Is there a minimum time that has to elapse between breaks?
For example start a break at 1130, finish at 1145, work for 5 minutes, then have another 15 minute break (shift starts at 0730, so hasn’t worked 6 hours at this point). This is mainly for WTD, I know breaks need to split your working day and cant be taken at the beginning or end of the shift. One of the drivers said it had to be an hour, which I don’t believe is correct.
dhandes:
Is there a minimum time that has to elapse between breaks?
For example start a break at 1130, finish at 1145, work for 5 minutes, then have another 15 minute break (shift starts at 0730, so hasn’t worked 6 hours at this point). This is mainly for WTD, I know breaks need to split your working day and cant be taken at the beginning or end of the shift. One of the drivers said it had to be an hour, which I don’t believe is correct.
No minimum time between breaks but for WTD there must not be more than 6 hours working time at any point in the shift between breaks
Do not be too concerned with WTD because the authorities are not - some companies may be but any internal WTD infringements stay with that company and do not get ‘passed on’
dhandes:
Is there a minimum time that has to elapse between breaks?
For example start a break at 1130, finish at 1145, work for 5 minutes, then have another 15 minute break (shift starts at 0730, so hasn’t worked 6 hours at this point). This is mainly for WTD, I know breaks need to split your working day and cant be taken at the beginning or end of the shift. One of the drivers said it had to be an hour, which I don’t believe is correct.
Apart from the start and end of the shift as you’ve mentioned, legally you can have your breaks whenever you choose as long as you don’t at any time in the shift go over 6 hours working time without a break of at-least 15 minutes.
There is no minimum time between breaks that’s required, that applies to both the tachograph breaks and the WTD breaks.
For instance you could work 6 hours then have a 15 minute break do one minutes work then have another 15 minute break, the new 6 hour period would start at the end of the second 15 minute break.
If you drive for 1 hour then have a 15 minute break then work or drive for one minute before having a 30 minute break your 4.5 hour driving period would be reset after the 30 minute break.
ROG:
Do not be too concerned with WTD because the authorities are not - some companies may be but any internal WTD infringements stay with that company and do not get ‘passed on’
If there’s an offence showing on your driver card it will show regardless of what company download the card data.
Even if you work for a company that doesn’t bother about the WTD and you get numerous WTD infringements they will show if you go for another job and your card is downloaded, you could fail to get a job because of it, and if you’re an agency driver going to a new place you could find that you’re not asked to work for the company again after they see numerous WTD infringements on your card.
Thankyou. Slightly worrying that ‘experienced’ drivers don’t really understand the rules and then wonder why they get infringements.
tachograph:
Even if you work for a company that doesn’t bother about the WTD and you get numerous WTD infringements they will show if you go for another job and your card is downloaded, you could fail to get a job because of it, and if you’re an agency driver going to a new place you could find that you’re not asked to work for the company again after they see numerous WTD infringements on your card.
Be interested if that has ever been a consideration …
ROG:
tachograph:
Even if you work for a company that doesn’t bother about the WTD and you get numerous WTD infringements they will show if you go for another job and your card is downloaded, you could fail to get a job because of it, and if you’re an agency driver going to a new place you could find that you’re not asked to work for the company again after they see numerous WTD infringements on your card.Be interested if that has ever been a consideration …
It not only has been a consideration it often is, plenty of companies will make even their own drivers do more training or a driver assessment if they get too many infringements over a short period (usually 3 or 4 months).
Another quick question.
We work 7.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. And every other Saturday 7.30am to 1pm.
The first week, where we dont do Saturdays, we have a weekly rest of 62.5 hours, Needs to be 45), the week with a Saturday the rest is reduced to 42.5 (can be reduced to 24), because we work every other week, the deficit from the reduction is paid back. The problem is if a driver is off, the depot manager wants us to work two Saturdays in a row, so two reduced weekly rests of 42.5.
Am I right i thinking you cant have two reduced in a row?
Someone mentioned about the full weekly rests being in both weeks but you cant count both.
dhandes:
Another quick question.We work 7.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. And every other Saturday 7.30am to 1pm.
The first week, where we dont do Saturdays, we have a weekly rest of 62.5 hours, Needs to be 45), the week with a Saturday the rest is reduced to 42.5 (can be reduced to 24), because we work every other week, the deficit from the reduction is paid back. The problem is if a driver is off, the depot manager wants us to work two Saturdays in a row, so two reduced weekly rests of 42.5.Am I right i thinking you cant have two reduced in a row?
Although there are certain circumstances where you can have reduced weekly rest periods on 2 consecutive weekends normally you cannot, in your situation you’re best option is to stick to having reduced weekly rest periods only every other weekend.
If you want to know about the circumstances where you can have 2 reduced weekly rest periods in a row this thread may be of interest.
But generally you’re better of sticking to reduced weekly rest periods every other weekend 
dhandes:
Someone mentioned about the full weekly rests being in both weeks but you cant count both.
A weekly rest period that crosses 2 weeks (Midnight Sunday) can be counted for either but not both weeks.
I stand to be corrected here but your finish time of 1700 will give you a daily rest of 14.5 hours which is 3 hours more than you legally need, so I would say that your weekend shortfall of 2.5hrs will be more than adequately paid back between your first two “normal” days at work.
Unless of course you are only allowed to attach a compensation to a weekly rest?
Edit to add; just read Taxhographs reply so I’m assuming that I was thinking of the old days when you could compensate this way. In my defence it’s not something I ever have to do! 
the maoster:
I stand to be corrected here but your finish time of 1700 will give you a daily rest of 14.5 hours which is 3 hours more than you legally need, so I would say that your weekend shortfall of 2.5hrs will be more than adequately paid back between your first two “normal” days at work.Unless of course you are only allowed to attach a compensation to a weekly rest?
Edit to add; just read Taxhographs reply so I’m assuming that I was thinking of the old days when you could compensate this way. In my defence it’s not something I ever have to do!
You’re absolutely right that the compensation would be paid back after the first daily rest period, but the fact that the compensation has been paid back doesn’t mean he can legally have 2 consecutive reduced weekly rest periods.
A reduced weekly rest period that’s been compensated for remains a reduced weekly rest period
Every days a schoolday! Seems a bit picky though really when you’ve had in fact more rest than the law requires. (Not you being picky Tacho, I meant the regs)
We need a new set of UK only regs but keep AETR/EU regs for those going outside the UK
I’ve had a good read through the weekly rest thread, and I now understand how it works.
You can have two reduced in a row. Where a regular rest normally counts for the week it leads into, if you have two reduced in a row, then the first regular will have to count for the 2nd week that has a reduced. So where you normally work it forward, you then have to count it at the end of the previous week.
That might not make sense, but I get the idea now. This will continue until you can have a rest of 69 hours (bank holiday for example) then you can then start working the counting forwards again.