving + unloading of 20 minutes
9.20 am 17 minutes break
9.37 90 minutes driving + 13-15 minutes unloading circa
11.20 25 minutes break (I wrote on the printout that I had calculated badly with my watch, 25 instead of 30)
so, from 11.45 onward I did another hour driving and 10-15 minutes unloading
at 13 circa (after the unloading) I was driving 2 hours and making 2 close deliveries, I have taken my 45 minutes at around 3.15 pm and drove back to the depot for circa 2 hours where I arrived and unloaded the truck finishing around 6 pm. so 12 hours shift.
WTD breaks ok
Driving time breaks short by 5 mins at 11.20 but you know about that
Mac74:
I have now downloaded a manual for a generic tacho that I have found online and so I can better manage it.
If you tell us how old the vehicle is we may be able to tell which model it is and post a link to the correct instruction manual and some videos.
Even though it appears to be a VDO tachograph they’ve changed a bit over the years so there’s no point in just posting links to the wrong tachograph that could make things more confusing for you.
As has been said your driver card will hold several months of data but generally the DVSA won’t bother about anything that’s more than 28 days old.
By the way, some time after your card is downloaded you’ll get an infringement for insufficient break in the driving time, just sign it learn from it and move on, it’s not a big deal.
Am I the only one who thinks tacho tranong should be part of the actual truck training and test?? I was shown nothing and the last few places I worked knew nothing it was only when I got to samworths I was trained and taught properly
