On Friday, at the beginning of my shift I drove for 15 mins then went on POA for 2 hours (waiting for a load). This consequently cleared the 15 mins driving time on the tacho display. During the course of the day, I then drove for nearly 4 hours 30 mins before stopping for a break.
Problem is, on my printout, I’d clocked up just over 4 hours 30 mins because the display wasn’t taking into account the first 15 mins before I went on POA.
As POA is neither other work or a break, presumably this is an infringement?
If it is, you’d think that the tacho manufacturuers (Siemens in this case) would have built in the facility to ignore POA in terms accruing of driving time.
MAT:
On Friday, at the beginning of my shift I drove for 15 mins then went on POA for 2 hours (waiting for a load). This consequently cleared the 15 mins driving time on the tacho display. During the course of the day, I then drove for nearly 4 hours 30 mins before stopping for a break.
Problem is, on my printout, I’d clocked up just over 4 hours 30 mins because the display wasn’t taking into account the first 15 mins before I went on POA.
As POA is neither other work or a break, presumably this is an infringement?
If it is, you’d think that the tacho manufacturuers (Siemens in this case) would have built in the facility to ignore POA in terms accruing of driving time.
This has been discussed a few times MAT, the digital tachograph recognises POA as break and resets the driving time after 45 minutes of POA.
Legally of course the first 15 minutes driving you did will count as driving time for the same driving period as the nearly 4.5 hours, so yes I’m afraid it is an offence.
So if the reason for the over run was delay on a motorway due to a RTA, and this was entered and signed for on the back of the print out. Would this cut me some slack if I get pulled in the next month?
MAT:
So if the reason for the over run was delay on a motorway due to a RTA, and this was entered and signed for on the back of the print out. Would this cut me some slack if I get pulled in the next month?
Depends, even if your help up on a motorway and are forced to run over your driving time, you’re only allowed to run to the next suitable parking place where you’re expected to have the required break
Which is what I did. In fact I thought that I was within the 4 1/2 hrs (just) as I pulled into the services and if it weren’t for the delay I would have been, even with the 15 mins I’d not taken into account pre POA.
Don’t use POA, if you had stuck it on break for those two hours you would have avoided the situation. Also if the delay had been an hour longer it would have left you free to take a 9 hour rest that night without it counting as a reduction. That can often be handy.
Many good reasons to use break, none for using POA.