Tacho zero-ing my break

[indigojo]

Hi guys,

Yesterday I had a run to do from west London to Hailsham in East Sussex. I started at 12:30 having been working since 7:30am, so I knew I was due for my half-hour working hours’ break even though not my 45 min break (as I’d only driven a short distance but had been helping with a long offload, in the hot sun). So I stopped at Cobham services for 45 minutes.

When I got back, I discovered that the tacho had been recording work. I realised that this must be one of the tachos which zeroes your break if you turn the key. Usually it’s when you turn it to position 2, but I tried it again and it set it back to ‘work’ when I turned it to position 2 and back off again. I sat there another 45 minutes. When I explained the situation, the boss was furious. (I then got stuck for four hours on the M25 because of the junction 8 crash and had to abandon the run.)

I told my agency and explained that this was a problem I’d seen before on DAF trucks from around 2007 and I suspect the regular driver knew about the issue, but I hadn’t been told about it. The tractor was a 58-plate Axor. He said I should have gone on and recorded in a note on the back of the tacho printout what had happened. But if I’d gone on I’d have been recorded as being in breach of the WT rules if I’d been stopped.

The boss (and my agency) know about the problem now but I won’t be back at that company. But what should I do if I encounter this problem and find my break hasn’t been recorded?

[conan_the_librarian]

Simply do a printout, write on it what happened and sign it. Do 2 copies, keep one on you for 28 days, hand the other in with your time sheet. These things happen, and won’t be an issue if you’re stopped (unless it’s a regular occurrence).

Just put it down to experience.

[the_maoster]

do as you did mate and take a proper 45 again. You could probably get away with doing a printout explaining what happened and then crack on, but why give the powers to be any extra ammunition?

[f-reds]

I’m not surprised he was furious. Yes it was only a mistake on your part. But it was a mistake on your part. It’s hardly an unheard of foible is it? Take a double print out and write on the back, don’t waste 45 minutes of anyone’s time by doing it over again, and not expect to get moaned at.

Chalk it up to experience…

[eddie_snax]

F-reds:
I’m not surprised he was furious. Yes it was only a mistake on your part. But it was a mistake on your part. It’s hardly an unheard of foible is it? Take a double print out and write on the back, don’t waste 45 minutes of anyone’s time by doing it over again, and not expect to get moaned at.

Chalk it up to experience…

+1

IndigoJo:
. When I explained the situation, the boss was furious. (I then got stuck for four hours on the M25 because of the junction 8 crash and had to abandon the run.)

I’m not surprised he was furious

IndigoJo:
I told my agency and explained that this was a problem I’d seen before on DAF trucks from around 2007 and I suspect the regular driver knew about the issue, but I hadn’t been told about it. The tractor was a 58-plate Axor. .

You admit to having come across this problem before elsewhere, You should have been on the lookout, strange truck to you, off a similar age to trucks where this issue has been encountered before

[looooo]

The tacho is only a means of recording your activities, not an authority to answer to. In that situation a printout with an explanation written on it is all you need.
If you get stopped you can show your print out which adequately explains the discrepancy.

[rog]

IndigoJo:
I knew I was due for my half-hour working hours’ break

Do you mean 15 mins working time break

[shep532]

I’ve written about 4 different replies to the original post and then cancelled them because everything I write comes across as condescending. These sort of posts frustrate the hell outta me.

There’s loads of great advice on this very forum and of course the OP must have done some DCPC courses by now so why doesn’t he know the very basic of basic things. And then he wonders why the boss was annoyed. If I was the boss his wages would certainly be a little light - I’d be having the wasted time back.

As the industry fills up with these kind of drivers it becomes more and more doomed.

[f-reds]

shep532:
I’ve written about 4 different replies to the original post and then cancelled them because everything I write comes across as condescending. These sort of posts frustrate the hell outta me.

There’s loads of great advice on this very forum and of course the OP must have done some DCPC courses by now so why doesn’t he know the very basic of basic things. And then he wonders why the boss was annoyed. If I was the boss his wages would certainly be a little light - I’d be having the wasted time back.

As the industry fills up with these kind of drivers it becomes more and more doomed.

+10000000

[dozy]

Conan the Librarian:
Simply do a printout, write on it what happened and sign it. Do 2 copies, keep one on you for 28 days, hand the other in with your time sheet. These things happen, and won’t be an issue if you’re stopped (unless it’s a regular occurrence).

Just put it down to experience.

+1

[olog_hai]

It’s hardly surprising the boss was ■■■■■■ off if you sat there for 90 minutes when you could have just done a printout. More so if it contributed to a job not getting done. It sounds odd to me that you didn’t notice the problem with the tacho until the first 45 minutes were up. Rightly or wrongly, the boss while have assumed you were deliberately hanging it out, and that is why you’re not welcome there any more.

[waynedl]

the maoster:
do as you did mate and take a proper 45 again. You could probably get away with doing a printout explaining what happened and then crack on, but why give the powers to be any extra ammunition?

Are you ■■■■■■■■ me?

He’s took his break, why sit there for another 45 mins because of a ‘clerical error’■■

F-reds:

shep532:
I’ve written about 4 different replies to the original post and then cancelled them because everything I write comes across as condescending. These sort of posts frustrate the hell outta me.

There’s loads of great advice on this very forum and of course the OP must have done some DCPC courses by now so why doesn’t he know the very basic of basic things. And then he wonders why the boss was annoyed. If I was the boss his wages would certainly be a little light - I’d be having the wasted time back.

As the industry fills up with these kind of drivers it becomes more and more doomed.

+10000000

And again, but not a ‘little light’, to be honest he’d be lucky to get any pay. Ok, I know that ■■■■■ happens, but he sat for 90 mins approx 3hrs into his duty, then got stuck in an accident and the job had to be cancelled. Waste of time, waste of fuel.

He could’ve had a 15 min break - ok, up to him what break he had, but he did NOT require to sit there for 90 mins, and this caused major issues down the line, because of HIS incompetence.

I’ll have any deducted breaks as and when I want, if a company docks me 45, I’ll have them when I want - and make sure I stay legal - but this guy has took the ■■■■, and then has the cheek to come on here whinging because the boss was mad…

I’ve left my card in over night, over weekends, on other work when I was on a break etc. Print out, sign, crack on, the break has been taken, regardless of what a machine thinks. I couldn’t imagine going in to work, finding I’d left my card in over the weekend, phoning the boss and saying “sorry boss, left my card in over weekend, so I’m off for another 45hrs now…”

[looooo]

waynedl:
I couldn’t imagine going in to work, finding I’d left my card in over the weekend, phoning the boss and saying “sorry boss, left my card in over weekend, so I’m off for another 45hrs now…”

Or “Sorry boss, computer says no”

[mrginge]

I blame people on this forum scaring new people into thinking the dvsa will fine and give you points for everything.

[night-and-day]

Think your boss would of seen it as seriously hanging the job out and a poor excuse to try and cover it. 15 mins break would of been enough after you realised the break hadn’t been recorded

[f-reds]

Night-and-day:
Think your boss would of seen it as seriously hanging the job out and a poor excuse to try and cover it. 15 mins break would of been enough after you realised the break hadn’t been recorded

Why 15 minutes? Still a waste of time, and if you’re on about keeping his card clean he still would needed another 30 minutes later when he got to 4.5 hours driving. Hence still hanging the arse out of the job! Alright he might have missed the traffic, but it’s still daft.

Print out and crack on. And don’t be afraid of the Boogeyman…

[night-and-day]

F-reds:

Night-and-day:
Think your boss would of seen it as seriously hanging the job out and a poor excuse to try and cover it. 15 mins break would of been enough after you realised the break hadn’t been recorded

Why 15 minutes? Still a waste of time, and if you’re on about keeping his card clean he still would needed another 30 minutes later when he got to 4.5 hours driving. Hence still hanging the arse out of the job! Alright he might have missed the traffic, but it’s still daft.

Print out and crack on. And don’t be afraid of the Boogeyman…

Yep I know it would of been a waste of time but I meant if he was that bothered a 15 min would of done. Like he said he hadn’t done much driving so I’m presuming he had enough to get to Hailsham then a 30 min break down there would of done it, no hanging out of the job

[wirksworth_rod]

shep532:
I’ve written about 4 different replies to the original post and then cancelled them because everything I write comes across as condescending. These sort of posts frustrate the hell outta me.

There’s loads of great advice on this very forum and of course the OP must have done some DCPC courses by now so why doesn’t he know the very basic of basic things. And then he wonders why the boss was annoyed. If I was the boss his wages would certainly be a little light - I’d be having the wasted time back.

As the industry fills up with these kind of drivers it becomes more and more doomed.

spot foookin on shep next week he will be on here asking for advice newbie school boy mistake

[wildfire]

I have read this and still can’t get my head around it!!
you for one didn’t require a break for wtd for another hour, then you could of taken 15 mins to comply.
another hours worth of driving from Cobham would of got you halfway down the A22 to Hailsham, thus avoiding getting caught in the accident on the 25.
As others have said 2 printouts explaining what went wrong would of been all you needed and you could of cracked on, to be honest dvsa don’t even issue fines for wtd infringements as long as your driving breaks were in order that’s all they are worried about.
I am not surprised the company you were working for are ■■■■■■ off, you basically completely wasted yours and their time for the day, at the very least you would be lucky for the company to pay the agency for your what I can only describe as your incompetence.

[roymondo]

waynedl:
Ok, I know that [zb] happens, but he sat for 90 mins approx 3hrs into his duty, then got stuck in an accident and the job had to be cancelled. Waste of time, waste of fuel.

Comprehension (or mathematics) skills appear to be a bit lacking here. 0730 until some time after 1230 is at least 5 hours “duty” time…