It’s a long story but basically I’m a driver for a restricted O licence outfit. Due to large scale staff changes because the firm has been bought out, I have found myself looking after the transport admin.
No bother, have got myself authorised on the O licence portal and taken care of all that good stuff including directors and vehicle changes.
As well as the staff changes (read redundancies) we have got ourselves at last into the 21st century and have a truck with a digi tacho - just don’t go there - so I’m here to ask you good people about the Company Tacho Card.
Yes, I applied for one and we now have it - but I cannot find out anything on yougov.com about its use.
I gather I’ll need a card reader and will have to store the data and thats about it.
So if someone could fill in the blanks I would be grateful muchly, tia
Tim
You won’t find anything like that on yougov.com - that’s an opinion poll website…
Have a look on gov.uk instead.
Here’s your starter for 10:
gov.uk/government/publicati … on-ins169b
Hi, if you contact the FTA (Freight Transport Association) they will put you right and sell you what is required, ie. Card reader and vehicle download device, with the software to install in a PC. (It’s when you download the info from the tacho head that you need to use the company card.)
I could be a wee bit behind the curve here, but I think you need to download driver cards at least every 28 days, and the tachograph itself every 90 days.
Thanks, Roymundo, have the card and have seen your link already - it’s what to do with it 
Thanks also to Old John - FTA seems the way to go, cheers. It’s the reader and software that’s my main concern.
Hi Tim, this all sounds very familiar, I was in a simular position myself 
My understanding and what I have used the company card for - you ‘lock it in’ to your vehicle by inserting the card and following the prompts on the tacho head. The card then allows you to download all the vehicle data from the head unit, via your reader, I use a TachoTek, others are available. Have fun
As soon as you can put the company card, preferable before using the vehicle, into the head unit and then eject it – when it asks lock in head unit say yes – this will lock it to your company (unless its an early Stoneridge but come back to me if it is).
This is so important because if you get stopped it shows that the head unit is correctly setup. As they don’t get into cabs on roadside checks the DVSA ask for the .ddd files and this shows you have started to read the head unit inline with the date the vehicle went on licence.
Now within 90 days of using the vehicle you will need to download the head unit. As the head unit is locked to your company you now have time to organise things.
I would suggest getting a combined reader and download tool, a DigiVu+ is what we use (other tools are available) at around 185 plus VAT (From Tachomaster or TachPro for example)
We use Tachomaster for analysis but again choose what you like best – you have 28 days from first use of vehicle to upload so don’t panic.
Do the drivers cards and head unit at least every 28 days if you can otherwise you will find it takes a lifetime to download the head unit. Also don’t rush plugging the download tool into the head unit after putting the card in - let the card load up or you get an error message.
If its has a small door for the download tool in the centre of the head unit its a Siemens - if its hidden behind the paper tray its a Stoneridge.
Not a requirement to download the detailed speed information else it takes forever.
Thanks for the help, guys, much appreciated.
we run three vehicles all digital, two siemens one stoneridge, we belong to the RHA who regularly have free seminars with solicitors and a traffic commissioner present to give insight into new regs and what they see as good practise, one very much on the traffic commissioners mind are down loads, regardless of the written 28 and 90 day options they cannot see how you can effectively monitor the drivers and vehicles with these time gaps and recommend they are done both truck and driver every week, i know things get in the way like truck away for longer periods etc but this is what they will be looking for should things go wrong, safety inspections especially brake tests say 4 times a year they are looking at every 6/8/10 weekly inspection, so do not think the written 4 a year as well as the 28 and 90 days will do, it might not, we use digi vue and tachomaster for analysis and storage, its simple and very cost effective for us.
Thanks, hm, very helpful - you probably know my mob, being just round the corner and all…