^^^^ Don’t tell’em your name Pike, it’s a trap! 
cooper1203:
I didnt think you could get one. I would be intrested in this as currently i am unable to download my card as i am doing adhoc agency work and the company that i have been placed with doesnt have one.
It may not be as ridiculous as it sounds. I worked from a driver out-base for several months and didn’t physically download for the few months. All the information was transmitted from the vehicle every day. Such a company as I was working for probably do have a tacho reader, but just don’t use it as often.
I wouldn’t pay any money for a tacho reader or subscription just to record start and finish times. Sledgehammer and walnut spring to mind.
Traffic Commissioner:
cooper1203:
I didnt think you could get one. I would be intrested in this as currently i am unable to download my card as i am doing adhoc agency work and the company that i have been placed with doesnt have one.What did you say the company’s name was!!!
Coop, me too.
I haven’t seen a card reader for a year or two now as the truck downloads automatically via a SIM card so I’m a bit surprised at some of the comments above.
It makes life real easy but obviously has some drawbacks as you point out.
Why not ask you company if the software/outfit they use could automatically email you a copy of your data each day or week.
I like to see my infringements so I can then do a printout and write my excuses on the back and hopefully avoid an expensive tug in Euroland, otherwise I have absolutely no interest in it.
Failing that the Omnikey reader mentioned above is only a few quid and then use the free software already mentioned or try the odd subscription to Tachomaster.
isaac hunt:
edd1974:
surely though if you bought a card reader and downloaded the information yourself. then would work also be able to download it as well? doesnt it get deleted from your card once downloaded?Dear oh dear, if information was deleted from the card at download,
every tang or owner driver would have a card reader hanging from their dream catcher.
Brilliant,
205:
Fozzer:
Hi,Can anyone recommend a suitable tacho reader for personal use. Don’t need any fancy analysis, just want to keep on top of my working hours (card in to card out) so I can check my wages are correct.
Rather not pay any subscription services either.Thanks in advance…
sourceforge.net/projects/readesm/
This is old but still works fine for reading tacho files and it free, all you need is a card reader for £10 or£15 to download your card
I’ve got a Omnikey 3121 card reader downloaded the drivers ok and I downloaded readesm , but I’m blowed if I can make it work, still it kept me out of mischief for a while.
teatime:
205:
Fozzer:
Hi,Can anyone recommend a suitable tacho reader for personal use. Don’t need any fancy analysis, just want to keep on top of my working hours (card in to card out) so I can check my wages are correct.
Rather not pay any subscription services either.Thanks in advance…
sourceforge.net/projects/readesm/
This is old but still works fine for reading tacho files and it free, all you need is a card reader for £10 or£15 to download your card
I’ve got a Omnikey 3121 card reader downloaded the drivers ok and I downloaded readesm , but I’m blowed if I can make it work, still it kept me out of mischief for a while.
Yeah, I’m having the same problem. Cheap used 3121 from ebay, downloaded and installed the omnikey drivers but now I’m stuck.
ReadESM seems to only interpret files that have already been copied off the card; I thought the 3121 driver would have a user interface that wold let me copy from the card to my hard disk. But it seems it isn’t that simple 
Fuzrat:
My Missus has done exactly this for me in excel, she works with it every day so knows it inside out. Puts in start and finish times and it works out my standard, late premium, night premium and overtime premium. Also does 12 week rolling average for holiday. Graphs to show month on month etc. TBF she’s never more than a couple of pence out on a month and that is as you say the rounding up thing.Makes it so much easier if there is a pay query, I can show a print out of her spreadsheet that shows the total breakdown and pinpoint exactly where the error is so they dont even bother quibbling it. That along with my diary confirms it. So many of our guys get their payslip, know something is wrong but cant prove where it is wrong.
Any chance you can share a blank version of this excel file?
bugger.lugs:
Any chance you can share a blank version of this excel file?
There will be too many variables to adjust for you to make it workable for you.
Ideally you need to start with a blank spreadsheet and build it up to your needs
teatime:
I’ve got a Omnikey 3121 card reader downloaded the drivers ok and I downloaded readesm , but I’m blowed if I can make it work, still it kept me out of mischief for a while.
We used to use those on the systems we made at the software company I worked at a few years ago. When they didn’t work it was because Windows would automatically install a generic driver. Manually installing a driver from Omnikey sorted it. To do this:
Download driver from Omnikey and extract it into a folder.
Go into Windows Device Mananger (Windows 10 right click on start button and select Device Manager)
Find the Omnikey in the list of devices, may be in the HID category.
Right click, select properties.
Select Driver Tab.
Select Update driver, select option to choose driver manually and point it to the folder you extracted the files into.
Sometimes they would decide to randomly stop working even with the driver installed. Unplugging it and plugging it back in again sorts it. If it’s still not reading then it’s a software issue.
When they’re working OK from the card reader point of view you should hear Windows give a notification sound similar to when you plug in a USB device when you insert your card and the green LED briefly give a red flash.
Just been to CV sShow and seen the Digifobpro. that will show you any infringements on hrs or WTD etc that can then be downloaded without interfering with the record. Check their website but others re-sell them
Zetorpilot:
teatime:
I’ve got a Omnikey 3121 card reader downloaded the drivers ok and I downloaded readesm , but I’m blowed if I can make it work, still it kept me out of mischief for a while.Yeah, I’m having the same problem. Cheap used 3121 from ebay, downloaded and installed the omnikey drivers but now I’m stuck.
ReadESM seems to only interpret files that have already been copied off the card; I thought the 3121 driver would have a user interface that wold let me copy from the card to my hard disk. But it seems it isn’t that simple
You can download your card data to a .ddd file with Tacho Card Authorizer. Direct download link (copied from this forum post). It requires JAVA to be installed to run (if you get a javaw error it’s not installed). Usage instructions here. Not affiliated, there is certainy other similar and probably more up to date software. Then you can open the file with ReadESM.
Cuttlefish:
Zetorpilot:
teatime:
I’ve got a Omnikey 3121 card reader downloaded the drivers ok and I downloaded readesm , but I’m blowed if I can make it work, still it kept me out of mischief for a while.Yeah, I’m having the same problem. Cheap used 3121 from ebay, downloaded and installed the omnikey drivers but now I’m stuck.
ReadESM seems to only interpret files that have already been copied off the card; I thought the 3121 driver would have a user interface that wold let me copy from the card to my hard disk. But it seems it isn’t that simple
You can download your card data to a .ddd file with Tacho Card Authorizer. Direct download link (copied from this forum post). It requires JAVA to be installed to run (if you get a javaw error it’s not installed). Usage instructions here. Not affiliated, there is certainy other similar and probably more up to date software. Then you can open the file with ReadESM.
Thank you Cuttlefish - very useful.
I have been following this thread & the above is the post you need to make it all work.
Worked perfectly after following above.
I used the software along with a generic smart card reader supplied by a bank for card authorisation many years ago.