Taxi Driver Online

The interpretation that I have been given is this.

An employed driver sat on the rank waiting for an hour is working.

A self employed driver can be deemed in control of his actions, so this could be regarded as 'rest time' and not counting towards his weekly hours.

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A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

I think originally the EU wanted it to be that the time drivers were booked on as a PH, or sitting on a rank as a taxi, would be part of the working week.

This rule was brought in to safe-guard lorry drivers waiting at border crossings i.e. they would still be paid, even though they were sitting around doing nothing.

It has since been modified to be as Tom said, self-employed drivers are basically free to decide for themselves, whereas employed drivers are now under the working week.

But a time will come when we all have to adhere to a maximum working week.

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IDFIMH

We have parttimers that work a 9 hour day in the office and then drive a cab for 12 hours.
The owners though dont seem to mind. Strange that eh?

thats bullshit C Gull and the kinda loose talk that puts our industry in bad light
next you will tell us that your neighbours send little boys up chimneys.

I can't believe there is anyone in this trade that doesn't know someone who has a full-time job, yet drives a cab/PH for up to 12 hours on a Fri/Sat night.

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IDFIMH

I doubt if there are many that do a day job then do 12 hours on taxis, but there are certainly many who do a day job then work maybe 7-9 hours, in my experience at least.

But therre are quite a few full-time drivers in the trade who do 'doublers' ie do the day shift AND the night shift, and also a few part-timers who do this as well on their day off.

At least that's my experience, but in my manor we spend most of our time sitting around anyway, so even if DRIVING hours were limited, it probably wouldn't change the doublers.

i was talking to another driver from a different company last night (friday) while waiting for a fare at around 1am.
he'd been on since 8am in the morning, went home for tea at 5pm back out at at 7pm and was intending to work until 3 or 4am. if that wasn't bad enough he was intending to do the same the next day !
he was doing good money, but i'd hate to think anyone from my family was getting in to his car after he'd been doing his second 16 hour day on the trot...

it is legal to work 16 hour days in a 44 tonne truck. i know what i would rather be driving if i fell asleep at the wheel

I shall have to remember that one