Maybe its just me, but if its about the money lost due to the wheels not turning, why not charge the RDC’s for exsessive waiting and loss of earnings. Oh thats right, its just so much easier to make the driver suffer for the inadequacies of the RDC’s.
damoq:
Maybe its just me, but if its about the money lost due to the wheels not turning, why not charge the RDC’s for exsessive waiting and loss of earnings. Oh thats right, its just so much easier to make the driver suffer for the inadequacies of the RDC’s.
This. If I’m held up by a customer, why should I tear about making the time up and lose my rest time to correct someone elses’ ■■■■-up.
shep532:
…we pay drivers for their breaks and we are quite within our rights to tell them when and where they will take those breaks as long as that is within the law and relevant rules.
You’re spot on, give them the option to take them when and where they like and dock the break off them. See how many want to go down that route !!
dar1976:
pierrot 14:
Post a link to this rubbish,
I’m currently on holiday at home and I need some alternative kind of entertainment
Thanks for that - lets get ready tooooooooo chuckle
shep532:
Muckaway:
Have I read it wrong, or are you telling your drivers when to take their breaks?At the company I am talking about (obviously not the one that is the subject of the facebook nonesense) we pay drivers for their breaks and we are quite within our rights to tell them when and where they will take those breaks as long as that is within the law and relevant rules. this is no different than telling a warehouse worker when his breaks will be.
However - that is not what we are telling drivers. We are asking for their co-operation to save time (therefore money) where possible. A driver leaving tesco after a 2 hour sit in the waiting room (other crappy RDCs are available) and stopping later on for a 20 minute bite to eat etc is not a problem and completely understandable. Stopping for an hour (or more) … well kind of annoys, especially when you also see period
s of POA recorded and tracker records show the vehicle to be in a layby, services etc. it is nothing more than diddling the company and stretching out the day to get a 15 in and probably a night out. Sometimes - well you just gotta stop. Falling asleep, toiletry issues etc etc. Fair enough and not a problem. the company are employers - not slave driversUnfortunately there are a few causing the problems. The militant “You can’t have a break on a bay” “VOSA arrest you for taking a break at tesco” - heard it all. Fact is that a break may be recorded when sitting in the waiting room at these RDCs and if it is company policy to do so - then they must do so.
Muckaway:
shep532:
I’ve had the “I had to put it on POA because they were unloading the vehicle” He was just sitting in the cab at the time.Apart from the “I had to put it on POA” part (you don’t have to book POA at all) what’s the problem? “Just sitting in the cab” is a legit POA.
I was just highlighting the total lack of understanding of the rules - or total attempt to [zb] their way out of the hole they were digging themselves. Some ares tupid enough to tell other drivers their little secrets about where you can hang the job out, where you can say you had to help tip etc etc … then that other driver passes on the information because they realise these people are just spoiling it for the rest.
The procedure at most rdcs is back onto the bay,lock your cab walk to the booking in office,book in your paperwork,hand in your keys iff while you are doing this your tachometer is on break you are falsifying your records as u are not on a break till u have done this,& cos u they have got your keys you can’t change modes,that’s my excuse for not having a break on a bay.
revman:
shep532:
Muckaway:
Have I read it wrong, or are you telling your drivers when to take their breaks?At the company I am talking about (obviously not the one that is the subject of the facebook nonesense) we pay drivers for their breaks and we are quite within our rights to tell them when and where they will take those breaks as long as that is within the law and relevant rules. this is no different than telling a warehouse worker when his breaks will be.
However - that is not what we are telling drivers. We are asking for their co-operation to save time (therefore money) where possible. A driver leaving tesco after a 2 hour sit in the waiting room (other crappy RDCs are available) and stopping later on for a 20 minute bite to eat etc is not a problem and completely understandable. Stopping for an hour (or more) … well kind of annoys, especially when you also see period
s of POA recorded and tracker records show the vehicle to be in a layby, services etc. it is nothing more than diddling the company and stretching out the day to get a 15 in and probably a night out. Sometimes - well you just gotta stop. Falling asleep, toiletry issues etc etc. Fair enough and not a problem. the company are employers - not slave driversUnfortunately there are a few causing the problems. The militant “You can’t have a break on a bay” “VOSA arrest you for taking a break at tesco” - heard it all. Fact is that a break may be recorded when sitting in the waiting room at these RDCs and if it is company policy to do so - then they must do so.
Muckaway:
shep532:
I’ve had the “I had to put it on POA because they were unloading the vehicle” He was just sitting in the cab at the time.Apart from the “I had to put it on POA” part (you don’t have to book POA at all) what’s the problem? “Just sitting in the cab” is a legit POA.
I was just highlighting the total lack of understanding of the rules - or total attempt to [zb] their way out of the hole they were digging themselves. Some ares tupid enough to tell other drivers their little secrets about where you can hang the job out, where you can say you had to help tip etc etc … then that other driver passes on the information because they realise these people are just spoiling it for the rest.
The procedure at most rdcs is back onto the bay,lock your cab walk to the booking in office,book in your paperwork,hand in your keys iff while you are doing this your tachometer is on break you are falsifying your records as u are not on a break till u have done this,& cos u they have got your keys you can’t change modes,that’s my excuse for not having a break on a bay.
In what way during that process are you driving though? Unless you hand your paperwork and keys in a la Arnie in the first Terminator.
Own Account Driver:
revman:
shep532:
Muckaway:
Have I read it wrong, or are you telling your drivers when to take their breaks?At the company I am talking about (obviously not the one that is the subject of the facebook nonesense) we pay drivers for their breaks and we are quite within our rights to tell them when and where they will take those breaks as long as that is within the law and relevant rules. this is no different than telling a warehouse worker when his breaks will be.
However - that is not what we are telling drivers. We are asking for their co-operation to save time (therefore money) where possible. A driver leaving tesco after a 2 hour sit in the waiting room (other crappy RDCs are available) and stopping later on for a 20 minute bite to eat etc is not a problem and completely understandable. Stopping for an hour (or more) … well kind of annoys, especially when you also see period
s of POA recorded and tracker records show the vehicle to be in a layby, services etc. it is nothing more than diddling the company and stretching out the day to get a 15 in and probably a night out. Sometimes - well you just gotta stop. Falling asleep, toiletry issues etc etc. Fair enough and not a problem. the company are employers - not slave driversUnfortunately there are a few causing the problems. The militant “You can’t have a break on a bay” “VOSA arrest you for taking a break at tesco” - heard it all. Fact is that a break may be recorded when sitting in the waiting room at these RDCs and if it is company policy to do so - then they must do so.
Muckaway:
shep532:
I’ve had the “I had to put it on POA because they were unloading the vehicle” He was just sitting in the cab at the time.Apart from the “I had to put it on POA” part (you don’t have to book POA at all) what’s the problem? “Just sitting in the cab” is a legit POA.
I was just highlighting the total lack of understanding of the rules - or total attempt to [zb] their way out of the hole they were digging themselves. Some ares tupid enough to tell other drivers their little secrets about where you can hang the job out, where you can say you had to help tip etc etc … then that other driver passes on the information because they realise these people are just spoiling it for the rest.
The procedure at most rdcs is back onto the bay,lock your cab walk to the booking in office,book in your paperwork,hand in your keys iff while you are doing this your tachometer is on break you are falsifying your records as u are not on a break till u have done this,& cos u they have got your keys you can’t change modes,that’s my excuse for not having a break on a bay.
In what way during that process are you driving though? Unless you hand your paperwork and keys in a la Arnie in the first Terminator.
He is not saying he is driving. Just that he cannot set the tacho to other work with the keys out of the ignition.
There is a whole world of difference between nice easy 8/9/10 hr days with dictated breaks at RDCs and what so many are scheduled to do. A week of 3 x 15hr spreads and 2/3 x 13hrs taking maximum benefit of POA and break time, all with a nice selection of start times between midnight and 5 am. Allied to that will be the two hour wait at 2am because there isn’t a vehicle available or the load isn’t ready, when it would have been so nice just to have had that extra hour in bed. Many days there will be JUST enough time to make the booking time if you don’t stop for a pee. Then it will be on to the next booking time 1 hr and 40 miles from the first one; except this one is unload yourself and re-stack the counts so that the supermarket doesn’t have to employ enough people to do the job. But hurry up with that pallet truck because that collection you’ve go to do is booked in for ■■ pm which is a 3 hr drive in the early hours and a 4hr one in the afternoon.
Paid break or not, I’ll decide if I’m having one whole 45 minutes in one go and not 15 on the bay here and 30 on the bay somewhere else, thank you very much.
Edit to add: revman is quite right you can’t be on break until you have ceased working activities.
.
damoq:
I’d be up in arms too. I would gladly take a break while on a bay being tipped so long as I could sit in my cab. My food, flask and comforts etc are all in there for me. But sat in an RDC waiting room, no chance will I put the tacho on break.
+1^^^^
screw Tesco, sometimes takes 4 hours+ to tip with no access to the cab, always pull out & have an hour to myself(paid by the hour you see), never been asked again by the employer after my first response for them to sort it out amongst themselves with tesco, most other places tip you quick or let you sit in your cab so no problems!
Handing in the real keys is a big schoolboy error, i have valuable things in my cab that i don’t want anybody accessing so i aint giving my keys to some tesco pen pushing ■■■■■■ to do as they please with them…
limeyphil wrote:
a proper driver would have a break whilst driving.
absolutely brilliant… 
I’d be up in arms too. I would gladly take a break while on a bay being tipped so long as I could sit in my cab. My food, flask and comforts etc are all in there for me. But sat in an RDC waiting room, no chance will I put the tacho on break.
+1, unless it is to suit myself.
i get stopped 45mins pay for my break…so its mine to take as and when i want!!
usually hand in my own car key, not the truck key.
shep532:
This is a subject that is currently causing problems at a company I work for. Some drivers are up in arms because I have issued a memo to tell them that breaks will be recorded whilst vehicles are tipped (as long as they aren’t involved in the work etc).The principal problem appears to be at Tesco DCs where drivers are convinced because they are told to wait in a room they are not “free to dispose of their time” etc. There are other places where drivers tell us they have to tip the vehicle, but the customer tells us they just sit in their cabs or the canteen. I have even had the “It’s illegal to have a break where there isn’t a hot meal available” etc etc I’ve had the “I had to put it on POA because they were unloading the vehicle” He was just sitting in the cab at the time.
Anyway - One of the drivers is booked onto a Driver CPC course I am running which just happens to be covering EU Regs and it seems he is looking forward to having a discussion about the break issues as well as other things that the company is wrong about.
I find it very amusing to see the way some drivers have interpreted and embellished the rules and I am sure some are convinced the EU would actually write things such as
To record a break the driver must;
- Have access to hot water in sufficient quantity to fill an average flask
- Have access to warm food (must be at least 2 vegetarian options)
- Not be within 2.7 metres of the vehicle steering wheel
- Not be spoken to, looked at or even mentioned in a conversation or he will need to restart the full break
- Ensure noise levels are kept below 2.3 decibels otherwise POA must be recorded
- Ensure a break is not interrupted at any point. If a break is interrupted the driver must take a DOUBLE back to back break
etc etc
I have heard 4. quoted on a few occasions, along with the old classic “you can’t take your break in the driving seat”.
To record a break the driver must;
- Have access to hot water in sufficient quantity to fill an average flask
- Have access to warm food (must be at least 2 vegetarian options)
- Not be within 2.7 metres of the vehicle steering wheel
- Not be spoken to, looked at or even mentioned in a conversation or he will need to restart the full break
- Ensure noise levels are kept below 2.3 decibels otherwise POA must be recorded
- Ensure a break is not interrupted at any point. If a break is interrupted the driver must take a DOUBLE back to back break
just crayzy Brussel burokrat can make this rules.
1why to any drivers need hot water every time.■■?
2.why need warm food ,if to many drivers have food from home or some drivers don t believe to canteen food quality.muslim…
3.what problem if drivers seat in cab.some time it is better relax for Canteen or M donald4
4.why drivers can t speak play or…it is drivers break
5.if i go to M donald ,there music and bla,bla.
IF FOLLOW YOU RULES EVERY SECOND DRIVERS MUST SENT TO PRISON,BECAUSE DRIVERS WAS NOT TAKED CORRECT BREAK LAST COUPLE YEARS
shep532:
Fact is that a break may be recorded when sitting in the waiting room at these RDCs and if it is company policy to do so - then they must do so.
shep532:
A driver leaving tesco after a 2 hour sit in the waiting room (other crappy RDCs are available) and stopping later on for a 20 minute bite to eat etc is not a problem and completely understandable. Stopping for an hour (or more) … well kind of annoys,
Whilst it is LEGAL for a driver to take his/her break at a RDC, it could be argued that it COULD be ILLEGAL for a company to “force” their drivers to take their break at a RDC, given that :-
A break is any period during which a driver may not carry out any driving or any other work and which is used exclusively for recuperation. A break may be taken in a moving vehicle, provided no other work is undertaken.
RDC waiting rooms are NOT imho conducive to “recuperating”. Sometimes you come out of a RDC feeling MORE tired/stressed than when you went in.
The LAW states that a driver MUST have 45mins “break” (before 4.5 hrs driving)
I like to spend MY time “recuperating” by lying on the bunk, meditating for 45 mins.
shep532:
this is no different than telling a warehouse worker when his breaks will be.
Warehouse workers at our place have access to a “quiet” room were they can go if they so wish.
As previously stated, I DO record “break” whilst being tipped (when possible/or if it suits my needs).
Luckily/thankfully, I work for a company that ALLOWS us an hour to “recuperate”, so will stop if/when I feel the need to “recuperate” (and we get paid for our breaks).
Have you lot broken the Facebook page? I could see it earlier, now it’s ‘unavailable’ 
made me laff
“Graham Sharp he could have had his 45min break in the passinger seat, but he did not say where he was at the time, most rdc’s you have to lock your cab and hand the key’s in and not to go back to your cab till you are tipped. h&s… I stayed on the bay at iceland rdc at milton keynes for 9 hrs one night, coz i told the good’s in. i have got 2 and a half hrs left(got there 1 hr before booking time) half an hour before my time was up, they put me on a bay took 1 pallet off, no movement for 2 hrs, ENGLAND was playing. when i pulled the curtain’s round thay said move or thay will call the police, i said go on then. police come, marked my wheel’s. dont move for 9 hrs. the bay i was on, the bay to my left and right could not be used all night and thay had to get me a cooked meal. did not happen again when i went there two weeks later pulled me round everyone. so who was right■■?”
walterfirelake:
I can’t believe you guys/girls doing rdc’s actually hand in your genuine keys, thats absurd, I have delivered to some where you hand in your keys but are allowed to sit in your cab, no keys can equal no radio, no phone,not being able to contact depot, the jumped up snots that make you sit in there cesspit rest rooms are way out of order, like someone said all their needs are in there cab, including food and drink which you have a legal right to, cant be compelled to eat/drink their foul offerings, any how if you do keep a set of keys for these h&s nazis dont forget to collect them, bit of a giveaway if you don’t.never ever booked poa btw, you are either working or not working and there is only one mode for not working, aint anything your employer or vosa can do about it, on a tangent here I know , never done a 15 hour day or 14 or 13 haven’t yet come face to face with anyone telling me to do so, their expression afterwards would’nt be the same prior to such a demand,I have be told that plannig a 15 hour day from the outset is illegal, its there to accomadate the unforseen, can anyone comment on that?
I have always found the radio works even without keys, it normally lasts for an hour, if you need to use the phone, ask them at the desk, when they tell you that mobiles are not allowed, tell them it is an emergency 
I am not aware of any laws that say you must carry food and drink.
There are certainly no laws about not planning a reduced break
Always stick it on break when im loading, then have my sandwich and ■■■ whilst driving to the next drop.