I understand these new smartcard digital tachographs are to be fitted to new trucks from August 05 (should have been Aug 04 but no type approved units available 
)
So when can we get our smart cards issued and how do we learn how to use the things?
I’ve just ‘googled’ the subject and found nothing helpful on the governments websites?
Anyone throw any light on this?
I’ve just ‘googled’ the subject and found nothing helpful on the governments websites
and did you really expect to find anything of interest on a goverment web site 
I understand these new smartcard digital tachographs are to be fitted to new trucks from August 05 (should have been Aug 04 but no type approved units available )
i think that they are being put on hold at the moment,don’t think they are ready yet.shock just like the wtd keeps getting put back.why not just scrap it and continue with how thing’s are.nothing wrong with the way thing’s are now is there 
Well I wouldn’t worry but… I’ve just ordered a new truck and as it will be delivered after August I’m told it’ll come with a new style tacho fitted 
Now I’m no luddite - in fact if it makes keeping legel easier I welcome it, but I’d just like to be kept up to speed by the powers-that-be that are insisting on it!
Now I’m no luddite - in fact if it makes keeping legel easier I welcome it, but I’d just like to be kept up to speed by the powers-that-be that are insisting on it!
how can you, i and every driver be kept up to speed with all the changes,when the one’s that want it in ie blair and co don’t know what they are doing themselves. 
so as i said lard,why change something that ain’t broken.nothing wrong with the tacho’s and regs that are in place at the moment.
lard:
I’ve just ‘googled’ the subject and found nothing helpful on the governments websites?
The official Government website can be found here
I’ve had that site bookmarked for a year or two now and they do update it sometimes.
There is some info about digital tachographs on the freight transport association site.
I beleive although nobody knows for sure that they have been put back till 2007.
FTA Chief Executive, Richard Turner, says that the adopted decision of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee to delay the compulsory fitment of digital tachographs to new vehicles until 5 August 2007 is a victory for common sense and will benefit unit manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers and lorry operators. FTA has campaigned for such a delay for the last two years.
Like the WTD
Every body is left guessing
Coffee,
I’ve been to the link you’ve posted but nothing is said about the practicalities of issuing smart cards. Now these new tacho heads have finally been type approved and proposed fitment is to start in August, surely information on applying for driver and operator cards should be made available. No doubt you as an operator you receive the VOSA comic periodically and not even this publication gives any details.
My point is August is not far away. If these things are to be fitted by then, we all need to be applying for our cards soon in order to be ready. The consequences of inaction on the part of the issuing authorities is horrendous ie, drivers not being able to drive new trucks due to lack of cards!
Kitkat,
I quite agree there is nothing wrong with the current system but who asks us for our input? Ours is meerly to comply not comment I’m afraid. As I’ve said above, if things are to change, fine, bring it on - but, please, do it in a timely manner. If August is the date then we should be all applying for smart cards now in order to be ready…and this is something we cannot yet do. So there will be a mad rush in July no doubt when someone has designed an application form
That’ll be £40 please Sir 
-\ Lard ends his rant and dissolves into a vat of red wine as is his want on a Saturday night
Personally, I think digital tachographs will be a massive improvement over the current analogue machines.
When I first saw a TachTrak, all those years ago, I thought “Wouldn’t it be good if this thing could actually be incorporated into the tachograph so it all happened automatically?”
Well, that’s what a digital tachograph is.
Vince
Put back to 2007
I am thinkingof visiting or phoneing our local office where I can apply for
the new chip card and i will let you know here on the site what the
situation is here in germany, to do with costs, waiting time, etc, as we
will be getting new lorrys this year at my firm and so they will most certainly come with the new tacho system, Knowing the germans they
will not be ready to issue the card so early and i will have to wait a while.
lard:
My point is August is not far away. If these things are to be fitted by then, we all need to be applying for our cards soon in order to be ready.
If all else fails, the unit is fitted with a printer and you just run off a summary of the days work.
The printer is a requirement to cater for when cards get damaged, or malfunction, or lost, or just plain forgot and left it at home. DOH!
Quite agree Vince.
I too bought a TacTrak thinking it was the mutts nuts… Then I found this site and ended up with a Driver Hour Guard!! Wonderful bit of kit.
Nothing wrong with improvements - just give us the means to take advantage of them - ie a smart card!
I hear you bazman - where do you get 2007 from?
Next question is how can information from the tacho be usefully used?
Currently I use a card analyser to extract spreadover and POA times for my working time spreadsheet (god I sound organised!)
With the new tacho, can I plug in my lappy and grab all the info that will then automatically dump itself into a nice excel style app that will do it all for me?
I think we should be told!
I need another drink, then and only then will I be able to watch Dr Who (which I recorded earlier) WITHOUT hiding behind the sofa
On 15 March, the European Parliament Transport Committee voted to postpone the compulsory fitting of new lorries with the digital tachograph by 5 August 2005. The Committee voted to put back the key deadline by a year, which would mean that all vehicles manufactured after August 2006 would need to be fitted with a digital tachograph. After 5 August 2007 all vehicles put into service for the first time must be retrofitted with digital tachographs.
As I say it is going to be like the WTD.
Delayed and confuse everybody
“the new tacho system, Knowing the germans they
will not be ready to issue the card so early and i will have to wait a while”
that’ll be the teutonic effiency that were supposed to admire 
.
Aren’t these supposed to be tamper proof. My guess is that someone already knows how to alter the information. Euro notes were supposed to be ‘unforgeable’ and within the first week i believe there were millions of forged ones going around!!!.