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Driver · Simplified

Compliance for Drivers — The Short Version

General Haulage (with Steel notes)
Free. No paywall, no email gate. Updated for the December 2024 DVSA load securing rules Built by Traction Solutions Ltd for CheckPod

General Haulage (with Steel notes)

Want the full version? Download the comprehensive guide from checkpod.co.uk. This one's for reading in the cab over a brew. Important stuff only.

Illustration brief — COVER

Colin the Compliance Cricket leaning against the bumper of an HGV with a thumbs-up, mug of tea in his other hand. Sunrise Yorkshire-yard backdrop. Approachable, not patronising. CheckPod green on dark navy.

What this is

You drive for a living. You know the job. This isn't here to teach you how to drive. It's here so you know exactly where the lines are, what to do when DVSA stop you, and how to keep your licence and your DQC out of trouble.

The 30-second version:

  1. Walkaround every shift, every vehicle, recorded.
  2. Tacho card in, right mode, 45 min after 4.5 hrs driving.
  3. Don't drive a defective vehicle. Don't drive an insecure load.
  4. Carry your licence, DQC, tacho card, walkaround record.
  5. Be honest with DVSA. Be helpful. Don't argue at the roadside.

That's it. Everything else is detail.

1. What's actually on you (legally)

If a vehicle is in dangerous condition and you drove it, you drove a dangerous vehicle. The operator has their own duties — but yours is direct and personal.

Three things you carry every shift:

  • Roadworthiness — vehicle fit for the road. If it isn't, don't drive.
  • Drivers' hours — within the limits, tacho honest.
  • Load security — secure before you move. "I didn't load it" isn't a full defence.
Colin (direct)

"Your boss tells you to drive a wreck or run an extra hour past your limit? That's their problem you're being asked to make yours. Don't. Document it. There's a queue of solicitors and the Traffic Commissioner who'll back you over the boss every time."

2. Your licence and DQC — keep them current

Vocational licence: Cat C / C+E. Medical renewal at 45, then every 5 years to 65, then yearly. Don't let it lapse — overnight you go from professional driver to no-vocational-entitlement-at-all.

DQC: 35 hours every 5 years. Card expires on the date printed. Day after expiry, you can't drive professionally. Plan ahead.

Endorsements: points stay 4 years (most). 12 in 3 years usually = ban. Some offences (tacho fraud, dangerous driving) shortcut you straight to a Driver Conduct Hearing.

Colin says

"Owner-driver or agency? Your DQC is your problem alone. Big operator? Still your problem. Nobody else loses their licence if yours expires."

3. The walkaround — your daily armour

The most-checked record at any roadside stop. The thing standing between you and a roadside prohibition.

Every shift. 15-20 minutes. Recorded. Nil-defect counts.

Illustration brief — DRIVER WALKAROUND

Cartoon-y but detailed: a driver walking the circuit around a tractor + trailer with thought bubbles showing the items being checked at each stage. Colin perched on the bonnet calling out "Don't forget the trailer side!" Keep it warm — driver looks like a person, not a stock photo.

The order I do it (one example, suit yourself):

Cab first: - Seat belt, mirrors, glass - Wipers + washers (test 'em) - Horn (one press) - Steering — feel for play - Start up: warning lights, brakes pressure, no audible leaks - Tacho card in, right mode

Then walk it, anti-clockwise: - Front lights, plate, headboard - Driver's side: tyres (tread + sidewall + valve + nuts), bodywork, fuel cap - Underneath glance: leaks, brake lines, anything obviously wrong - Coupling (5th wheel + dog clip + susies) - Trailer driver's side: tyres, lights, body - Rear: lights, doors, plate, marker boards - Trailer passenger side: same as the other side - Tractor passenger side: tyres, bodywork, AdBlue - Front again — anything you missed

Three minutes is not a walkaround.

Colin warns

"If a defect is missed and DVSA find it later — and the prohibition lands on you — your defence is your walkaround record. No record = no defence. A nil-defect tick is your friend, not paperwork for the sake of it."

Found a defect?

  • Dangerous? Don't drive it. Report it. Wait for repair.
  • Not dangerous but real? Report it in writing. Operator decides on operational use. Make sure the report and the fix are both documented.
  • Mid-journey? Stop somewhere safe. Assess. Don't push on hoping it'll fix itself.

4. Tacho and hours — the limits, cold

Daily driving: 9 hrs. (10 twice a week.) Weekly driving: 56 hrs. Fortnightly driving: 90 hrs. Daily rest: 11 hrs. (9 hrs three times a week.) Weekly rest: 45 hrs (24 every other week). Break: 45 min after 4.5 hrs driving. Can split as 15 + 30 (in that order — 30+15 doesn't count).

Illustration brief — HOURS DIAGRAM

Simple horizontal timeline showing a typical compliant shift: "Walkaround 15min" → "Driving 4.5hrs" → "Break 45min" → "Driving 4.5hrs" → "Other work + rest". Annotated with the limits. Colin in the corner pointing to "the 4.5 hour line" with "before this!"

The four tacho modes:

  • Driving — auto when wheels turn
  • Other work — loading, unloading, walkaround, paperwork, fuelling
  • POA (Period of Availability) — waiting where you're available but not actually working
  • Rest — actual rest, you're not at the operator's disposal
Colin (direct)

"POA is for genuine waiting. Putting POA when you're loading is fraud. Putting Rest when you're working is fraud. The system catches it. The TC takes it seriously."

International work? AETR rules now (since April 2025). Same limits, but your card needs to hold 56 days of data, not 28.

Card-out periods. When you remove your card and reinsert (e.g. swap vehicles), make manual entries for the gap. The system prompts you. Do it accurately.

Most Serious Infringement (MSI): the worst category. Big driving overruns, repeat tacho offences, tampering. Risks a Driver Conduct Hearing. Keep your card on the right side of the line.

5. Working time — the WTD

Sits on top of drivers' hours. Different rules.

Average 48 hours per week over 17 weeks (or 26 with agreement). Max 60 in any single week.

WTD breaks: - 15 min after 6 hrs work - 30 min total after 6-9 hrs work - 45 min total after more than 9 hrs work

You can be legal on drivers' hours and illegal on WTD, or vice versa. Tacho analysis catches both.

6. Load security — make it move-proof

The rule: load can't move under heavy braking, hard cornering, or sharp acceleration. Specifically: 0.8g forward, 0.5g sideways and rear.

Before driving:

  • Bed clean and undamaged
  • Headboard sound
  • Anchorage points sound, not corroded
  • Equipment serviceable: straps with WLL labels legible, no fraying; chains for steel, undamaged links

Loading:

  • Watch it go on (or inspect on completion if you can't)
  • Centre of gravity low, weight distributed, axles within limits
  • Against the headboard if possible
  • Gap? Fill with proper dunnage

Securing:

  • Form-fit + lashing for most loads
  • Minimum 4 lashings, more for heavy or awkward
  • Tension to manufacturer's level (ratchet usually shows)
  • Re-tension after first short distance — non-negotiable, especially steel
Colin says

"If you'd rather pull over after 3 miles to re-tension than after 30 miles to pick up your load off the M62, you're already doing it right."

Steel — what changes

  • Pick your method by load weight, not folklore. Straps are fine for plenty of steel work — coils within strap WLL, lighter products, stillaged loads. Chains earn their place on heavier steel where straps run out of capacity. DVSA describes chains as "a very effective method" for steel — not as mandatory for everything.
  • Never mix chains and straps on the same load. December 2024 DVSA update — explicitly prohibited. Pick one method, commit to it.
  • Edge protection every chain or strap over a steel edge — every time, no exceptions. Steel cuts webbing fast and grinds chain links over distance.
  • Eye-horizontal coil — coil cradle, wedges fore and aft, multiple cross-restraints. Never on a flat bed.
  • Long products (rebar, scaffold, rounds) — restraint near each end and one in the middle for long loads, chocks both ends.
  • Plate stacks — must be stable on the bed before any restraint goes on. Restraint doesn't fix bad stacking.
  • Mill site — induction (annual at some), proper PPE, follow site rules even when annoying.
Colin on steel

"Steel work — right method for the weight, edge protectors every time, re-tension at 3 miles, chocks, never mix straps and chains on one load. None of that is optional. DVSA know steel kills more aggressively than crisps and they look closer. Run your steel work right and you sleep at night."

7. What to carry every shift

In the vehicle, every working day:

  • Driving licence
  • DQC (Driver Qualification Card)
  • Tacho card
  • Today's walkaround record (and ideally previous shifts on this vehicle)
  • Load paperwork (delivery notes, weighbridge tickets)
  • Operator/breakdown contact details

For international: passport, permits, evidence of cabotage compliance.

Colin says

"Carry it all in one wallet, one folder, one pouch. 'I think it's in my other jacket' is the worst opening line at a DVSA stop."

8. When DVSA stop you

The rough sequence:

  1. Directed to a check site
  2. Initial chat — where, what, who for
  3. Documents — licence, DQC, tacho card, walkaround
  4. Vehicle inspection — walkaround equivalent
  5. Tacho download — driver card + vehicle unit
  6. Decision

The five rules:

  • Co-operate fully. Powers are real. Obstruction is an offence.
  • Be honest. They'll find out anyway. Lying is fraud.
  • Be polite. Not their friend. Not their enemy.
  • Don't volunteer. Answer the question asked. Don't narrate the whole shift.
  • Take notes. Examiner name, time, what was said, what was found.
Colin (direct)

"If a finding is wrong, say so once, calmly. Then shut up. Roadside argument never won anything. Appeal is the proper route."

Possible outcomes:

  • Clear encounter — you go on. Goes positively on operator's record.
  • Verbal warning — minor matter, no formal action.
  • Fixed Penalty Notice — money + possible points. Accept and pay, or reject and go to court (get advice).
  • Delayed prohibition — vehicle returns to base, off-road until cleared.
  • Immediate prohibition — vehicle stays put. Cleared via workshop, certificate issued.

Prohibition issued? Notify operator immediately. Don't move the vehicle. Get the clearance certificate — not just the repair. The certificate lifts the prohibition.

9. Driver Conduct Hearing — when it gets serious

If DVSA refers you to the Traffic Commissioner, you can be called to a Driver Conduct Hearing. Why:

  • Repeated drivers' hours infringements
  • MSI
  • Tacho fraud
  • Driving while disqualified
  • Pattern of dangerous-condition driving
  • Specific safety incidents

At a DCH the TC can:

  • No action / warning
  • Suspend your vocational entitlement
  • Disqualify you (sometimes indefinitely)
  • Disqualify + retest

If you're called: specialist transport regulatory solicitor immediately. Bring evidence of remedial action — completed training, change of operator, documented behaviour change. Be honest. Show insight.

A DCH outcome isn't a career-ender, but it's a serious mark.

Colin says

"Don't go to a DCH alone. The TC sees through deflection in five seconds. They respect drivers who own the mistake and show what they've changed. They have no time for blame-shifting."

10. The bits no one talks about

Fatigue

The drivers' hours rules are minimum legal protections, not health advice. You can be legal on the tacho and unsafe on the road.

If you're too tired to drive safely, you don't drive. End of. Document if you're being pushed to.

Sleep

Aim 7-9 hours per 24. Roadside cab sleep is what it is, but if you're consistently running on insufficient sleep, that's a flag, not a routine.

Eating

Roadside food is what it is. Hydration matters more than most realise. Caffeine + sugar + dehydration = exhaustion in disguise.

Mental health

The transport industry has higher than average rates of stress, depression, and suicide. Long hours, isolation, time from home, financial pressure. You're not alone.

If you're struggling:

  • Mates in Mind — matesinmind.org (transport-specific, free, confidential)
  • Andy's Man Club — andysmanclub.co.uk (free peer-led men's mental health groups, UK + online, Mondays 7pm)
  • Samaritans — 116 123, 24/7
  • GP for clinical support
  • Your operator's EAP if there is one
  • Your union if you're a member
Colin (important)

"Talking to someone is not weakness. The strongest people I know in this industry are the ones who said 'I'm not OK' early. The ones who kept it quiet are the ones who didn't make it."

Sleep apnoea

Common in drivers, often undiagnosed, recognised crash risk. If your partner says you stop breathing in your sleep, or you're tired despite plenty of bed time — get tested. Treatment (CPAP) is straightforward. DVLA's view: treated sleep apnoea is a managed condition, not a career-ender. Hiding it is what ends careers.

Medical conditions generally

If you have a condition that may affect your fitness to drive — heart, diabetes, epilepsy, sleep apnoea, certain mental health, vision changes — you have a duty to inform DVLA. Most managed conditions don't end your driving career. Hidden conditions do.

Quick reference — the numbers cheat sheet

Thing Number
Walkaround time 15-20 min
Daily driving 9 hrs (10 twice/week)
Weekly driving 56 hrs
Fortnightly driving 90 hrs
Break 45 min after 4.5 hrs (or 15+30)
Daily rest 11 hrs (9 three times/week)
Weekly rest 45 hrs (24 every other week)
Tyre tread minimum 1mm across central 3/4 (replace earlier)
Tacho data on card 28 days domestic / 56 days international
Load restraint 0.8g forward, 0.5g sides + rear

Where to get more

  • Comprehensive version of this guide — checkpod.co.uk
  • gov.uk — search "HGV walkaround", "drivers' hours", "load securing"
  • DVSA Moving On blog — movingon.blog.gov.uk
  • Mates in Mind — matesinmind.org
  • Andy's Man Club — andysmanclub.co.uk
  • Samaritans — 116 123
Colin (closing)

"You drive for a living. The road's a serious place and the rules are mostly there for a reason. Most days they're invisible because you're already doing it right. This guide is just to make sure on the day they matter, you've got nothing to worry about."

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