Wilk:
I am copying this from Vosa Guide to drivers’ hours:
Breaks:
— Mobile workers must not work more than 6 consecutive hours without taking a break.
— If your working hours total between 6 and 9 hours, working time should be interrupted by a
break or breaks totalling at least 30 minutes.
— If your working hours total more than 9 hours, working time should be interrupted by a break or
breaks totalling at least 45 minutes.
— Breaks should be of at least 15 minutes’ duration.
“Mobile workers must not work more than 6 consecutive hours without taking a break.”
As it is written ‘a break’ but not stated how long should be this break.
Indeed it does not state how long it should be therefore it is the minimum requirement for a WTD break and that is clearly stated
Breaks should be of at least 15 minutes’ duration.
Wilk:
So far, I understand this way: I cannot work more than 6 hours without taking a break (30 minutes) or two breaks of 15 minutes each.
Above you correctly said it doesn’t state how long the break should be at 6 hours work but here you’ve decided it must be 30 minutes,that’s incorrect and you aren’t using the information on a WTD break provided.
Wilk:
I start at 3 AM. Between 3 AM and 9 AM I take two breaks of 15 minutes or one break of 30 minutes where as the latest minute to take the break is 9:00. If I work more than 9 hours, I need an extra break which is 15 minutes and latest minute is 12:00.
You do not need any more break before 12:00. There is no requirement for a WTD break before exceeding 9 hours work, which in your scenario you won’t have been reached at 12:00 because you had 30 minutes break so 9 hours work could not be before 12:30. If you are not working more than 9 hours in your example you would not need another break because you have had the 30 minutes for between 6 and 9 hours work. If you are doing more than 9 hours work then the other 15 minutes would either be before the end of the shift or before exceeding 6 hours work since the last break, whichever comes first and not because you’ve reached 9 hours work.
Wilk:
I cannot find where it is stated that if you work 6 hours, you need only 15 minutes break.
I can. Before exceeding 6 hours work you must have a break. A break for the WTD is 15 minutes. Both those facts are cl;early stated in your quote from the regulations.
What I cannot find is where it is stated you must have 30 minutes before exceeding 6 hours?
In answer to your original question it is impossible to say how much break you need for the WTD in a 13 or 15 hour shift. It’s not the length of the shift which triggers a WTD break but the amount of work in the shift. You could do a 13 or 15 hours shift with less than 4.5 hours driving, less than 6 hours work and a lot of POA and not need to show any break at all.
I used to do a double manned night trunk where the shift was around 9-10 hours I generally drove for about 4 hours and there was maybe at most 1 hour other work. The rest of the shift was POA while my colleague drove. I went months and never recorded a single minute of break. Didn’t need to, didn’t do more than 4.5 hours driving or 6 hours work (Driving and Other Work).
