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Ask the MAC


With Ray Marshall, Manager, Compliance Information.

Weight for it...

Q) I wanted to check with yourselves regarding gross vehicle weight (GVW) on the trailer and the Gross Train Weight (GTW) on the unit. If we have a trailer plated at GVW 36000kg and a unit plated at GTW 44000kg, would our operating weight be a MAM of 44000kg? 

A) There are certain criteria a vehicle/combination must meet to operate at 44t maximum authorised mass (MAM), However, based on your scenario, the trailer would not be able to exceed 36000kg MAM, nor exceed any axle weight limits. The criteria below are what a vehicle/combination has to meet in order to operate at the current normal MAM of 44t: 

• The vehicle and trailer must each have at least three axles. 

• The trailer must have road friendly suspension. 

• The vehicle’s drive axles must have road friendly suspension. 

• The engine must conform to at least Euro II standard. 

• The axle weight of each drive axle must not exceed 10.5t. 

 

Have we started yet?...

Q) When you have a driver start part way through a reference period, how do you record the working time directive (WTD) part that he wasn’t employed with us? 

A) Under section 11 of the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005, it states that an employer of a mobile worker shall (a) request from each mobile worker details of any time worked by that worker for another employer, and (b) include time worked for another employer in the calculation of the mobile worker’s time. 

Under section 12 of the regulations, it states that a mobile worker shall, at the request of his employer under regulation 11(a), notify his employer in writing of time worked by the worker for another employer for inclusion in the calculation of the mobile worker’s working time. 

If the mobile worker requests this information from a previous employer, and the previous employer does not provide the information, we advise you to document this and include the request from the mobile worker to their previous employer, and keep this within the employee file with HR.

At this stage we would also advise that if a worker has been working for an employer for less than the full reference period (e.g. 12 weeks), then the average is worked out over the total time since the start of their employment. 

A. There are certain criteria a vehicle/combination must meet to operate at 44t maximum authorised mass (MAM), However, based on your scenario, the trailer would not be able to exceed 36000kg MAM, nor exceed any axle weight limits. The criteria below are what a vehicle/combination has to meet in order to operate at the current normal MAM of 44t:

  • The vehicle and trailer must each have at least three axles.
  • The trailer must have road friendly suspension.
  • The vehicle’s drive axles must have road friendly suspension.
  • The engine must conform to at least Euro II standard.
  • The axle weight of each drive axle must not exceed 10.5t.

 

Working time

Q. When you have a driver start part way through a ref period, how do you record the working time directive (WTD) part that he wasn’t employed with us?

A. Under section 11 of the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005, it states that an employer of a mobile worker shall (a) request from each mobile worker details of any time worked by that worker for another employer, and (b) include time worked for another employer in the calculation of the mobile worker’s time.

Under section 12 of the regulations, it states that a mobile worker shall, at the request of his employer under regulation 11(a), notify his employer in writing of time worked by the worker for another employer for inclusion in the calculation of the mobile worker’s working time.

If the mobile worker requests this information from a previous employer, and the previous employer does not provide the information, we advise you to document this and include the request from the mobile worker to their previous employer, and keep this within the employee file with HR. At this stage we would also advise that if a worker has been working for an employer for less than the full reference period (eg 12 weeks), then the average is worked out over the total time since the start of their employment.

Published On: 23/05/2024 15:00:00

 


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