Tachograph and towing
Author
Discussion

Vincecj

Original Poster:

498 posts

152 months

Saturday 20th March 2021
quotequote all
I'm thinking of fitting a tachograph to my 3.5T Iveco for when I'm towing far from home. I know I'll have to get a drivers card. Does anyone know what happens when I'm local or not towing? Do I just leave the card out? I've looked online but couldn't find an answer.

mercedeslimos

1,889 posts

198 months

Saturday 20th March 2021
quotequote all
Do you not have to use it the whole time? What year is it? I thought pre-2006 could use the old disc tacho charts

Vincecj

Original Poster:

498 posts

152 months

Saturday 20th March 2021
quotequote all
I don't think it has to be all the time, but I'm not sure. I know if I'm within 62 miles of base, I don't need one. The van is 2010.

Cat

3,134 posts

298 months

Saturday 20th March 2021
quotequote all
If you venture outwith 100km of your operating base then the exemption which allows a driver to carry tools and equipment for their own use no longer applies and you will be in scope for EU rules and require a tachograph.

On days where you are in scope then you need to use your driver card and correctly record periods of driving, rest and other work. This would apply for the whole of that day even if you had ditched the trailer and were back with in 100km of your base. For example in the morning you take the trailer and do a job 120km away, this puts you in scope for EU rules so you must use a tachograph. In the afternoon you return to your base and drop the trailer off then go to a job round the corner - this would normally be exempt, but because you've already been in scope that day you should continue to use your driver card. If you were to use a vehicle in the afternnoon which didn't have a tachograph fitted you would need to make appropriate manual entries.

On days when you do any in scope driving you must take the required breaks and daily rest periods.

If you are driving on other days in the same fixed week (0000 hours Monday to 2359 Sunday) but are not in scope then you do not need to use your driver card to record activities. What you do need to do for that week is make manual entires to record periods of work (out of scope driving will count as other work in this case) to show that you are complying with the weekly rest rules.

If you do no in scope driving during a particular week you are not required to keep any records for that week.

Cat

Vincecj

Original Poster:

498 posts

152 months

Saturday 20th March 2021
quotequote all
Cat said:
If you venture outwith 100km of your operating base then the exemption which allows a driver to carry tools and equipment for their own use no longer applies and you will be in scope for EU rules and require a tachograph.

On days where you are in scope then you need to use your driver card and correctly record periods of driving, rest and other work. This would apply for the whole of that day even if you had ditched the trailer and were back with in 100km of your base. For example in the morning you take the trailer and do a job 120km away, this puts you in scope for EU rules so you must use a tachograph. In the afternoon you return to your base and drop the trailer off then go to a job round the corner - this would normally be exempt, but because you've already been in scope that day you should continue to use your driver card. If you were to use a vehicle in the afternnoon which didn't have a tachograph fitted you would need to make appropriate manual entries.

On days when you do any in scope driving you must take the required breaks and daily rest periods.

If you are driving on other days in the same fixed week (0000 hours Monday to 2359 Sunday) but are not in scope then you do not need to use your driver card to record activities. What you do need to do for that week is make manual entires to record periods of work (out of scope driving will count as other work in this case) to show that you are complying with the weekly rest rules.

If you do no in scope driving during a particular week you are not required to keep any records for that week.

Cat
Excellent, thank you for that clear explanation.

Armchair Expert

3,102 posts

103 months

Saturday 20th March 2021
quotequote all
Cat said:
If you venture outwith 100km of your operating base then the exemption which allows a driver to carry tools and equipment for their own use no longer applies and you will be in scope for EU rules and require a tachograph.

On days where you are in scope then you need to use your driver card and correctly record periods of driving, rest and other work. This would apply for the whole of that day even if you had ditched the trailer and were back with in 100km of your base. For example in the morning you take the trailer and do a job 120km away, this puts you in scope for EU rules so you must use a tachograph. In the afternoon you return to your base and drop the trailer off then go to a job round the corner - this would normally be exempt, but because you've already been in scope that day you should continue to use your driver card. If you were to use a vehicle in the afternnoon which didn't have a tachograph fitted you would need to make appropriate manual entries.

On days when you do any in scope driving you must take the required breaks and daily rest periods.

If you are driving on other days in the same fixed week (0000 hours Monday to 2359 Sunday) but are not in scope then you do not need to use your driver card to record activities. What you do need to do for that week is make manual entires to record periods of work (out of scope driving will count as other work in this case) to show that you are complying with the weekly rest rules.

If you do no in scope driving during a particular week you are not required to keep any records for that week.

Cat
I pretty sure you need to have a tacho fitted as soon as you put a tow bar on your 3.5t vehicle, you also need an operators licence.

If your vehicle is fitted with a techo and your except you still need to make recordings as your governed by domestic hour rules.



Cat

3,134 posts

298 months

Saturday 20th March 2021
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[redacted]

Vincecj

Original Poster:

498 posts

152 months

Saturday 20th March 2021
quotequote all
[redacted]

Cat

3,134 posts

298 months

Saturday 20th March 2021
quotequote all
Vincecj said:
The trailer is a 16' Ifor
According to their site it is well below 1020kg unladen.

https://www.iwt.co.uk/products/flatbed/lt-and-lm/?...

Cat

the tribester

2,928 posts

115 months

Saturday 20th March 2021
quotequote all
I agree with Cat.

Your trailer plate should have the 'Type' number on it, the IWT website will show you the unladen weight, but I too think it's below 1020kgs in which case you won't need the O licence.

Your biggest issue is when you are  'in scope' of using your tacho, is remembering you need to have with you proof of your last weekly rest period and any previous 'work' since, you can of course do this by manual entry using your digital card in the vehicles digi tacho.

DVSA booklet GV262 for tacho rules https://www.gov.uk/guidance/drivers-hours-goods-ve...

GV74 for Operators licence guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/goods-v...

R0G

5,035 posts

184 months

Sunday 21st March 2021
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Select - out of scope - when tacho not required as that will keep the records straight in the unit

Total loss

2,138 posts

256 months

Sunday 21st March 2021
quotequote all
I think you will need to pass a CPC (Certificate of Professional Comptance ) driving course if you have a tacho.

normalbloke

8,859 posts

248 months

Sunday 21st March 2021
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[redacted]

Vincecj

Original Poster:

498 posts

152 months

Sunday 21st March 2021
quotequote all
Total loss said:
I think you will need to pass a CPC (Certificate of Professional Comptance ) driving course if you have a tacho.
I think I'm exempt from the DCPC as driving is incidental to our work. We build children's play equipment in peoples gardens and use the trailer to take timber to site.

Cat

3,134 posts

298 months

Sunday 21st March 2021
quotequote all
Vincecj said:
Total loss said:
I think you will need to pass a CPC (Certificate of Professional Comptance ) driving course if you have a tacho.
I think I'm exempt from the DCPC as driving is incidental to our work. We build children's play equipment in peoples gardens and use the trailer to take timber to site.
It is even simpler than that - a CPC is not required if the vehicle combination is being driven on a BE licence. A CPC is only required (subject to exemptions such as the one you mentioned) for drivers using vocational categories e.g. C1, C, D1 etc.

Cat