Help Please, HGV/VOSA

[speedchick]

Posting on behalf of my other half, and probably in the totally wrong place on here, but...

He has just passed his Class 2, and is looking to do some agency work while he builds up to his Class 1 (I can't remember what letter is what, but I do know them by 1 and 2).

Anyway, he's going to need to get himself a digital tacho card, and I am going round in circles on the VOSA site and other associated sites, I have ordered him the application pack, but no where does it say what he needs for the card, he did mention something about a photo, is this going to be done like a passport photo, and who would he need to sign the back to say it's him?

Also, can he fill the form in and get the card from a local VOSA station (like you can get replacements there), and if so, does anyone know where the one local to Burnley is (he thinks it may be Kirkham)

Like I say, I have been going round in circles on the websites, and getting no where, apart from I know how many I can get if I am a company, and how many I can pay for at once on one business cheque

so thought I would ask the resident HGV drivers on here.

Many thanks chaps

[Cock Womble]

They'll use the same photo as the one on his driving licence.

[anonymous-user]

Try here for info http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=2&...


The pistonheads No 1 enemy .

Or this bit loads for all sorts of info and newbies etc http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/index.php

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 23 March 18:48

[speedchick]

Thanks chaps, will pass the info on to him, much appreciated.

[GC8]

What no one will tell him, in all likelihood, is that he can use a company card for a limited amount of time; so not having his own card neednt prevent him from working.

Remind him that every movement will take off one minutes driving time too: which is an absolute bd in queuing traffic.

[7mike]

The Cumbria/Lancs area office for VOSA is in Carlisle however the cards are issued by DVLA. Has the other-half signed up with any agencies yet? I did some work a few years ago for Driver Hire in Accrington. Ended up driving bin wagons around Nelson/Colne for a few weeks (good manoeuvring practice but came home stinking). You sound like you're in a hurry to get hold of the smart card, I would have thought the agencies could find some non-digital tacho work until it comes through?

[Allanv]

I realy should learn to read.

As far as I am aware he will need a photo or 3 and payment that should be it once he fills out the form.

As 7mike said ask the agencies for non digital work for a while.

Edited by Allanv on Tuesday 23 March 19:44

Edited by Allanv on Tuesday 23 March 19:46

[speedchick]

He's just trying to get himself sorted out now that he has the rigid licence, he is looking towards going to an agency, at the moment he's wanting to build up experience with casual work on his days off from his regular job.

I think he's just wanting to get it sorted while he waits for his licence to come back, as he can't really go for the next one till he has it.

Edited by speedchick on Tuesday 23 March 19:52

[Dav_s]

Some or all of this may have been mentioned above, but...

Fee's IIRC for the card are £38.

No need to send a picture - just the completed form & payment.


Digi Tacho Card will come to his home address - only replacements for lost/stolen/damaged cards need to collected in person from your local LGV testing station.

[Jonny671]

GC8 said:

What no one will tell him, in all likelihood, is that he can use a company card for a limited amount of time; so not having his own card neednt prevent him from working.

Remind him that every movement will take off one minutes driving time too: which is an absolute bd in queuing traffic.

Ey?

Every time the truck moves, its a minimum of 1 minute on the tacho? Surely in traffic you'd build up hours of tacho time in what could be half an hour if you've an idiot driver infront who can't slowly crawl?

[GC8]

Yes. Imagine that youre queuing for a weighbridge: ideally youll drive for a couple of seconds each time one vehicle moves off, although in practice the queue will creep. Every movement will register and the minimum unit of measurement is one minute. An analogue tacho will show inactivity (or break!) with the odd blip, but a digital tacho will have recorded several minutes of driving time. Its a known issue and I know that it was being 'looked in to', but I dont think that anything has changed.

[Jonny671]

GC8 said:

Yes. Imagine that youre queuing for a weighbridge: ideally youll drive for a couple of seconds each time one vehicle moves off, although in practice the queue will creep. Every movement will register and the minimum unit of measurement is one minute. An analogue tacho will show inactivity (or break!) with the odd blip, but a digital tacho will have recorded several minutes of driving time. Its a known issue and I know that it was being 'looked in to', but I dont think that anything has changed.

Thats bloody silly.

(I'm no truck driver, as you can tell, and this is off topic but it seems to have been answered.)

There was a truck driver behind me yesterday in traffic, and an idiot in a saxo infront who couldn't do traffic on a slight incline, que him racing up behind the traffic and then stopping and waiting for another big gap then doing the same, so this would have really pissed off the driver?