Book on

[island]

Why, in the railway, are the processes of registering one's presence for work and one's departure from work known as booking on and booking off? I have never heard either term outside the industry (although perhaps I am a bit sheltered ).

 

[A-driver]

Why, in the railway, are the processes of registering one's presence for work and one's departure from work known as booking on and booking off? I have never heard either term outside the industry (although perhaps I am a bit sheltered ).

I thought most industries said you were booking on? It's just the usual terminology although if you said you were clocking off or signing on or reporting for duty then in pretty sure all concerned would know exactly what you meant.

I don't know the origins of the terms but I didn't think it was that unique to the railway?

 

[Clip]

Im sure its to do with just signing in the book when you started for your shift.

Like clocking on came around by using the punch card clock machines in factories and so on.

 

[Lockwood]

I'm not sure about the NHS, but non-NHS ambulances will "book on with Control" when they start a contract shift.

 

[NI 271]

Buses also.

 

[Termy]

It's known as "swiping in" or "swiping out" at my employer, as we all have unique swipe cards (which are our name badges as well. Stupid, I know.) which the machine uses to identify us.

 

[Mojo]

I know some non railway companies use the term 'clocking on' where you put your time card into a machine or type in your employee number (or whatever you do), whereas to me 'booking on' at a railway company involves presenting yourself to a Duty Manager (or Supervisor), signing in, confirming yourself fit and ready for duty with all your equipment and knowledge intact and correct.

 

[CockneySparrow]

It's known as "swiping in" or "swiping out" at my employer, as we all have unique swipe cards (which are our name badges as well. Stupid, I know.) which the machine uses to identify us.

Do you have to use your swipe card to gain access though to different areas of the premises

I've worked with that system and some cards dont grant access to to some areas such as the logistics dept

 

[dysonsphere]

I've worked with that system and some cards dont grant access to to some areas such as the logistics dept

LOL played that game went thru 3 other doors and was then other side of locked door. Normally down to bad data entry.

 

[Welshman]

Railway signallers used to sign on and off in the Train Register Book at the change of shift.
Could that be the origin of "booking-on" - at least as far as the railways are concerned?

 

[A-driver]

Railway signallers used to sign on and off in the Train Register Book at the change of shift.
Could that be the origin of "booking-on" - at least as far as the railways are concerned?

I'm pretty sure that the term 'booking on' would come from the fact that traditionally you are signing your name in a physical book.

 

[northwichcat]

I would have thought the hours spent driving a train would be more important than what time a driver turned up and left. Isn't that what's recorded for bus drivers?

 

[driver9000]

I would have thought the hours spent driving a train would be more important than what time a driver turned up and left. Isn't that what's recorded for bus drivers?

We still have start and finish times though. We have more duties than simply driving the train and we don't turn up 5 minutes before train time. Depending on the duty I may be at work 40 minutes or more before actually turning a wheel.

 

[Latecomer]

I would have thought the hours spent driving a train would be more important than what time a driver turned up and left. Isn't that what's recorded for bus drivers?

What time the driver leaves isn't but the booking on is for the reasons Mojo stated. There should be adequate time to present yourself as 'fit for duty' and to read the late notice cases, etc. At this time of year the late notice case can be pretty full with information a driver really needs to know. Even if a driver theoretically arrives in time to drive their train some booking on managers will send out a spare driver if the late arriving driver is has been rushing and does not really have adequate time to prepare themselves for duty. That's by no means consistently applied, but ideally it should be.

 

[northwichcat]

We still have start and finish times though. We have more duties than simply driving the train and we don't turn up 5 minutes before train time. Depending on the duty I may be at work 40 minutes or more before actually turning a wheel.

I wasn't saying there wasn't. Just the EU laws seem to apply to how long you can drive a vehicle without a break. I don't think there's any reason why drivers can't work a 48 hour week if 30 hours is spent on carrying out non-driving duties but I'm sure you can't spend 48 hours a week actually driving trains.

 

[9K43]

In BR days we had a Train Crew Supervisor( TCS) who booked you in on his list.
This list was on a clip board, and when you started/ went home the TCS logged you in and out of duty.
After a while the TCS/ were removed and went to Imminham and you signed on down the phone and same when you went home
We had time sheets and these were faxed to Imminham before you went home.
Then we got mobile phones and we logged of with these..