What is a digital tachograph?
Digital tachographs are equipped with cargo and passenger vehicles that are subject to the rules for the use of tachographs and were put into operation on May 1, 2006. This is a digital version of the analog tachograph system. The digital system records information about various actions of the vehicle and the driver. The data is stored in the vehicle’s memory unit and on the driver’s card.
The tachograph stores the following data:
- The date
- Vehicle registration number
- Vehicle speed (for the previous 24 hours of driving)
- Information about whether the driver works alone or with a partner
- The number of times the driver card was inserted each day.
- Distance traveled by the driver – he reads the vehicle odometer when inserting and removing the driver card.
- Driver actions – driving, rest, breaks, other work, periods of availability
- Date and time of change of type of activity
- Events (e.g. driving without a driver’s card, speeding, attempted fraud, etc.) as well as faults
- Checks by law enforcement officers
- Tachograph calibration data
- System interference
How does the digital tachograph system work?
Digital tachographs consist of an internal vehicle unit, motion sensors and a smart card (see diagram below).
The internal unit of TK (VB) is the brains of the system. It has a processor, real-time clock, two card slots (for driver and co-driver), display, printer, download connector and manual entry device. The indoor unit is located in the driver’s area of the cabin.
The motion or speed sensor is located on the gearbox. It transmits the data in an encrypted form about the speed of the vehicle and the distance traveled by the vehicle to the VB for recording. The VB and the motion sensor are connected, and the signal from the sensor is fully encrypted. This means that any attempt to interfere with their work will be recorded and recorded by the internal unit.
There are four types of smart cards – driver card, control card, workshop card and company card. This card allows WB to identify the cardholder and allows you to transfer and store data.
How much data can the vehicle’s internal unit and the driver’s card store?
The driver card can store data for up to 28 days. When it is full, new data can be written over the saved data. The vehicle’s internal unit stores data for the previous 365 days, after which the oldest data is overwritten.
What should I do with digital tachograph data?
You have two responsibilities.
Download data from the driver card (at least every 28 days) and from the vehicle’s internal unit (at least every 90 days ) and store them for one year. You must provide access to the uploaded information in its “raw” format to a law enforcement officer upon request.
Monitor the driver’s records and printouts. If violations of the driver’s rules are detected, you must respond to them and take measures to prevent their recurrence.
Archiving digital data is actually easy. This archived data must retain its “digital signature”. It is used to confirm that the data is authentic and has not been tampered with.
As the data on the driver card will be overwritten after approximately 28 days, you need to copy this data by then.
As part of your monitoring responsibilities, you must check and report the following:
- Non-compliance by the driver with the rules regarding driving hours
- Information on “missing mileage” – when the driver drove the vehicle without a driver’s card
- Lack of activity during breaks between shifts, other work, etc
- Lack of a place to start and end
- Cases of speeding
What other responsibilities does the operator have?
Testing:
Data Processing:
Supervisors:
Instruct and train drivers in the correct operation of the equipment.
Ensure drivers follow your instructions by checking compliance.
Follow the rules regarding driving hours when planning routes.
Working:
Supply the vehicle with sufficient printer paper for the recording equipment.
Ensure proper use of driver cards and digital tachographs.
Arrange for the recording equipment to be repaired during the trip if the trip lasts longer than a week after the malfunction occurred.
Carry out full calibration checks within two years of the last calibration.
Send the equipment for recalibration if:
• the system was repaired,
• the time shown on the display is incorrect by more than 20 minutes,
• the registration number of the vehicle was changed,
• the length of the tire circumference has been changed, or
• seals or mounting plates are damaged or missing.
Using your company card, “lock” data on the vehicle’s internal unit before first use and “unlock” data on the vehicle’s internal unit when the vehicle is removed from your fleet.
How can I view the data on the driver card?
You can view data on the card:
on a computer after downloading the data with the appropriate software,
in printed form in the vehicle, or on the display of the internal unit of the vehicle.
How do I download data from the vehicle’s internal unit and from the driver card?
To download data from the vehicle’s head unit, you will need a download device and your company card. Data from the driver’s card can be downloaded through the vehicle’s internal unit using a computer or the necessary software.
Most digital tachograph manufacturers and other software providers have download devices and software packages that can be used to download and decode digital tachograph information.
Using the driver’s card
How to use the driver’s card in the tachograph unit?
You must have a valid driver card to operate the tachograph unit. Your driver card is intended for you personally (like a driver’s license). Using the card, the indoor unit identifies you.
If you do not have a valid driver’s card, you must not drive a vehicle with a digital tachograph. If your card is lost, stolen or not working, you can drive a vehicle without a driver’s card for a maximum of 15 calendar days, subject to certain requirements. For example, you will need
take printouts at the start and end of your shift and add personal information such as your name, signature and driver’s license number. You will need to prove that you have taken steps to resolve the problem and apply to the Road Safety Authority for a replacement card.
Illegal:
- use another person’s card,
- forge a card, or obtain a card using a false statement or using false documents.
Before driving, you must insert the card into 1 slot of the tachograph. The vehicle unit will identify and validate the card. If your card is validated, the tachograph will display a symbol with your name. If the card is not confirmed, the message “Invalid card inserted” will appear on the display. Acknowledge the warning, clear the message, and remove the card, then try again.
How to log in?
1. Turn on the ignition of the vehicle.
2. Insert your driver card into slot 1 with the SIM chip facing up and the arrow pointing forward. The driver’s image will be turned down. Do not use force.
3. If the vehicle is driven by two drivers, driver 2 can insert the card into slot 2 after driver 1’s card is read.
4. Follow the instructions on the display, which will show the following:
• Greetings and driver’s name.
• Date and time when the last card was removed.
• Question: “Is this card insertion an extension of the current daily period?” Enter your answer – yes, no or cancel.
• Option to manually enter a record of any activity since the last card insertion. You can make recordings using a handheld device on the tachograph.
5. If you need to make a manual entry, select YES and you will be prompted to enter your actions. Enter data about other work, periods of availability, rest and breaks. You can only make manual entries when the vehicle is stopped and your card is in the slot.
6. If you do not need to make manual entries, select NO and then click OK.
7. Select the country and click OK.
8. When all data from your card has been read, the card symbol will appear. The standard display for the vehicle’s indoor unit will appear.
9. You are logged in.
Why do I need to make manual entries?
You need to keep records of your activities. If your card is not inserted into the tachograph, you need to record this. A digital tachograph allows the driver to enter records of the activities he/she performs outside of his/her vehicle using the manual entry option offered by the device.
You must manually enter entries in the following cases:
the device does not work;
the driver violated the rules due to an unforeseen event (if, for example, due to the search for a suitable parking place, an exceptional deviation from the minimum rest time and maximum driving time occurs);
records need correction.
If this occurs, the driver should record his/her actions or reasons on the back of the printable paper roll.
Below is an example of a handwritten note on the back of a printout:
An entry made manually using a manual entry device on the tachograph is stored only on the driver card and not stored on the vehicle’s internal unit – as the entries made manually relate only to the driver’s actions that are recorded.
Drivers do not need to enter activity records recorded on the tachograph’s analog chart discs.
What if I made a mistake?
If you made a mistake and confirmed the incorrect entry manually, you should take and sign a printout for the relevant period with a note detailing the error and the reasons for it.
What should I do with my card at the end of the working period?
The best thing is to remove the driver’s card from the tachograph and finish your own
change
You can only remove the driver card from the tachograph when the vehicle is not moving. Your card will not be removed from the device until all data is written to it.
1. Turn off the vehicle engine, but leave the ignition on.
2. Enter an action, for example: at the end of the work shift, enter “rest” if you are going to rest
3. Click “delete”
4. Select “country” at the end of the shift and “confirm”. If a printout is required, select “Yes” and confirm. If you do not need a printout, select “No” and confirm.
Does the tachograph record the action automatically?
The vehicle device will automatically record the driving action when the vehicle is moving. The tachograph will store data using the following symbols:
“Driving time” is automatically recorded on tachographs
By default, the system will switch to “other work” mode when the vehicle is stopped. It is necessary to use the switch on the tachograph device in order to correctly register your activity – other work, availability, breaks and rest. Select one of the options from the list and enter data for each action.
“Other work” – this term covers all work other than driving vehicles (eg working in a warehouse, loading vehicles)
“Availability period” – applies to the waiting time, if you know in advance how long it will last e
“Breaks” or “rest” – covers breaks from work and daily and weekly rest periods
If you don’t use the mode switch correctly, you’re breaking the law.
There are three manufacturers of tachographs and visual displays, so the menu items on each system are different. You need to learn how to use the tachograph system on the vehicle(s) you drive.
How does the digital tachograph record the driver’s actions if my work period is extended by two days?
The tachograph saves data daily – from midnight to midnight. If you start work at 21:00 and finish at 05:00 in the morning, the tachograph will register data for this period as activity for two days – from 21:00 to 23:59 and from 00:00 to 05:00 in the morning.
Does the tachograph give a warning?
The system warns you 15 minutes before you reach the legally permitted continuous driving time of 4.5 hours.
It also warns of system crashes, power issues, or hardware-detected abnormal operation caused by a fraud attempt.
Warnings are visual (flashing light). Audible warnings may also be installed on some systems. The reason for the warning will be highlighted on the display until you confirm it.
Visual warnings are clearly visible both day and night.
Visual warnings remain in the queue on the display until acknowledged by the driver ( usually by pressing the ” OK ” or ” back ” button, depending on the type of tachograph installed on your vehicle . Each warning or error message must be acknowledged separately .
What does the abbreviation UTC stand for?
All time indicators in the tachograph are registered in UTC. UTC stands for Coordinated Universal Time – the same as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). GMT is the time zone in Ireland and Britain during winter. All devices on vehicles operate using UTC as the time reference – all time events are stored, displayed and printed in UTC.
Control will be carried out using UTC – drivers should be careful when entering data manually. Manual data entry must be in UTC.
The visual display can be set to the local time, but this will not affect the internal time of the device. Remember that the saved recording will be one hour behind daylight savings time – for example, if you start at 06:00 AM, the recording will register as 05:00 AM. In winter there will be no difference as Ireland reverts back to GMT.
What should I do if I drive different vehicles equipped with analog and digital tachographs?
If you drive different vehicles equipped with analogue and digital tachographs, you must be able to provide:
your driver card, all daily printouts or manual entries from the digital tachograph, and the analog chart discs of the tachograph recording equipment.
Records must cover the current day and the previous 28 days, be kept in a secure location, and be made available to a law enforcement officer upon request.
What information is recorded on the tachograph printout?
This is an example of a daily printout from the driver’s card.
What does a printout of a driver’s card mean
- 1. Print date and time in UTC
- 2. Controller name, card issuing country and card number
- 3. Vehicle registration number, country of registration and registration mark
- 4. The last verification center, information on the verification card and date
- 5. Validity date and number of days of card use
- 6. Type of printout (map printout in 24 hours)
- 7. Name of the card holder (driver), country of issue and card number
- 8. Information about the tachograph Manufacturer, country, model.
- 9. Last verification. Country of the controller, card number, time and date of verification
- 10. Actions when the driver’s card was inserted into the first slot
- 11. The total number of daily actions on the driver’s card
Do I need a company card if I am a driver-owner?
Yes, does the company card allow you to access the data stored in the digital tachograph? You will need it to protect your data on the indoor unit if you rent or sell the vehicle. You also need to upload data to comply with data retention laws. To download data from the vehicle’s head unit, you will need a download device and a company card.
You may not have vehicles in your fleet equipped with digital tachographs, however, if you rent or lease a vehicle equipped with a digital tachograph, you will need to be able to download and lock the data into the system.
The company card cannot be used for driving.
The company card should be used to record data before the vehicle is used to protect the data that will later be recorded in the tachograph. It is not possible to protect data retroactively, and any unprotected data will be open for anyone to download. Using a company card will prevent unauthorized access to data and allow your company to comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. It also ensures that competitors do not gain access to your tachograph data.
What information is stored on the company card?
The following general information is stored on the company card:
- company name and address,
- card number,
- country, authority and date of issue, and date of commencement and expiry.
- Each time the card is used, the next one is stored on it
- information:
- date and time,
- the task being performed, such as downloading, displaying, locking/unlocking data on the tachograph.
- data download duration,
- vehicle registration number,
- card number and country of issue of the driver card being checked or downloaded.
- The company card does not store the data of the driver’s card and the internal unit of the vehicle.
Some basic rules for drivers
When driving a vehicle with a digital tachograph, you should:
- use the driver’s card every day you drive, starting from the moment you get behind the wheel of the vehicle;
- set the mode switch to the appropriate activity and make sure you use it throughout the work period to record other work, periods of availability, rest and breaks:
- remove your driver card when the vehicle is transferred to another driver, or when the vehicle is not under your care or another driver may be driving it;
- protect your card, keep it clean and unbent;
- record the country in which you start and end your work periods (always do this at the beginning and end of the period);
- enter records about your activity, if any, manually – other work, break, rest and periods of availability – since the last time the driver’s card was removed from the tachograph.
At the request of any law enforcement officer, you must be able to provide:
- i) your driver card;
- ii) any manual entries and printouts made during the current day and the previous 28 days;
- iii) analogue tachograph diagram discs for any vehicle fitted with an analogue tachograph driven by the driver during the current day and the previous 28 days.
Disclaimer: Operators and drivers should refer to the digital tachograph instruction manual for information on how to operate the digital tachograph. This manual is intended only for familiarization with the digital tachograph and is not an interpretation of the law.