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Carry Out Your Daily Vehicle Checks Properly.

Posted on March 28, 2021 Written by Jack The Trucker Leave a Comment

Daily vehicle checks should be done properly to ensure that the vehicle you are driving is free from defects and completely legal for you to take it out on the road. So before you start driving for the day there are a number of checks that you should make to be sure, this applies whether you drive the same truck regularly or have a different truck each day.

Check oil, fuel and add blue levels.
Check oil, fuel and add blue levels.

Initial Daily Vehicle Checks.

After reaching your truck and inserting your Digi card, I do it like this so that my card is recording a period of other work whilst I do my checks, of course, you can always insert your Digi card and enter this manually later on if you wish to. One of the first things you should do is check the oil, fuel and add blue levels, in most modern trucks this can be done via the dashboard gauges and electronic dipstick. You will need to top up if necessary.

Whilst you are sat in the cab you can check that the vehicle has a valid tax and MOT status and is insured, you can do this on your smartphone via the DVLA website, to check the MOT for a goods vehicle you need to use the check the MOT history on the website. To check the insurance, you can check on the Motor Insurance Database.

You definitely do not want to be caught driving without insurance, as this will lead to a hefty fine and points on your licence. Most employers will not take you on with penalty points for driving with no insurance, and I believe that insurance penalty points stay on your licence for four years, so you would be taking a break from driving.

Checking The Outside.

After this, you can switch the ignition on, but don’t start the engine yet, turn on all the lights including fog lights and four-way flashers, then go around the outside of the vehicle and check all the lights are working and free from damage, check the tyres for wear, cuts, bulges and punctures, check that the mud flaps are in place and secure, fuel cap, add blue tank cap are present and secure, check also the mirrors and all the glass. At this stage, you can also check the ‘O’ licence in the windscreen is valid and in date.

If your vehicle is already coupled up to a trailer you will also need to check the trailer over as well. Some drivers like to uncouple and recouple if their vehicle is already coupled at the start of their shift. Daily vehicle checks on the trailer will include the tyres, lights, mudflaps, fifth wheel safety clip, trailer coupling, air and electric lines are connected correctly and free from kinks and damage and the load security. The trailer landing legs need to be fully wound up and the MOT in date. To check the MOT on your trailer you will need the trailer ID number, this can be found on the trailer plate or welded somewhere on the trailer, it usually starts with a ‘C’.

The trailer ID number usually starts with the letter ‘C’ and has six numbers.

Again you will need to go to the DVLA website and use the MOT history to check the trailer MOT and insert the ‘C’ number. Some modern trucks have a light tester mode that you can use to test all of the lights, I prefer not to use this but you can if you want to, it is your choice.

If You Find a Defect.

The image below shows a tyre that I came across whilst I was doing my daily vehicle checks, you can clearly see the metal wires that were showing through the worn rubber. If you come across a defect like this, do not proceed, go and inform the transport manager or your boss. This is a danger not only to yourself but to the general public, you are also risking your driving license and your companies operators license.

Whilst doing my daily vehicle checks I found wire showing through the rubber tyre.
This was an actual defective tyre that I found whilst doing my daily vehicle checks.

If you find minor defects such as a bulb not working these should be rectified before you are ready to go out on to the road, if the defects can’t be rectified your company should offer you an alternative vehicle or take the vehicle off the road and give you something else to do. You shouldn’t put yourself at risk and in danger by taking out a defective vehicle, this can lead to all sorts of problems for you. You are within your rights to refuse a vehicle if it has a defect that cannot be rectified.

Filed Under: Driver's, Maintenance Tagged With: daily vehicle checks

Tachograph Infringements, and How to Avoid Them.

Posted on January 9, 2021 Written by Jack The Trucker Leave a Comment

Tachograph Infringements.

Tachograph infringements, what exactly are they? Unless you are an HGV Driver you may not know what a tachograph infringement is. A tachograph is an electronic device that is fitted in the cab of all commercial vehicles over 3.5 tonne GVW and is used to record driving hours.

tachograph
A typical tachograph chart as viewed in computer software.

If those driving hours are exceeded then the driver will incur an infringement on his or her tachograph driving record and may be asked to take retraining and sign a letter from his or her employer.

Examples of infringements are;

  • Exceeding 4hrs 30 minutes of continuous driving.
  • Insufficient breaks.
  • Insufficient daily rest.
  • Insufficient weekly rest.
  • Exceeding working time directive or WTD.
  • Exceeding 56hrs total driving in one week.
  • Exceeding 90hrs total driving in a fortnight.
  • Driving over 90kmph.

Digital Smart Card.

The drivers hours are recorded on a digital smart card that is held and used by the driver, it looks similar to the driver’s licence except that it is white in colour and has a smart chip attached to it.

It also contains sensitive data about the driver such as his or her photograph, drivers name, date of birth and driving licence number and is valid for a five year period.

The digital smart card is inserted into a vehicles tachograph unit usually at the start of the drivers shift or working day, it will then record what the driver is doing such as, work other than driving, driving periods and breaks taken. At the end of the day, the card is usually removed from the vehicle and downloaded into a computer, via a card reader, for scrutinisation by the driver’s employer.

If any infringements are found by the computer software, the employer is notified and will issue an infringement letter and may offer re-training. Any infringement could lead to the driver being fined. Repeat offences and too many infringements could cost the driver his livelihood.

Avoiding Tachograph Infringements.

Avoiding infringements is pretty much straight forward, you just need to work out how long you have been at work, i:e you need to remember what time you inserted your digital tachograph card and the time that you started your shift. These should marry up as you should carry out a manual entry when you insert your card into the tachograph recording equipment.

Manual Entries.

If you started work at 08:00hrs and you went to your truck and inserted your card at 08:11hrs, the display on the unit will show the time and date that card was last used, so you need to enter in manually what you have been doing since. For example; If, the day before, you removed your card at 17:51hrs and then clocked off at 18:00 hours, you will need to show a period of other work using the cross hammers symbol from 17:51 to 18:00hrs.

Tachograph_Manual_Entry
A manual entry being entered on a digital tachograph.

Then you will need to show a period of rest from 18:00hrs to 08:00hrs the next day and a period of other work from 08:00hrs to the time of insertion i:e 08:11hrs. Once this is done you are then ready to start your working day, you need to remember in your head the exact time that you started work as entered on your digital tachograph.

The Six Hour Rule.

The reason you need to remember your start time is so that you can work out when your break is due, for example; if you started work at 08:00hrs then you should aim to take a 30 minute break before 14:00hrs, six hours after you started your shift. If you reach four and a half hours driving time before your six hours is up, then you need to take your break when this occurs.

You can take a fifteen minute break break before you have reached 6 hrs duty time, but then you must take a 30 minute break before you reach 9hrs duty time.

You then also need to remember the exact time you finished your break because you will be starting another six-hour period, for example, if you finished your break at 11:30hrs then you need to take another 30-minute break or be finished working before 17:30hrs, otherwise, you will incur an infringement because you would have broken the six-hour rule.

A typical tachograph with manual entries as seen via computer software.

Filed Under: Tachograph Tagged With: digital tachograph card, manual entries, tachograph

The Six-Hour Rule, How You Can Avoid An Infringement.

Posted on January 6, 2021 Written by Jack The Trucker Leave a Comment

Infringements Can Occur Easily. If you don't keep an eye on the six-hour rule, you can easily incur an infringement without even realising it until you down-load your card, and by then it would be too late. Do not rely on the tachograph unit in … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Tachograph Tagged With: avoid infringements, six-hour rule, tachograph

Tachograph Analytics, and What You Need To Know About Yours.

Posted on August 30, 2020 Written by Jack The Trucker Leave a Comment

Tachograph Analytics

Transport companies use a tachograph analytics program for analysing your tachograph data, but most of them will not let you see it until you ask to see it, or you have been unfortunate enough to incur an infringement. Limited … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Agency Driver, Tachograph Tagged With: driving records, Infrigements, Tachograph Analytics

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Recent Posts

  • Carry Out Your Daily Vehicle Checks Properly.
  • Tachograph Infringements, and How to Avoid Them.
  • The Six-Hour Rule, How You Can Avoid An Infringement.
  • Tachograph Analytics, and What You Need To Know About Yours.
  • When a Bus lane is Not a Bus Lane!

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