Removing charts
Page 44
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When away from home I usually leave the chart in the tachograph overnight to record the rest period. However, recently when I was starting at 06:00hrs, and realising that I would not start the next day until 08:00hrs, I removed the chart to prevent a two-hour overrun the next day.
But a traffic examiner said that the chart should be left in and rest periods could overrun the previous day's work.
The law does not require a tachograph record sheet to be left in the tachograph after the driver has finished work or for its 24-hour duration. A driver can remove it at the end of his day's work and take it away with him.
Article 15 of EC Regulation 3821/85, which deals with the use of record sheets, states that a driver must use a record sheet from the moment he takes over a vehicle. But it does not state when he should stop using a record sheet and remove it from the tachograph, other than the rule that a sheet must not be used for a longer period than it is intended for.
There is a requirement that a record sheet must not be withdrawn before the end of the shift.
But Article 15 states that when a driver is away from a vehicle and unable to use the tachograph, periods of time spent on other work, breaks in work, and daily rest periods must be entered.