I was talking to a soon to be retired chap this afternoon that came out with this information regarding driving time that I just wanted to confirm is utter twaddle:
After two hours driving you take a fifteen min break
You then drive for two and a half hours and take a half hour break
You can now only drive for two hours before needing another break because counting from the end of the first fifteen minute break you’ve now done four and a half hours accumulated driving with only a thirty minute break in between.
I said it didn’t work like that, as after the second break of thirty minutes you can then drive for another four and a half hours, he was insistant I was wrong and said that he’d just competed the tachograph cpc and knows better.
The rolling four and a half hours came in years ago - then disappeared coz it was a bleedin’ nightmare to work out. He must have a very forgiving (or stupid) boss if he’s been getting away with that for all these years…
As i understand it. Legislation as of today is…
After 4 hours and 30 mins of accumulated driving a 45 minute break MUST be taken. HOWEVER it is permitted for this break to be split into two, permitted in only ONE possible combination, which is a 15 minute at any time in the 4.30 hours followed by a 30 minute before 4.30 hours of accumlated driving has been reached.
After this you then have a ‘clean slate’ again for another 4.5 hours as far as EU rules are concerned. (Also have to keep an eye on WTD which is something seperate)
that was in the days when you could do 15 min breaks Mike and as said they did away with it 
Thanks all. I assumed this was a thing of the past as I’d not heard or read it from anywhere before. I was surprised that he was so insistant though and he seemed pleased with himself that he was helping me with this info, at the time I was thinking ‘what on earth are you on about?’
MikeDBristol:
I was talking to a soon to be retired chap this afternoon that came out with this information regarding driving time that I just wanted to confirm is utter twaddle:
After two hours driving you take a fifteen min break
You then drive for two and a half hours and take a half hour break
You can now only drive for two hours before needing another break because counting from the end of the first fifteen minute break you’ve now done four and a half hours accumulated driving with only a thirty minute break in between.
I said it didn’t work like that, as after the second break of thirty minutes you can then drive for another four and a half hours, he was insistant I was wrong and said that he’d just competed the tachograph cpc and knows better.
Did he also say “I’ve been driving 40 f[zb]n’ years, there’s nothing you can tell me about this job!” as well? They usually do.
MikeDBristol:
Thanks all. I assumed this was a thing of the past as I’d not heard or read it from anywhere before. I was surprised that he was so insistant though and he seemed pleased with himself that he was helping me with this info, at the time I was thinking ‘what on earth are you on about?’
Reminds me of an old timer George Bremner “stick it to um with a bayonet” was his catch fraise…he would tell you about the Korean war and when he was a prisoner …lovely bloke but you knew he had been affected by the experiences 
