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Q. If I’m stopped at the roadside by an enforcement body, what tachograph records do I need to produce?
A.The DVSA will ask to see the current day and the previous 28 calendar days’ worth of information. If you are driving a vehicle with a digital tachograph, this may typically include information stored on your driver card plus any printouts you may have made in that period. If you are driving vehicles with both analogue and digital tachographs, then you will need to have your card, plus printouts, plus any analogue records you may have for that period.
Q.If I’m driving as part of a 2-driver crew, what do I need to do when we swap driver?
A.When you are ‘multi-manning’, it is necessary to swap card slots when you change drivers over. Both drivers must follow the log-off procedure for both of their cards, reinsert their cards into the opposite slot and then follow the usual log-on procedure for each card. This can take some time!
Q.What information is recorded on the digital driver card?
A.The driver card will record information including time spent working, odometer readings, vehicle registration numbers and anything that has been entered onto the card by way of a tachograph manual entry (manual entries are not recorded on the VU).
Q.What does the Company Card do? Can I use it to drive?
A. A driver cannot drive using a Company Card as a replacement for a driver card. The Company Card does not record data but acts in a similar way to a ‘key’, allowing access to the VU in order to download data from the tachograph. Without a valid Company Card, you will be unable to download any data from the VU. A Company Card is also required to “lock in” your tachograph data in the event that you purchase or hire a new vehicle. This means that data cannot be accessed by anyone else, only those in possession of a Company Card registered to your O Licence.
Q.How often do I need to download my driver card and the digital VU?
A. Legally, the card must be downloaded once every 28 days. However, we would recommend downloading more often, perhaps once a week.
The VU must be downloaded once every 90 days. However, we would recommend downloading perhaps once a month.
This way, you are more able to keep on top of any infringements that may occur or any issues such as unaccounted mileage, driving with no card inserted etc.
Q.Does the driver card record speed data?
A.No, it is the VU which records speed information. Speed data can be accessed by carrying out a ‘full’ VU download. However, depending on the type and age of the tachograph, you may only be able to access the last 24 driving hours of speed information
Q. How many times do I need to set my tacho on FBT mode during a ferry crossing??
A.When travelling on a ferry, during the course of a Daily Rest, best practice is to set the tachograph onto Ferry Boat Mode. This should be done as follows:
a) when starting a period of rest at the port before embarkation, FBT mode should be set as soon as the tacho is set to rest
b) directly after the first interruption, typically involving embarkation of the ferry, the tacho should be reset to rest and FBT mode should be selected
c) if it is necessary to complete a Daily Rest at your destination, the tacho should be set to rest directly after disembarking and FBT mode should again be selected
Q. What happens if I have to exceed my hours due to an emergency?
A. If you exceed either driving time or total shift time due to an unforeseen event such being caught in a tailback following a motorway closure, don’t panic. Just carry on to the first safe stopping place, such as a motorway service station (not the hard shoulder!). On arrival at this stopping place, the first thing you must do is to take a printout from the VU and then write the relevant details on the reverse such as: location of event; approximate time; location of stopping place etc. The more details the better! Never leave it until the end of the shift to record these details!
Q. What do I need to do when a 2-driver crew swaps driver?
A. In the circumstances of a multi-manning procedure, it is necessary to swap cards slots when the drivers change over. Both drivers must follow the log-off procedure, as prompted by the tachograph, for both of their cards. The cards should then be reinserted into the opposite slot and the drivers can follow the usual log-on procedure for each card.
Q. When is it necessary to produce printouts?
A.In some circumstances, it may be necessary to produce a printout from your digital tachograph i.e. when you are driving for up to 15 days whilst awaiting a replacement driver card; if your driver card malfunctions when you are out on the road; to record details relating to unforeseen events or emergencies; upon the request of an enforcement officer .
Q. What is Earned Recognition?
A.Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) earned recognition for vehicle operators is a new way to prove that driver and vehicle standards are being met. An operator voluntarily shares tachograph analysis and vehicle maintenance data with the DVSA. In return, your vehicles are less likely to be stopped for roadside inspections.
Q.When do I need to make a manual entry? What happens if I make a mistake?
A.When using a digital tachograph, it is necessary to make a manual entry directly onto the card to record any work carried out away from the vehicle e.g. driving a non-tacho vehicle, working in the warehouse, admin etc. It is different to a hand-written entry as these are recorded on the reverse of a piece of printer paper, typically in the event of an emergency, VU malfunction or to record any supporting information.
Q.What information is recorded on the VU?
A.The VU will record some information that does not get recorded by the driver card e.g. speed information, instances of the vehicle being used without a driver card, unaccounted mileage and events and faults. The DVSA will look at VU data alongside card data and may look at all of these elements so it is best to employ an analysis solution that will provide a thorough breakdown of your VU files.
Q.What is ‘Driver Decision Support’?
A. ‘DDS’ otherwise referred to as ‘Driver Decision Support’ is a set of driver specific figures which are available from the tachograph and allow the driver and operator to make decisions based on the up to date driving and rest information.
In 2012 Stoneridge and VDO released tachographs that were able to provide real time updates on driving and rest times. This enables analysis system providers to supply a continuous feed of drivers’ information highlighting the hours driven or worked, how many hours are remaining, and what breaks need to be taken.
Q.Can the DVSA and other enforcement bodies download a Generation 2 ‘smart’ tachograph remotely?
A.In short, the answer is no. Roadside inspection authorities will be able to “blip” a tachograph as a vehicle drives by using a specially designed receiver but will not be able to carry out a full download of the VU. The “blip” will provide a packet of data containing 10 key items of information which will be used to determine whether a vehicle needs further inspection. If the vehicle comes up as “red”, the vehicle will be pulled over further down the road.
Q. What effect will Brexit have on my Drivers’ Hours?
A. In the short term, Drivers’ Hours will not be affected. Even if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal after 31st October, the European Commission recently issued a contingency plan which states that EU Drivers’ Hours will still apply until 31st December 2019; EU Drivers’ Hours as it currently exists has been “gold-plated” into UK Law, meaning that after the contingency expires, there will be no change to Drivers’ Hours in the UK. It has yet to be clarified, but unless something is specifically written into any “divorce” agreement, it is assumed that any journeys undertaken within the EU by UK-based drivers will fall under AETR rules.
Q. What are my responsibilities when it comes to defect checking.
A. It is the driver’s responsibility to carry out a thorough defect check of both the truck and the trailer before they begin their journey. This typically happens at the start of the driver’s shift, but a defect check should also be carried out when a driver changes vehicles. A driver should have a fully completed defect check for any vehicles they have driven; relying on a defect check carried out by a different driver earlier that day is not sufficient!
Q. How long should a vehicle defect check take?.
A. The answer is very much reliant on the type of vehicle being inspected – for instance a coach will take longer that a 7.5te rigid. However, as a rule of thumb, a thorough defect check should take roughly 15 minutes to do properly. In fact, the DVSA may reprimand drivers at the roadside if they consider a defect check is too short or hasn’t been recorded on the tachograph as Other Work.
Q. I am due to take delivery of a brand new vehicle fitted with a generation 2 “smart” tachograph; will I need to replace my existing Company Card?
A. No, you will still be able to use your existing Company Card to download and lock in/out the newer “smart” tachograph.