7 day tacho’s, i drove a scania 110 j reg for jopling pursers hauling burner planers all over the country, has you where away from base for up to 4weeks, management insisted you used the tacho to keep a check on drivers hours worked, police and traffic commissioner’s did not like them, has they could only read the first days card, 
bumper
First lorry i drove after passing my test (1982) was an Aec Marshall (on an M plate) with a tacho retrofitted on the top of the dashboard.Never used a logbook, only the tacho so surely tacho use must have been compulsary before 82 ? 
frenchy:
Hi All
My memory seems to tell me during that really bad winter of January / February 82 I was stuck in the Walsall depot and on Log sheets at that time and with the 79 ERF B series that had come with a Tachometer , when working only locally I was told by the boss to run on Tachos and log sheets as well mainly for tonnage and mileage bonuses ETC. I still have some old log sheets of june /July 1982 used only for bonus and overtime puposes by then , I know by 1986 I was driving a MAN and wed been on Tachos some time . Sorry Alexsaville if Ive thrown a spanner in the works .
Frenchy
frenchy,whos depot did you stop at in walsall ?
There still seems to be some confusion about when Tacho’s first came into use and looking on the internet for the answer doesn’t really help either, the only information I could find which was repeated many times and has also been posted on here was EEC regulation 3281/85 dated 20 December 1985 made tachographs mandatory in the EU from 29 September 1986, the same date the drivers hours rules also changed.
The EU also had a special rule for International work effective from 31 July 1985, which I presume meant tachographs had to be used on International work from that date, legally. Looking through old copies of Truck mags I couldn’t find any info on when they stated the tacho came into use in Britain but it was obvious from some letters and articles that companies were using them as early as 83 or even sooner. I do remember though the tacho debate went on for a long time before they legally came into use, hence many firms had them fitted long before the law required them. Hope this helps, Franky.
Hi All eric the judge is correct the 281m/450k reg was for people using log books during the change over period, the unions loved it , a good excuse not to do too much!
I am not sure when tacho’s became compulsory ( it could have been as late as 86 I would have thought earlier) but there was a long change over period. When I bought my transcon in early 77 it was fitted with a tacho and as I was running abroad all the time I was told I had to use a tacho if one was fitted, I used to get stopped regularly in the UK ( LHD & pulling a tilt) so that the coppers who thought they new the regs. could show off to their partners, and stopped regularly in France & Germany to see if I was obeying the rules.
I also had a few ‘courtesy’ calls from the ministry to see if I was using the tacho correctly and was asked my opinion of them, I don’t think they took any notice though!!!
Gavin
I’m not at all sure when tacho’s started but mid 80’s sounds a bit late to me (could be wrong I usually am) !!
I’m sure I started for H.G.Brown & son in 1978 & got a brand new Mack in 1979… Now that came without a tacho (unheard of in USA) but they were fitted and used almost immediately (say '79 to '80) – was that voluntary by John ? or compulsary ?
Hi All
Talking to my brother whos now 68 poor ole Trucker , tells me that when he was doing continental the tacho was in use abroad around 1979 , especially with 280 rule , but all this doesnt yet tell us when we were legally , by law required to use them as most new Lorries after around 1976 came with them , I drove an Atkinson in 1975 with one of those 7 day tachos bolted to the back of the cab that we got paid on . There was a Tacho technician came to the depot at some point to give us all the low down on the dash mounted thing , I remember the spy in the cab was a worry to some that thought theyd be the end of thier dodgies and fiddles , it was`nt of course .
Yes Curnock the Walsall depot was P&O in Bently Mill just off Junction 10 .
Frenchy
Finally got the correct info on the tacho introduction date, this is taken from a recent publication on Road Transport History. We were getting the Tacho dates mixed with the drivers hours change in 1968. As you can read from the extract below it was 1st Jan 1982 that Tacho’s were made mandatory and 1968 when the hours change came about. Clap on the back for those that were sure the tacho law came earlier than 86 and if you ran to Germany you would have required one from 1953, blimey did we have lorries that could reach Germany in 1953! I hope this clears things now as I’ve looked through months of old Truck mags and me fingers are worn oot!
Cheers Franky.
Frankydobo
Thank god you found that – it fits in exactly with the dates I posted as to when I started with H.G.Brown !
I’m pretty sure that even if the German vehicles were fitted with a tacho we (as Brits) could still go there on a log book !
When I first went onto European I was going to France & Italy on a log book !
After we had tacho’s I seem to recall after leaving West Germany going to M/E via commie block we never had to produce those tacho’s back in U.K. but we’d submit a log book if the ministry man asked at the office !
It’s all a long time ago but I remember that the Scania I had when driving for Simon Int. doing m/e in 75 didn’t have a tacho fitted but when I changed to a “P” reg transcon in 76, that did have a tacho. I seem to recall that on leaving Austria and going into Yugo, I would write on the back of the card “Leaving EU, tacho discontinued” and then just leave the same card in the machine until I returned to the EU putting in a fresh one from then on to travel back to the UK.
I am pleased someone found the definitive answer because I was beginning to doubt my sanity. When I worked at United Carriers we did originally use log books and seem to remember that before the official change over we went onto cards, they used serial numbers and we were issued them on a weekly basis and had to sign a log, woe betide you if you used the cards in the wrong order, although that was an internal UCL thing.
The 7 numbered cards were issued in a white tacho envelope with the serial numbers written on it, the named envelope also had a grid like a log sheet and we had to fill in start times, breaks and if we were stopped by the police or ministry.
This was easy as the job for a C&D driver was always 8 till 5 with an hour for lunch 
I Was on Tachos from 1980, I know because I got done in 78 on logbooks and again in 1980 for tachos, 30 pound fine each time.
Hope this bringsback some good memories!
I can remember, prior to log " books", graphs, and tacho’s , there was just daily sheets. Not numbered, just a photo copied ( or equivilent in those days )sheet, from the company, So, your name, truck reg, start time, finish time, breaks, and destinations. If half way throught the day you wern’t going to make it back home or to the digs, then chuck it out and start again to suit ! Never got caught or checked for any driving hour offence, but in those days, there wern’t many checks other than at the roadside, and they were pretty infrequent anyway. Then came the log book, then the graph books, then the tacho’s, different altogether.
I was lucky , most of the companies I worked for, were pretty stricked on hours, so it wasn’t a huge problem for me.