I’m trying to understand what we need to be prepared for Digital Tachos.
We hire in vehicles as required, the rental company knows we’re not digi equipped and lets us have the older analogue trucks. Obviously they aren’t going to keep a few battered old trucks indefinitely just for us, so I’m doing research in preparation for the inevitable.
We only hire in a few times a year, and the boss doesn’t want to spend money on digi-tach equipment unless we absolutely have to (by which time we probably won’t have enough time to sort it out). So nothing new there!
I’ve read the DfT website and now know about Company cards, Driver cards etc, but can’t find answers to a few questions:
Keeping records - is it OK to print records for driver and vehicle and keep them along with our analogue records, or must we make and store downloads and what does that actually involve?
Out-of-Scope driving - If the driver’s entire days duty is out of scope of EU regs do they need a driver card (or if they do, does it need to be inserted?)
Thanks In Advance
Might be worth you having a look at www.tachomaster.co.uk . They i’m sure would be able to fulfill your requirements for digital cards. They charge per driver per week and all you need is their programme (free), a computer and a card reader.
I bought a card reader that works fine off ebay for about £10, and had a play with the programme.
I think you would require a company card as well as driver cards, so that you can download the vehicle data (make sure you do this before the truck goes back off hire).
I’m not sure about the out of scope work - indeed what sort of out of scope work do you do?
Smart Mart:
I’m not sure about the out of scope work - indeed what sort of out of scope work do you do?
Good point, two scenarios I had in mind:
-
If we’ve got someone doing loading/unloading mainly driving the forklift and shunting the trucks between the parking area and the loading area as required (all inside the yard).
-
The derogation described in GV262 as:
“Vehicles or combinations of vehicles with a maximum
permissible mass not exceeding 7.5 tonnes that are
used:
-for carrying materials, equipment or machinery
for the driver’s use in the course of his work.
These vehicles shall be used only within a 50 km
radius of the base of the undertaking and on the
condition that driving the vehicle does not constitute
the driver’s main activity.”
My understanding is that in both cases the driver isn’t required to keep a tachograph record, so do they need a digi-card?
I understand the VU records “No Card Inserted” if the vehicle is moved without a driver card.
FlyDrive:
I understand the VU records “No Card Inserted” if the vehicle is moved without a driver card.
It does indeed. Error 28.
But if you clear it before a card is inserted, then it doesn’t get written to a driver’s card.
As stated, you’d need little more than a card reader, a computer, and a bit of software.
Once you’d made the change, you’d be kicking yourself as to why you hadn’t done it sooner. 
Flydrive wrote:-
-
If we’ve got someone doing loading/unloading mainly driving the forklift and shunting the trucks between the parking area and the loading area as required (all inside the yard).
-
The derogation described in GV262 as:
"Vehicles or combinations of vehicles with a maximum
permissible mass not exceeding 7.5 tonnes that are
used:
-for carrying materials, equipment or machinery
for the driver’s use in the course of his work.
These vehicles shall be used only within a 50 km
radius of the base of the undertaking and on the
condition that driving the vehicle does not constitute
the driver’s main activity."
If the work is out of scope then there is no need to have a drivers card, much the same as you have no need to insert a tachograph. However if the person does use the vehicle in scope at any point during the working week then obviously a drivers card will be required and records kept for the other days worked during the week, which would be more easily achieved by having one.
FlyDrive:
I’m trying to understand what we need to be prepared for Digital Tachos.
Keeping records - is it OK to print records for driver and vehicle and keep them along with our analogue records, or must we make and store downloads and what does that actually involve?
Thanks In Advance
You cannot keep the records on the thermal paper in the tachos as it simply fades away. You would do a printout to cover an infringement to allow you to explain, but downloading the data to hard copy is very important.
We do it this way.
Driver Data at least every 21 days & Vehicle Data at least once a month is how we do it, but to be honest I download my driver card every time I am in one of the French depots.
FlyDrive:
Keeping records - is it OK to print records for driver and vehicle and keep them along with our analogue records, or must we make and store downloads
You must do downloads from both the vehicle units and the drivers cards, it’s a legal requirement.
The Passenger and Goods Vehicles (Recording Equipment) (Downloading and Retention of Data) Regulations 2008
Flydrive;
exactly what is it that your drivers do with the vehicles? The derogation you quote (a UK exemption from EU rules) is quite specific in its’ application. If the drivers do any plain ‘delivering’ then they cannot claim the derogation. Similarly, if you took the driving part of the duties away from the driver, could they still be employed by the company as, for example; a scaffolder, brickie, blacksmith etc? If you could, then they can probably claim the exemption, if not then EU hours and tacho use will apply. You have to be able to satisfy all four parts of the derogation to claim it, dip out on one bit and you’re back into EU hours.
If the company ends up being exempt EU Regs then you do not need to use the tacho, you may use a log book. Certain operations are exempt log books too. If the company is exempt EU hours then you do not need to download tachos or cards, but be very careful that you are exempt.
Thanks for all the advice.
The main problem is that because the work is seasonal we hire in trucks and extra labourers to cope with the peaks.
We don’t have drivers as such, whoever is assigned to drive to site is given the keys and some tacho discs and sent on their way. I guess the easiest solution is to establish a pool of regular “drivers” and make sure they all have digi cards.
So the shopping list looks like:
Driver Card Reader
VU Downloader
Company Card
Driver Cards for anyone likely to do in-scope driving
Another couple of questions:
Can the VU Downloaders store data from several vehicles before transferring to a computer, or will we also need a laptop?
Can we get analysis software to run on a standalone PC?
Krankee:
Once you’d made the change, you’d be kicking yourself as to why you hadn’t done it sooner.
I know that, but I have to convince the boss. Downloading data at the rental centre when we return trucks is going to be seen as unwanted hassle 
FlyDrive:
Can we get analysis software to run on a standalone PC?
To answer my own question: Yes, for example easytac.eu/