As rental agents for a major truck rental company, we
Page 55
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
are required to drive all the vehicles in the fleet including 32-ton units with trailers. As these vehicles are never loaded, do we need to hold hgv licences? We have not qualified for exemption by having the six months' experience gained before February this year. Also, do we need to keep log sheets, as we seldom drive for more than five hours at a time?
AYou and your colleagues who are driving the variety of vehicles including 32-tongcw articulated outfits will need to hold hgv driving licences of Class 1 when your existing current ordinary Group 1 driving licence expires. The fact that the vehicles are never loaded makes no difference.
As you have not had the necessary qualifying experience to gain an hgv driving licence on application you will have to take the test in a Class 1 vehicle. You should apply to take the test well before your existing licence expires because if you fail or you are not able to take the test for some reason before the licence expires, any driving of such vehicles will then have to be done on a provisional hgv driving licence, with hgv ''L" plates and accompanied by a qualified driver. You will need to have passed the medical examination if you are applying for either a full or a provisional hgv driving licence.
On the question of records of hours of work. there are required if you drive any goods vehicle in excess of 30cwt unladen weight (if unplated) or 34tons gross plated weight for more than 4 hours on any day on which you travel outside a radius of 25 miles from the vehicles' operating centre.
There are one or two points which you should watch in connection with records and the exemptions as follows: 1) If on any day you drive a heavy vehicle and then later in the day a light vehicle (under 30cwt, etc) you will need to keep a record of all the driving of both vehicles if the total of the driving hours exceeds 4 hours and you go outside 25 miles radius with either vehicle.
2) If you drive the light vehicle first and the heavy vehicle later (and say, for example, for only a very short time) if the total of driving exceeds 4 hours and you have gone outside the 25 miles radius you must keep a record.