Only a matter of time I suppose,
The European Commission has agreed a set of measures designed to detect and prevent the abuse of digital tachographs. It has stated that member states must develop dedicated equipment and software that can be used to analyse information from the digitach and identify signs that the device has been tampered with.
Previously, its directive stated that enforcement units must have equipment capable of downloading data from the vehicle unit and driver card of the digital tachograph, reading data, and analysing data and/or transmitting findings to a central database for analysis, as well as equipment to check the tacho sheets.
Along with the new equipment and software, member states will also be given best practise guidelines for its national control authorities for when they are carrying out checks of vehicles or recording equipment, whether at the roadside, at company premises or at workshops.
The EC states that the new measures should keep unnecessary delays and inconvenience to law-abiding operators and drivers to an absolute minimum.
The EC has also changed the legislation to allow the fitment of dedicated, type-approved adaptors for light commercial vehicles that must comply with driver’s hours rules. The reason behind this is that it has not always been technically possible to install the equipment in a way that meets the correct security and functional requirements. The adaptor should
allow fitment in all vehicles.
What will be the next step I wonder? Something along the lines of scanners fitted to bridges that automatically scan the computer in the truck and relay the details to the nice VOSA man waiting up the road for you, no need to stop anyone with zero infringements (anyone, anyone at all? ah yes the boy at the back) then is there? The legal drivers/companies will have nothing to fear - we will be told!
