Here it is, as promised…as before, it all came from www.digitaltachograph.gov.uk - the government’s own on-line guide.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions, but here’s what they are telling us…I’ve left out anything which is already posted on the driver’s thread, for easier reference.
Here goes:
Applying for a Smart Card.[/i]
Company smart cards will be valid for 5 years. The fee for applying has not yet been decided, and no date has been set for applications to open as yet.
They will be available to anyone who owns a vehicle or has reason to need one - so that covers owner drivers and transport managers as well.
To apply, you will need to fill in a form and send it, with a fee, to DVLA at Swansea. Forms will be available from Post Offices and DVLA local offices.
You will be sent a reminder 3 months before your card expires. You will then have to apply (as above) no later than 15 days before you need it.
If it is broken, stolen, or lost, then again it is a case of form-filling and fee-sending to DVLA.
Basic Info.[/i]
The card will belong to the Secretary of State for Transport, in the same way as a driving licence does now.
You do not have to have different cards for different depots, but practicality will probably dictate that you do.
Owner drivers will need both driver’s and company’s cards.
What will be recorded on the card?[/i]
The card will hold:
* ID data - card number; who issued it, where(country), and when; valid from/ expiry date; company name and address.
* Activities carried out - downloading etc.
* Vehicle registration/s and registering authority.
* Card number.
The card will store details of at least the last 230 activities for which it has been used.
What about Agency Drivers?[/i]
You will be able to download all the info from an agency driver’s card for your records. You will also be able to check whether they have had the right rest/breaks before coming to you.
What about Hire Vehicles?[/i]
You will be able to “lock” data on a hire vehicle’s unit so that only enforcement officers can see it - not subsequent hirers.
Viewing data from smart cards.[/i]
You will be able to view data from your operators card by downloading it.
You will be able to view data from a driver’s card a number of ways:
* Download the data directly from the card.
* Getting a printout from the vehicle unit.
* Viewing it visually on the vehicle unit.
Data storage[/i]
The easiest way will be to keep it in electronic form (on disk, etc.), in which case a backup copy would be wise.
Alternatively you could print it off and keep it as paper records.
You will continue to be obliged to keep 1 year’s worth of driver records. You will also have to keep 1 year’s worth of records from the vehicle unit/s.
Print-outs.[/i]
Each driver should be supplied with at least one spare roll of printer paper for the vehicle unit.
Up until 5th May 2004, if a driver uses a vehicle with a digital tacho but doesn’t yet have a smart card, then he must use a printout to record his day’s work.
After that, drivers only need to print out if their card is lost/stolen/broken etc.
You will be able to print data directly from the vehicle unit, or download it and then print it on a PC.
You will still be able to send the data for independent analysis/ manual checking, in order to comply with O-licensing rules - these will stay unchanged.
Where do I get the software from?[/i]
Basically from the same companies who market existing tacho analysis software - although the government won’t tell us who that will be, as it is “a commercial concern”! 
A Quick Note on Calibration.[/i]
This isn’t the place to go into details about calibration - FAQs for workshops are available on the website linked at the top of this thread.
However, it is important to point out that a full calibration of digital tachos will be required every 2 years.
That’s it, really - there are huge gaps, I know, but that’s all DfT are admitting right now…so watch this space! 