Drivers' Hours - Tachographs

analogue equipment

If you still operate vehicles with analogue tachograph vehicle units you may well have some trucks with cassette units, as shown to the left above, although most analogues are the 'head' 'turn the key and open' machines.

As more and more operators take ownership of vehicles fitted with digital tachograph vehicle units it is hoped that the worry about the new equipment will reduce.

'Old school' drivers' and operators are still under the impression that they can leave the analogue activity mode switch on 'break' and everything will be ok ....... WRONG!!!

In fact it's important that drivers' never forget to record 'genuine' activities carried out during periods of duty. By this it is meant that drivers' should never be permitted to leave the activity mode switch on 'break' all day, so that only 'driving' and 'break' are recorded. Years ago this practice was largely accepted, but nowadays it's imperative that periods of 'driving' - 'other work' - 'periods of availability' and 'break/rest' are accurately recorded. VOSA Traffic Examiners are well trained and they will waste no time in asking a driver to explain how he or she can carry out walk round checks; loading and unloading and filling up of the vehicles fuel tank when they only show that they drive and take breaks!

Don't forget that if a driver has to use an analogue tachograph he has to manually complete the centre field, which is in itself is still a major task for the large majority of drivers'....................................

ANALOGUE CHART CENTRE FIELD COMPLETION

NAME:  IN FULL - surname and first name - either way round, it doesn't matter which way round (yes, really, check out the revised VOSA 2009 publication - 'drivers hours and tachographs')

LOCATION: start location at the beginning of the day and end at the end (even if they're the same every day)

VEHICLE REGISTRATION: clearly, so others can read your writing

DATE: start at the start and finish at the finsh (even if it's the same, you must write it twice)

ODOMETER READINGS :  start and finish (there is not any need to calculate / work out the total mileage travelled).

There's a lot more to this ............................ download the Tachomaster Guide to the Correct Use of the Analogue Tachograph, written by Steve Williams of Truck UK. It's free and full of useful advice and information on how to correctly use the analogue tachograph recording equipment

digital vehicle unit (VU) equipment

Since May 2006 every new in-scope commercial vehicle registered within Europe has been required to be fitted with digital tachograph recording equipment.

Every UK driver that uses a vehicle fitted with a digital tachograph must have been issued, by DVLA, with a personal to him/her digital tachograph driver card.

For all the information you should ever need regarding the use of digital tachograph recording equipment why not download, for free, a copy of the tachomaster Drivers' Guide to the Digital Tachograph?