New drivers’ hours advice issued

Little appears to have changed in the DVSA’s latest updated advice on EU drivers’ hours regulations (Transport Operator 52), and what changes there are have been driven by shifting interpretation of existing regulation rather than new legislation.

• On double-manned operations (or multi-manning as the advice calls it) a rest of less than 11 hours within the 30-hour multi-man day now has to be counted as reduced rest.
• Split as well as regular rests may now be interrupted to embark/disembark a vehicle from a train or ferry.
• ‘Suitable sleeping facilities’ required for a daily or reduced weekly rest have now been defined, and are: “a bunk or other type of bed primarily designed for sleeping on. Sleeping on or across seats does not meet the requirement of suitable facilities. If a vehicle has no suitable facilities then other arrangements, for example guest house or hotel accommodation, should be used.”
• While drivers must remain free to “dispose of their time” during any legally required rest period providing they do not undertake any work where they are under the control of or fulfilling an obligation to an employer, they can, if they wish, respond to a telephone call to their employer. The employer may not impose any restriction on the location or activity of an employee who is considered to be ‘on call’ (for example insisting that he remains at home to answer the telephone if required), and the driver need only answer the call if he chooses to do so. If asked to return to work, the driver may only do so if he has completed all the legally required hours of rest, or if the work is deemed to be defined as an emergency.

The full advice can be found here.