What’s the purpose of smart tachographs?

Smart tachographs record driver-related data: driving speed, mileage and break and rest periods. These digital devices, which are installed in fleet vehicles, help ensure that businesses comply with legislation on drivers’ hours.

How does a smart tachograph work?

Fleets that operate trucks and buses have been required to use tachographs since 2005. As of 2019, smart tachographs must be installed in all new vehicles. Exemptions to tachograph rules include emergency service vehicles and vehicles that don’t travel faster than 25 mph.

Smart tachographs help fleets contribute to road safety. By complying with drivers’ hours rules, fleets support driver wellbeing — a well-rested driver will be a safer driver. Smart tachographs, also called digital tachographs, begin to record data as soon as a vehicle is in motion. The collected data provides details on vehicle speed and mileage, along with the driver’s non-working time.

How does a smart tachograph register time?

Smart tachographs always record vehicle- and driver-related data in Universal Time, or UTC. Therefore, clock changes for the start and end of British Summer Time won’t affect how a digital tachograph captures data. Drivers can change the tachograph’s display time, so that it shows local time. But the device will continue to register all data according to UTC.

In terms of a driver’s maximum hours behind the wheel, a smart tachograph allows for: 9 hours of driving in a single day (this can be extended to 10 hours up to twice a week); 56 hours in one week; 90 hours for consecutive period of 2 weeks. Operators and drivers alike must comply with maximum driving times, along with required break and rest periods. Infringements could result in fines and other serious consequences.

What are the different types of tachograph smartcards?

There are four types of tachograph smartcards. Company cards enable fleet managers to stay on top of driver data for compliance purposes. Workshop cards are accessible by authorised users only, as these smartcards are used to install and repair tachographs. Control cards apply to legislative authorities, who can check tachograph data and driver compliance during roadside stops or incidents. A driver card records and stores a driver’s working hours and rest periods. Workshop cards are valid for one year only, while driver cards are valid for five years.

How has legislation around smart tachographs changed?

EU regulations and tachograph compliance

Tachograph compliance has evolved over the past few decades. The first analogue devices were introduced in the 1950s. Then in 2005, fleet vehicles manufactured in the EU were required to have tachographs installed. A rule change in June 2019 required all new fleet vehicles in the EU to have smart tachographs installed, ushering in digital devices. As of August 2023, Mobility Package 1 strengthens rules on drivers’ hours and industry competition. By December 2025, all transport fleets will have smart tachograph version 2 installed in their vehicles.