The demand for transporting goods from one place to another is ever growing within the UK and across Europe. Those in the profession of driving large vehicles such as coaches, lorries or HGVs will be aware of the added responsibility they have in keeping themselves and others around them safe, yet breaches of Drivers’ Hours Rules and tachograph record offences are the most common LGV crimes in England and Wales.

Existing transport personnel or anyone new to the industry should be made aware of and updated on legislation through relevant training regarding Drivers’ Hours Law. So whether you’re a driver, traffic operator, administrator or manager, it is important that Drivers’ Hours Rules are complied with, with the aid of training and use of tachograph systems in vehicles.

THE LATEST DRIVERS' HOURS LAWS

The most recent Drivers’ Hours Rules came into practice in April 2007, in order to bring practices of European Union member states closer together and aim at better and consistent road safety for all drivers of large vehicles. Research shows that up to one in six serious crashes is caused by lack of attention, which is often down to sleepiness.

The rules that apply to the law depend on the type of driving, the vehicle type, and the countries that are being driven in. Rules will usually apply to vehicles that have a maximum permissible mass of over 3.5 tonnes. Also known as MPM, this is the maximum legal weight of the vehicle including a trailer or semi-trailer when fully laden with goods.

TACHOGRAPHS

Also known as tachodiscs, they keep a record of a working diver’s hours of duty, to help comply with drivers’ hours rules implemented in the UK and EU, ensuring drivers are not a hazard to themselves or other drivers by working excessively long shifts.

Legally, all commercial vehicles first registered on or after 1 May 2006 must be fitted with digital tachographs, but analogue systems can still lawfully operate in vehicles registered before that date.

DRIVING TIME AND BREAKS

Driving time is the duration of the driving activity recorded by the tachograph. Whether it is a long journey or just a short period of driving, Drivers’ Hours Law will apply.

After a maximum of 4.5 hours of driving, breaks totalling 45 minutes must be taken. Guidelines recommend a driver splits this into two breaks during and at the end of this period as respective 15-minute and 30-minute breaks. A driver must take 11 hours of daily rest in a 24-hour period, which can be reduced to nine hours three times a week. Under the rules, rests and breaks should not be interrupted.

Daily driving must not exceed nine hours but can be extended to 10 hours twice a week. A limit of 56 hours maximum is enforced per week and 90-hour limit per fortnight. Rules state the week begins at midnight on Monday.

Under Drivers’ Hours Law, you are required to keep a record of driver activity, where if done manually it can become time consuming, making tachographs the practical and popular solution for transport personnel today.