a I have a question concerning the law on the limitation
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of drivers hours and how it affects mechanics. Suppose a couple of men had been working eight hours in the vehicle repair shop and were then told to take an empty lorry lone of over 30cwt unladen weight) and the breakdown vehicle out on a job. Arriving at the scene, they help the driver of the brokendown vehicle to tranship the load, before towing the disabled vehicle back to base.
Depending on the distance involved, they might return to base between five and 10 hours after leaving it, their working day then becoming 13 to 18 hrs. Would the mechanics be breaking the law if they returned to work at their normal starting time on the next day, say after six hours of rest?
AThere is no doubt that mechanics work
ing to the schedule you describe are breaking the law regarding drivers' hours.
The relevant section of the Road Traffic Act says thay during the period of rest the "driver" must not be in any way under the orders of his employer. This means that the six hours rest which you quote is not enough and elsewhere in section 73 of the 1960 Act is states that any time spent by a man in connection with a vehicle or its load is counted as driving time. Therefore, the working day including the time spent fitting must be limited to 11 hours or in the case of an Aor 8-licensed vehicle 12 hours on the two days in a week that this is allowed.