recording your driving hours

[Shug]

Hi,

Apologies if this is covered elsewhere.

Do any drivers out there record your traction/mileage for your own interest? I'm considering doing this and wondered if anyone does do it could they please share how they do it and what format do they find works best for them

Cheers

 

[Mintona]

I tend to write traction numbers, headcodes and services and interesting details in a little notebook each day.

I've only been doing this since I started my latest job in December, I have no records for the 4 years before sadly

 

[Minilad]

I do it. Although I use rail miles I have my own spreadsheets and mileage charts.
I write everything I do in my diary then transfer to a spreadsheet later.
On average I do around 45-50 thousand miles a year at work.

 

[furnessvale]

Hi,

Apologies if this is covered elsewhere.

Do any drivers out there record your traction/mileage for your own interest? I'm considering doing this and wondered if anyone does do it could they please share how they do it and what format do they find works best for them

Cheers

My brother used his ASLEF diary. He can tell me what and where he was driving back to 1955!

 

[Skoodle]

When I started as a trainee, we had to record our hours and station stops, shunts, dark/night hours etc. I've always been a bit geeky with that type of thing so I created my own MS Access database.

It took a little bit of effort to initially input shunts and routes and mileage for each possible journey, but it worked out. So all I had to do was take my diagram home and fill in Date/Start/End/day or night/Headcode/Unit number and route driven (which is a pull down menu item).

The magic of it all then produced a form which gave me total number of stops, dark/day hours and mileage. By two years after it was in a different league and I ended up being able to keep a record of any out of course situations such as wrong routes, signal reversions, passing signals at danger etc. Unfortunately after 2 years my laptop was stolen and with it went the only copy I had. Pfft!

I started on a new one at the beginning of this year, haven't got anywhere near as complex as it was but who knows. I just love data! So far this year:

5190 miles driven
230 hr 31m Day driving
79 hr 56min Night driving
7,125 station stops of which 850 were offside platforms.
And I've crossed the Thames 487 times Haha!

 

[rebmcr]

Unfortunately after 2 years my laptop was stolen and with it went the only copy I had. Pfft!

I started on a new one at the beginning of this year

You should sync the .mdb file with an online storage service like OneDrive, DropBox, Google Drive, etc.

 

[Shug]

Thank you for the replies, very interesting. I'll definitely record things in my ASLEF diary and then have a go at a spreadsheet

 

[Kneedown]

I always write the routes and traction in my diary daily. Very useful when you're asked about a delay or unit fault on a service you weren't even working, which does happen from time to time.

 

[A Challenge]

I always write the routes and traction in my diary daily. Very useful when you're asked about a delay or unit fault on a service you weren't even working, which does happen from time to time.

I take it a mistake, not trying to catch you out?

 

[Kneedown]

I take it a mistake, not trying to catch you out?

Absolutely a mistake. Sometimes there are last minute swap arounds or shuffles to keep the job running.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Presumably there are lots of drivers who either record nowt, or who bin their records when their current notebook is full.

 

[tsr]

Nothing wrong with keeping your diagrams* for a bit. Takes up relatively little room in a couple of box files in the back of a cupboard, and saves trying to record complicated days at work anywhere else.

Marking diagrams appropriately is an art in and of itself (and can be the difference between an incident or not!).

* schedule cards

 

[driver9000]

Yes I do. I record duty details (on, off, turn number etc), traction number and the services I work with each unit. I also record any unusual occurrences too which can help if I get a delay slip a few days later. I've been keeping my notebooks for 12 years now.

 

[Shug]

Thank you all, I shall look forward to looking back over the years and seeing how things change

 

[Economist]

One thing I think may be useful for some drivers is a DOO diary, recording situations where you've had to step onto the platforms or lock out from the rear because the monitors are bad, when you've had to re-open the doors to let people on (groups which have become split) or when you've witnessed people doing dangerous things on platforms which could jeopodise the safety of the DOO process.

I was thinking that if a driver ever had an incident it could help demonstrate that they take things seriously and do everything properly. If anyone investigating wants proof they could always pull the CCTV to see the things in the diary in real life (don't know how long it's archived for).

 

[XDM]

Yes I do. I record duty details (on, off, turn number etc), traction number and the services I work with each unit. I also record any unusual occurrences too which can help if I get a delay slip a few days later. I've been keeping my notebooks for 12 years now.

I did exactly the same for three years. Then it became patchy because I would miss logging a day or two, & eventually I gave it up. I haven't read it since, but I expect when I am in the cripple siding(old folks home) I will re read it & get pleasure, or pain, seeing if I can still remember the routes.