HGV horsebox tacho help

[Sheepdip]

Hi everyone. A question to those of you who have a HGV horsebox (over 7.5 ton). Just about to take ownership of a HGV horsebox soon. I know that the law says we must abide by tacho graph laws and EU drivers hours but looking into it, I’ve got to keep weekly work record sheets for my part time office job and have the information on the tacho card downloaded every 28 days somewhere. My daughter and I are only pleasure riders. The odd Trec competition, pleasure ride, training day and the occasional riding club activity. Do you all go to these lengths in your HGV lorries or do you just not bother. Have any of you ever been pulled up by VOSA and if so, what was the outcome?

 

[luckyoldme]

Yes i got pulled in 2003 . I got 16 offenses 180 hours community service and 500 fine. Because i was an idiot.
The reality of it is that they dont want you to work in an office all day then drive your truck all night.
When you put your card i it will ask if you have been on rest since the last time you drove..i would say it would be a proper pain to manually enter the whole lot each time. Rog will have a definitive answer but when ive dealt with vosa they have for the most part fairly reasonable and have told me i can ring them if i have any concerns.

 

[ROG]

If you do not comply then it is £300 PER infringement of the rules which could 'mount up' (good pun?) to thousands of pounds in fines

 

[Sheepdip]

Yes i got pulled in 2003 . I got 16 offenses 180 hours community service and 500 fine. Because i was an idiot.
The reality of it is that they dont want you to work in an office all day then drive your truck all night.
When you put your card i it will ask if you have been on rest since the last time you drove..i would say it would be a proper pain to manually enter the whole lot each time. Rog will have a definitive answer but when ive dealt with vosa they have for the most part fairly reasonable and have told me i can ring them if i have any concerns.

So were you just traveling for pleasure not business purposes to an event with your own horses and managed to rack up 16 offences. That’s really scaring me. Beginning to wish I’d not spent the money on a lorry now 🙁

 

[ROG]

For the DVSA a diary of other work is acceptable
That other work cannot be counted as rest for the tacho regs

Generally if you work say in an office from mon to fri then you can drive the LGV C (HGV went in the 80s) for one day every other weekend

 

[meleeka]

This may be helpful https://assets.publishing.service.g...6/A_guide_for_horsebox_and_trailer_owners.pdf

 

[Sheepdip]

Thanks for the links. I’d already discovered some of them whilst doing my research and just wondered how many people actually bother. I only know a couple of others with private LGV C lorries and they’ve never bothered using a tacho. I know people won’t want to openly admit they aren’t following rules but wondered how many do bother

 

[Sheepdip]

So can I ask those of you in the know, how do I know which is the best tacho software to download if by law I’ve got to download my card every 28 days. Bearing in mind I don’t need software to run a haulage company with dozens of vehicles. I just have one horsebox that I go off enjoying myself most weekends through summer. Also, once I’ve downloaded the info off the card, what am I supposed to do with said info that is then on my laptop. I can’t find any information other than the 28 day rule. Nothing on why or where I stick the info

 

[ROG]

So can I ask those of you in the know, how do I know which is the best tacho software to download if by law I’ve got to download my card every 28 days. Bearing in mind I don’t need software to run a haulage company with dozens of vehicles. I just have one horsebox that I go off enjoying myself most weekends through summer. Also, once I’ve downloaded the info off the card, what am I supposed to do with said info that is then on my laptop. I can’t find any information other than the 28 day rule. Nothing on why or where I stick the info

Download every 28 days and keep for 12 months
Need to buy the software for that and one company that I know does it is NOVADATA but there are probably many others

Here is another = https://www.tachodisc.co.uk/Tachograph-Products/Card-Readers-Download-Equipment.aspx

 

[GeeBee45]

There is a little bit more to all of this.

As Rog suggests the record of your 'work' during the week is acceptable as entries in a diary, this is a concession by DVSA for those that do very occasional driving and does not apply to those that drive professionally/ commercially. On each day you 'work' record start and end times and any breaks. Remember to take the diary with you when you go out in the lorry. You need to keep a record for the whole day(s) on which you drive. Use the bed symbol for rest and breaks, the crossed hammers symbol for work and let the Tacho do its; stuff for driving. Words of warning, some digital Tachos will change the mode that they're recording when the ignition when switched on or off. Experiment putting the Tacho on one setting and turning the ignition off and watch the display to see if anything changes, better you know about it now, rather than get a nasty shock later on.

You will need to get a Company Card (£37 from DVLA) and a downloading device. As Rog said you need to download your card at least every 28 days and the Vehicle Unit (Tacho) at least every 90 days. Files need to be retained for 12 months. Don't worry about file size, they're tiny. Software for card reading can be really cheap or expensive. Personally I'd avoid anything that was subscription based.If all you want to do is 'see' the driver card data then this takes some beating:
Pitstop Analysis Software
They even have a free trial for 30 days.

Finally, don't forget that your Tacho need calibrating every 2 years, for the date that it was last done look on the sticker on the inside of the drivers door aperture. On that sticker you will find a tyre size, make sure that is the size shown on the drive axle tyres (twin tyres each side at the rear) it doesn't matter about the other tyres. Don't forget that you need some Tacho paper in the VU. It's only a few quid for a box of three rolls, without it your vehicle will fail MOT and at the roadside it'll cost you £100.

If you want any more information PM me.

 

[luckyoldme]

So were you just traveling for pleasure not business purposes to an event with your own horses and managed to rack up 16 offences. That’s really scaring me. Beginning to wish I’d not spent the money on a lorry now 🙁

Should have said it was work...the compan was investigated and we got what we deserved...having said that its really easy to commit offences just by forgetting to change mode. I would think its probably easy enough to stay legal just doing the odd show.

 

[ROG]

Do you really need a LGV C or would a LGV C1 be sufficient which would then be outside these regs

 

[zaminda]

I personally would go for a 7.5 t to avoid it but as someone who drives for work I would say that there are a lot of people out there who don't record their other work at all.

 

[Farmer Chalk]

Vosa have the ability to download from the vehicle the recent usage....

I know the legislation says we should download the vehicle data externally but we are not a business. We do not drive for hire or reward and have a small sticker displaying this on the vehicle.
The law requires ALL HGV’s over 7.5 tonnes need to use a tacho....hence we religiously use it for every journey and take rest breaks and driver changes where required...

Rather than download every 28 days we just print out at the end of each day”s journey and keep them in a folder in the cab.. the wife records her work hours in a diary and keeps them in her handbag. Thus we can show that the vehicle has been driven in compliance with the legislation..

It is clear to any VOSA/ DVSA officer examining the vehicle data and our daily printouts that the lorry wouldn’t have moved during the week..,

Think it would be a very anal officer who would take action if this was the only discrepancy on the vehicle.

Most modern vehicles with electronic tachos will auto record what the vehicle is doing so you don’t need to change from rest to drive..

As above the tacho does need calibrating every two years...hence ours is done during service time...ours is booked in for a week at a time to ensure the vehicle is presented for test in a tip top condition.

 

[Knocking-on-a-bit]

If you do not comply then it is £300 PER infringement of the rules which could 'mount up' (good pun?) to thousands of pounds in fines

Could you give me the benefit of your expertise please?
I’m retired but do share a hobby with a friend who occasionally competes in Dressage. I own an HGV Horsebox taxed as ‘Private’ and take my friend and our horses to competitions. I have a Driver’s Card and comply with the EU Directive with regards to driving times etc. The information my Drivers Card holds along with the Tacho Unit holds exactly all the information needed for anyone checking, so I can’t add to that by keeping separate records. Am I right, and if not, why not please?
TIA

 

[ROG]

Could you give me the benefit of your expertise please?
I’m retired but do share a hobby with a friend who occasionally competes in Dressage. I own an HGV Horsebox taxed as ‘Private’ and take my friend and our horses to competitions. I have a Driver’s Card and comply with the EU Directive with regards to driving times etc. The information my Drivers Card holds along with the Tacho Unit holds exactly all the information needed for anyone checking, so I can’t add to that by keeping separate records. Am I right, and if not, why not please?
TIA

If you do no other work then all you need is the info on the digicard and in the tacho head
As you use it so little then the digicard could hold a few years worth of info

You can accept reasonable payment for expenses from your friend

 

[Knocking-on-a-bit]

If you do no other work then all you need is the info on the digicard and in the tacho head
As you use it so little then the digicard could hold a few years worth of info

You can accept reasonable payment for expenses from your friend

Thank you for the reply, it’s comforting to know that my powers of reasoning aren’t too far off track at my age. Now all I’ve got to do is pass the annual medical again ?

 

[ROG]

Thank you for the reply, it’s comforting to know that my powers of reasoning aren’t too far off track at my age. Now all I’ve got to do is pass the annual medical again ?

£60 max or you have been ripped off for a D4 medical

 

[Knocking-on-a-bit]

Yes, I’ve found a place that charges about that. My local surgery were charging at least double that and needing a minimum 3 month’s notice - not at all helpful ?