TrailerBoys:
Thanks for all the replies so far chaps. So it looks like i need a tacho but not an O license as it a duel purpose use vehicle.On a question of Tachos then, [ive never used one] when im not using the truck for work, which is around 70% of the time, do i still have to use the tacho, or can you just turn it off and do what you like and what speed you want etc. Or does it not work like that?
You cannot turn it off. You can just ignore it though 
Heres my set up.
billybigrig:
You cannot turn it off. You can just ignore it though
Brilliant, so it doesnt limit the speed or anything like that then?
TrailerBoys:
billybigrig:
You cannot turn it off. You can just ignore it thoughBrilliant, so it doesnt limit the speed or anything like that then?
Nope 
cool…anyone know the place to go to buy one, and i take it i could fit it myself seeings as i own a garage, i guess i need to apply for a digi card?
TrailerBoys:
cool…anyone know the place to go to buy one, and i take it i could fit it myself seeings as i own a garage, i guess i need to apply for a digi card?
You can’t fit it yourself as it has to be calibrated and sealed, Look up tachograph centres.
I got a rough quote to fit one to a van and depending on make and model it was between £700 - £1200 and to have one fitted to a new van was an extra £500 - £650 depending on the van.
I am very surprised that you were able to buy a new commercial vehicle which has a towbar as standard kit without one. A friend of mine was told by his nisson dealer that if he order his new pick truck with a towbar that it was law that the dealer had to fit a tachograph.
miketdt:
I am very surprised that you were able to buy a new commercial vehicle which has a towbar as standard kit without one. A friend of mine was told by his nisson dealer that if he order his new pick truck with a towbar that it was law that the dealer had to fit a tachograph.
What about buying a pickup or van to pull a trailer for private use?
Nothing in the new van options lists that I’m looking at says if I want a towbar fitted I have to have a tachograph.
TrailerBoys:
Thanks for all the replies so far chaps. So it looks like i need a tacho but not an O license as it a duel purpose use vehicle.On a question of Tachos then, [ive never used one] when im not using the truck for work, which is around 70% of the time, do i still have to use the tacho, or can you just turn it off and do what you like and what speed you want etc. Or does it not work like that?
you dont need to use the taco when not pulling the trailer so just ignore it!
its a bit of a farse realy, just say you drove round all day with the trailer on and vosa dont stop you when you return to your yard or base who is to know if you had the trailer on or not?
once you know what you are doing you will be able to make the records show what you want!
miketdt:
I am very surprised that you were able to buy a new commercial vehicle which has a towbar as standard kit without one. A friend of mine was told by his nisson dealer that if he order his new pick truck with a towbar that it was law that the dealer had to fit a tachograph.
Was he also told it was illegal to buy one without mink floor mats, gold plated load cover, kryptonite undersealing and extended warranty 
miketdt:
I am very surprised that you were able to buy a new commercial vehicle which has a towbar as standard kit without one. A friend of mine was told by his nisson dealer that if he order his new pick truck with a towbar that it was law that the dealer had to fit a tachograph.
I buy a new truck typically every 18months and spec them with the full tow kit, and have never been asked about a tacho, neither have my colleagues who run new Hilux’s
miketdt:
I am very surprised that you were able to buy a new commercial vehicle which has a towbar as standard kit without one. A friend of mine was told by his nisson dealer that if he order his new pick truck with a towbar that it was law that the dealer had to fit a tachograph.
Thats complete rubbish.
If you have a double cab, it’s classed a dual purpose, you just need a tacho, if it was a single cab you need an O Licence.
You can do the work yourself and then get it sealed and calibrated. Theoretically any vosa approved tacho place has to do calibrations on vehicles presented but a lot might not like 4x4s and possibly best not to risk damage to the vehicles as they need to be careful with 4x4s on a rolling road and put on axle stands.
If there’s an electronic sender somewhere, you can use something like this to provide a signal to the head, they will certainly be able to advise if suitable for vehicle model in any case:
sailesmarketing.com/products/ele … chographs/
Doing the fitting of just the head unit in the cab would save a big part of the job in any case. If digital tacho is being fitted (have to be for your vehicle age) it has to be visible and able to operate whilst driving though can’t go in glovebox etc.
Personally, for your use, I would just plan routes away from known VOSA haunts where possible and if pulled tell them you’ve just collected a car you’ve bought and have borrowed a mates trailer.
You should be able to get it sub £500 fully installed though if you shop around and find someone that’s actually done a lot of them.
repton:
muckles:
But don’t need an O’licence at all if you operating a dual purpose vehicle.The definition of “dual purpose vehicle” isn’t completely straightforward either, in the linked document it says:
The dual purpose category generally includes cars, estates, pickups (with a second row of seats (crew cab) only), and domestic 4x4 vehicles such as Land Rovers, Jeeps, and other
similar vehicles below 2040kgs unladen weight.Well I have a Land Rover, but it is over 2040kg unladen. So does it count or not?
Paul
From the way I understand it if it’s say a Land Rover Discovery or Range Rover it’s a private car, registered as such, and dual purpose regardless of weight although this is far from clear from Vosas guidance. If not it’s very misleading to say Land Rovers when, at that time, only the Freelander model would be sub 2040kg.
Remember the other rules when driving under EU regs in any week such as the weekly rest rule and the official records rule
vosa.gov.uk/guide-for-horsebox-owners - that link explains what you need to know even though it was designed for the horsey community they have the same issues
miketdt:
I am very surprised that you were able to buy a new commercial vehicle which has a towbar as standard kit without one. A friend of mine was told by his nisson dealer that if he order his new pick truck with a towbar that it was law that the dealer had to fit a tachograph.
A friend of mine has a Dodge Ram with a towbar, he bought it new and it doesn’t need a tachograph even though he pulls a trailers behind it, perfectly legal.
Although if I was still the vehicle salesman I would probably use the same line 
Own Account Driver:
You can do the work yourself and then get it sealed and calibrated. Theoretically any vosa approved tacho place has to do calibrations on vehicles presented but a lot might not like 4x4s and possibly best not to risk damage to the vehicles as they need to be careful with 4x4s on a rolling road and put on axle stands.If there’s an electronic sender somewhere, you can use something like this to provide a signal to the head, they will certainly be able to advise if suitable for vehicle model in any case:
sailesmarketing.com/products/ele … chographs/Doing the fitting of just the head unit in the cab would save a big part of the job in any case. If digital tacho is being fitted (have to be for your vehicle age) it has to be visible and able to operate whilst driving though can’t go in glovebox etc.
Personally, for your use, I would just plan routes away from known VOSA haunts where possible and if pulled tell them you’ve just collected a car you’ve bought and have borrowed a mates trailer.
You should be able to get it sub £500 fully installed though if you shop around and find someone that’s actually done a lot of them.
Unfortunately the electronic interface you have linked to isn’t an option for fitting a new tachograph as its not approved. We have recently gone down the route of fitting a tachograph to our Vivaro van and my planned route was a tacho from ebay and one of these interfaces. The law is quite clear that for all new tachograph installations they must comply with the latest legislation regardless of the age of the vehicle. That means now you must fit the new generation 3 digi tacho and an approved interface. Thankfully our local tacho centre supplied us with the kit which we fitted in our own workshop and returned to them for sealing and calibration. Think the price of the tacho (gen2) and the interface was around £800 or so. 99% of the time it stays in ‘out of scope’ mode and just switch it back when towing the trailer. We are a motorsports prep company and after many messages back and fore with VOSA I now have it in writing that we don’t need an o license as towing doesn’t form the main part of our business. Of course they use the old line that its one persons interpretation and only a court can give true definition of the law. That said, as the op is running a double cab and it looks like the l200 is under the 2040kg exemption limit then all they should need is a tachograph and suitable insurance for transporting vehicles rather than just recovery.
Own Account Driver:
From the way I understand it if it’s say a Land Rover Discovery or Range Rover it’s a private car, registered as such, and dual purpose regardless of weight although this is far from clear from Vosas guidance. If not it’s very misleading to say Land Rovers when, at that time, only the Freelander model would be sub 2040kg.
Because, by definition, a dual purpose vehicle can carry goods it can’t have an exemption that would apply to private cars so the 2040 kgs would apply (IMO)
TrailerBoys:
GTW- is usually over 5T
Tacho is definitely required when you have the trailer on when used for commercial purposes whether anything is on the trailer or not.
Wheel Nut:
A friend of mine has a Dodge Ram with a towbar, he bought it new and it doesn’t need a tachograph even though he pulls a trailers behind it, perfectly legal.
If he is using it solely for personal use then that advice is correct. As soon as he uses it for business, it needs a tacho.