HGV Driver Responsibilities
As a full-time driver, you should be familiar with some key information regarding driver responsibilities, vehicle conditions, and typical working hours to ensure that you adhere to the relevant HGV Driver Responsibilities in the UK.
Failure to adhere to driving limits and drivers’ hours could lead to a court summons, a graduated deposit, or a fixed penalty. You can join an HGV training to understand legal policies and improve your driving skills.
Driving Limits and Breaks from Driving
As a general rule, you should not drive for more than 9 hours a day with a 45-minute break.
You should take a 45-minute break after driving for approximately four and a half hours.
You can divide your 45-minute into shorter and more frequent breaks.
Furthermore, you are allowed to extend your driving hours to 10 hours per day for a maximum of up to two days of the week.
Driving Shift Patterns
You can drive for 56 hours every week. But, you cannot drive for more than 90 hours in any 2-week period.
If you drive for the full 56 hours on a given week, you can only drive for 34 hours in the following week.
Daily Rest
As a general rule, you should have 11 hours of rest each day on top of the 45-minute break in between driving.
You can choose to have your daily 11-hour rest in one segment, or you can divide it into 2 segments. One segment must last for at least 9 hours with no interruptions, while the second must last for at least 3 hours with no interruptions.
3 times every week, you are allowed to reduce your daily rest to a single 9-hour rest period with no interruptions.
Driver Medical Requirements
Every HGV Driver is legally required to be in fairly good health in order to drive commercial vehicles. Because of this, every new LGV/HGV driver and LGV/HGV driver who is renewing their licensing must present a medical report from an approved healthcare practitioner as proof of their health status. This can be a private physician or NHS GP, but it’s crucial to know that the medical assessment and report may cost you.
The healthcare practitioner will fill out a form called D4 and send it to the DVLA. It is the responsibility of the physician to determine if the driver is fit to operate a commercial vehicle. They should only fill out the form based on their expert findings. The DVLA will also need to make a decision on whether the driver is fit to drive a commercial vehicle based on the information highlighted in the medical report.
The Examination Covers Several Areas
Heart Conditions:
The physician will check for any existing or potential heart conditions including aneurysms, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and murmurs.
Diabetes:
Diabetes will not automatically disqualify you from being an HGV driver, but it must be well-managed for the DVLA to consider granting approval.
Eyesight:
This requirement for HGV drivers is slightly more comprehensive than for ordinary drivers. You need to provide proof that your field of vision and eyesight is good enough without having to use corrective lenses or eye contact.