60 Second Law Update – Ridgeway Training – CPC

Over the last year, the DfT have made some changes to drivers’ hours and tachograph rules, aimed at easing the burden on compliant operators.

Tachograph Exemptions

From March 2015, those who drive HGVs that do not exceed 7.5 tonnes GVW from time to time, carrying equipment for their own use, have been able to travel within 100km of their base without using a tachograph. The limit was formerly 50km and the chance has been brought in to the UK in line with the rest of the EU.

This exemption also covers vehicles powered by electricity or natural or liquefied gas, provided that they do not exceed 7.5 tonnes, and ‘universal service providers’. Currently the only universal service provider is the Royal Mail Group.

Operations taking or collection live animals to or from livestock markets or farms, and to slaughterhouses are also covered by this exception but still must follow the GB drivers’ hours rules instead of the EU legislation.

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Downloading Vehicle Digital data

The government have also snuck in an extension to the digital vehicle data download limit, which previously was 56 days but has now been increased to up to 90 days.

Going back to the previously mentioned tachograph exemptions, this was a change to coordinate UK law with EU rules. The limit in other EU countries was relaxed to 90 days back in 2010.

Drivers’ cards will still need to be downloaded at least every 28 days, the DVSA stressed.

EU Regulation 165/014 – Tachographs

Earlier this month the DfT published the results in the consultation into the implementation of EU regulation 165/2014, which ran from March to May 2015. The regulation mainly concerned the new generation of digital tachographs.

The changes brought in will have only a few minor effect on most operators. One of the major changes is the extension to the exemption to Driver CPC regulations for people who only drive from time to time.

In its response to the consultation, the DfT said:

Temporary driver cards will not be issued to drivers who are not normally based in the EU, unlike other EU states.
There is a broad support for making operators conditionally liable for drivers’ hours/tachograph offences committed by their employees.
Operators can’t have more than one tachograph fitted in a vehicle
Domestic legislation will be amended to make advertising tachograph interruption devices an offence.
No changes will be made to the current penalty structure for tachograph offences.

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