(30 Jan 2015, 4:37 pm)Andreos1 wrote Or, rather than 'for' or 'then', they fit the tachos and (however daft the rules may be), follow the EU legislation - rather than look for loopholes.
No confusion for passengers. Jobs a good un.
I appreciate why operators look for these loopholes, after all it gives them flexibility and saves money - but it won't be long before the beaurocrats in Brussells catch on to it and outlaw it.
You mean the loopholes that have been used for 6 or 7 years and haven't been outlawed yet
The issues is - X93 arrives in Scarborough an hour and a half late at present with a tachograph, it means the driver will have to taken his or her 35 minutes legal break there as European Driving Hours are upto 4 hours 30 minutes before the meal break must be taken, meaning given the shift pattern he or she would have to take their break there and then. That also then screws up their second half as well.
Under domestic driving hours, the bus could set off straight back as the driver is only 2 hours 32 minutes into his legal 5 hours 30 minutes.
It also helps with covering runs - as a spare Stockton driver could theoretically be able to cover an X93 between Middlesbrough and Whitby using a Stockton vehicle if the need really did arise.