Driving regulations (EU 561)

[t.mateit]

Hi there!

We want to enhance our transport module with the possibility to plan tours (with assigned driver(s)) according to the EU regulations 561 (driving regulations).
According to the PTV documentation, PTV can handle these requirements by using the DriverRegulations class.
"To use driver regulations according to the EU one must set up an instance of the class DriverRegulations, specify a set of initial values and add the instance to the array of BaseRegulations in PlanningParams."

What are we planning to do? (use case)
The dispatcher plans a tour (several stops where loading and unloading happens) with our planning screen and assigns well fitting resources (truck, driver, trailer). Afterwards, this tour is going to be sent to PTV in order to get the final "itinerary" for this tour including all breaks that are needed in order to comply with the EU regulations. These stops are added to our tour as tour stops.
So far so good...In order to comply with the EU 561 regulations PTV needs to know when the driver(s) which are assigned to this tour have been driving resp. resting in the last 2 weeks. Without this information PTV cannot plan the tour according to these regulations...

Now my questions:
1. I read the documentations about the PTV components to use but I don't know how to fill them up. How can I tell the PTV interface the driving/breaking times of the drivers for the last 2 weeks?
2. Does somebody have similar requirements and did already an implementation using PTV to solve the driving regulation issue?

Thanks in advance for your help...

BR
Thomas

[Bernd Welter]

Hello Thomas,

I think the main challenge here is how to communicate the remaining periods ( = the input & output parameter that describes the remaining driving budget) on your own. The parameter itself is designed to be used either

• when planning from scratch in combination with the DriverSettings / DriverRegulations: here we produce the RemainingPeriod value as output which can be forwarded to a next planning call
• as input when appending another planning to an existing plan (in combination with the case described above)

What is missing at the moment is a documentation of the RemainingPeriods string. This documentation would enable you to define your own knowledge of the drivers history. I forwarded this kind of requirement to the product management and DEV.
It's up to them to check whether we can provide such a document on short term.

Best regards Bernd

[t.mateit]

Hi Bernd!

Thanks for the fast reply...

You wrote: "As input when appending another planning to an existing plan (in combination with the case described above)"

What I don't really understand is how the xServer respects the weekly/fortnightly driving/resting rule with this logic. As I understand it, I always get a number of h/m/s (in some format) back from the xServer that tells me how long the driver is allowed to drive (i think on the same day, right?).

But I would have to implement in our system the whole logic that covers the following:

1. 1. Total weekly driving time may not exceed 56 hours and the total fortnightly driving time may not exceed 90 hours.

• 2. Weekly rest is 45 continuous hours, which can be reduced every second week to 24 hours. Compensation arrangements apply for reduced weekly rest period. Weekly rest is to be taken after six days of working, except for coach drivers engaged in a single occasional service of international transport of passengers who may postpone their weekly rest period after 12 days in order to facilitate coach holidays.

• ...there are more regulations like this

Only if the system covers these weekly/fortnightly points it covers the EU 561 regulations. Can I cover these points already with the remaining periods parameter? If so, how?

BR
Thomas

[Bernd Welter]

Hello Thomas,

we already checked this via phone but let me just add a comment here for the community:
The questions you raised refer to two major topics

• How to define rules to be applied: this deals with the classes DriverRegulations and DriverSettings: DriverRegulations is the proper cntainer to DEFINE the rules such as Break- and Restrules and more. DriverSettings enable or disable those rules for the given drivers (or to be more precise: the Vehicle including its drivers).
• How to set up the data workflow of an individual drivers current driving, waiting, break, shift times: this data is maintained in the cryptic RemainingPeriods. You can't create that string on your own (due to a non-existing documentation which is the case by design) but you may consume, store and forward this string generated by a previous method call.

I hope this is a short summary for you and the others,

Best regards Bernd