What year was it when all lorries had to have a tacho’s fitted? I thought about 1974 
, I have a 1973 Atkinson borderer with a tacho head stuck on the dash (look’s bad) can I remove it as it will not be used for hire /reward if so will it be O.K. for the MOT test.
When I started at TILCON in 1975 the M reg and older trucks didn’t have tacho’s fitted, I can’t remember whether the 1976/77 intake had them though (but of course they were not actually used until a few years later).
Pete.
In the EUEEC regulation 3821/85 [1] from December 20, 1985 made tachographs mandatory throughout the EEC as of September 29, 1986. A “European arrangement in regard to the work of driving personnel engaged in international traffic” (AETR) became effective on July 31, 1985. Regulation 561/2006/EC of the European Union adopted on April 11, 2007[2] specified the driving and rest times of professional drivers. These time periods can be checked by the employers, police and other authorities with the help of the tachograph.
woodstock:
What year was it when all lorries had to have a tacho’s fitted? I thought about 1974
We had to have them in compusorily at, I think, the end of 1980. An earlier alternative was to be limited to 450km per day. You certainly don’t need it for a lorry that’s not being worked commercially.
Please excuse this slightly long winded extract from the VOSA exemption form…
This form is to be completed and submitted at time of test if a vehicle does not have a calibrated tachograph fitted according to the requirements of IM26 of the Heavy Goods Vehicle Inspection Manual and the presenter wishes to declare it to be exempt. One of the following reasons should be selected and the declaration on page 2 signed:
1.
Vehicle was manufactured prior to 1 January 1947
2.
Vehicle is over 25 years old and is not used commercially for carriage of goods
3.
Vehicle is not capable by design of exceeding 40km/h under its own power on level road
4.
Vehicle is not over 7500kg GVW or is part of a combination of vehicles not over 7500 kg
combined GVW which is not used commercially for carriage of goods
5.
Vehicle is not over 7500kg GVW or is part of a combination of vehicles not over 7500 kg
combined GVW which is used to carry materials equipment or machinery for the driver s use in
the course of his work within a 50 km radius of base and where driving is not the driver s main
activity
6.
Vehicle is not over 7500kg GVW or part of a combination of vehicles not over 7500 kg combined GVW which is propelled by natural or liquefied gas or electricity and is used within a 50 km radius of base
7.
Vehicle is used in connection with sewerage, flood protection, water, gas or electricity maintenance services, road maintenance or control, door-to-door refuse collection or disposal, telegraph or telephone services, radio or television broadcasting or detection of radio or television receivers
8.
Vehicle is used by or on behalf of a relevant NHS body or other authorised body to transport
organs, blood, medical supplies or equipment
9.
Vehicle is a specialised vehicle used for medical purposes
10.
Vehicle used by a local authority for relevant social services functions
11.
Vehicle is used by coastguard or lighthouse authorities
12.
Vehicle is used by harbour authorities for improvement, maintenance or management purposes within harbour limits
13.
Vehicle is used by an airport authority within airport perimeters or used on roads inside hub
facilities such as a port, interport or railway terminal
14.
Vehicle is operated by British Railways Board, a Crown railway network licence holder, Transport for London or a local authority or PTE for railway maintenance purposes
15.
Vehicle is operated by British Waterways for purposes of maintaining navigable canals
16.
Vehicle is used by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution for hauling lifeboats
17.
Vehicle is used by agricultural, horticultural or forestry undertakings as part of their own
entrepreneurial activity to carry goods within a 100 km radius of their base
18.
Vehicle is used by a fishery undertaking as part of their own entrepreneurial activity to carry live fish or a catch of fish from the place of landing to be processed within a 100 km radius of their base
19.
Vehicle is used to carry animal waste or carcasses not intended for human consumption
20.
Vehicle is used to carry live animals between farms and local markets, or from a market to a local slaughterhouse within a maximum radius of 50 km
21.
Vehicle is used for milk collection from farms or return to farms of milk containers or milk products intended for animal feed
22.
Vehicle is used to carry sea coal
23.
Vehicle is a specially fitted mobile project vehicle with a primary purpose of providing educational facilities when stationary (including mobile lending libraries)
24.
Vehicle is used by or under the control of the armed services, civil defence, fire services or forces responsible for maintaining public order
25.
Vehicle is used in emergencies or rescue operations (including humanitarian aid)
26.
Vehicle is a specialised breakdown vehicle only used within a 100 km radius of base
27.
Vehicle is a specialised vehicle transporting circus and funfair equipment
28.
Vehicle is used for driving or CPC instruction or examination and does not carry goods
29.
Vehicle is used on an island not exceeding 2300 square kilometres in area not linked to the rest of Great Britain by a bridge, tunnel or ford open to motor vehicles
DECLARATION: I declare that vehicle registration mark … is exempt from the tachograph fitment requirement for reason … (1-29 as applicable) above.
In the seventies we had tacho,s in Scanias & Volvos but did not have to use them. But i do remember it was 1981 as i was parked at Corley for the night ,Arrived on log book and started next morning with Tacho.
ERF:
Please excuse this slightly long winded extract from the VOSA exemption form…This form is to be completed and submitted at time of test if a vehicle does not have a calibrated tachograph fitted according to the requirements of IM26 of the Heavy Goods Vehicle Inspection Manual and the presenter wishes to declare it to be exempt. One of the following reasons should be selected and the declaration on page 2 signed:
1.
Vehicle was manufactured prior to 1 January 1947
2.
Vehicle is over 25 years old and is not used commercially for carriage of goods
3.
Vehicle is not capable by design of exceeding 40km/h under its own power on level road
4.
Vehicle is not over 7500kg GVW or is part of a combination of vehicles not over 7500 kg
combined GVW which is not used commercially for carriage of goods
5.
Vehicle is not over 7500kg GVW or is part of a combination of vehicles not over 7500 kg
combined GVW which is used to carry materials equipment or machinery for the driver s use in
the course of his work within a 50 km radius of base and where driving is not the driver s main
activity
6.
Vehicle is not over 7500kg GVW or part of a combination of vehicles not over 7500 kg combined GVW which is propelled by natural or liquefied gas or electricity and is used within a 50 km radius of base
7.
Vehicle is used in connection with sewerage, flood protection, water, gas or electricity maintenance services, road maintenance or control, door-to-door refuse collection or disposal, telegraph or telephone services, radio or television broadcasting or detection of radio or television receivers
8.
Vehicle is used by or on behalf of a relevant NHS body or other authorised body to transport
organs, blood, medical supplies or equipment
9.
Vehicle is a specialised vehicle used for medical purposes
10.
Vehicle used by a local authority for relevant social services functions
11.
Vehicle is used by coastguard or lighthouse authorities
12.
Vehicle is used by harbour authorities for improvement, maintenance or management purposes within harbour limits
13.
Vehicle is used by an airport authority within airport perimeters or used on roads inside hub
facilities such as a port, interport or railway terminal
14.
Vehicle is operated by British Railways Board, a Crown railway network licence holder, Transport for London or a local authority or PTE for railway maintenance purposes
15.
Vehicle is operated by British Waterways for purposes of maintaining navigable canals
16.
Vehicle is used by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution for hauling lifeboats
17.
Vehicle is used by agricultural, horticultural or forestry undertakings as part of their own
entrepreneurial activity to carry goods within a 100 km radius of their base
18.
Vehicle is used by a fishery undertaking as part of their own entrepreneurial activity to carry live fish or a catch of fish from the place of landing to be processed within a 100 km radius of their base
19.
Vehicle is used to carry animal waste or carcasses not intended for human consumption
20.
Vehicle is used to carry live animals between farms and local markets, or from a market to a local slaughterhouse within a maximum radius of 50 km
21.
Vehicle is used for milk collection from farms or return to farms of milk containers or milk products intended for animal feed
22.
Vehicle is used to carry sea coal
23.
Vehicle is a specially fitted mobile project vehicle with a primary purpose of providing educational facilities when stationary (including mobile lending libraries)
24.
Vehicle is used by or under the control of the armed services, civil defence, fire services or forces responsible for maintaining public order
25.
Vehicle is used in emergencies or rescue operations (including humanitarian aid)
26.
Vehicle is a specialised breakdown vehicle only used within a 100 km radius of base
27.
Vehicle is a specialised vehicle transporting circus and funfair equipment
28.
Vehicle is used for driving or CPC instruction or examination and does not carry goods
29.
Vehicle is used on an island not exceeding 2300 square kilometres in area not linked to the rest of Great Britain by a bridge, tunnel or ford open to motor vehicles
DECLARATION: I declare that vehicle registration mark … is exempt from the tachograph fitment requirement for reason … (1-29 as applicable) above.
Looks like item two would cover this… 
I always stuck to the letter of the law and filed all my tacho’s (mostly in the English Channel on the ferry home)
woodstock:
ERF:
2.
Vehicle is over 25 years old and is not used commercially for carriage of goodsLooks like item two would cover this…
Yes, I agree, but remember you have to submit the form at the start of the MOT test.
240 Gardner:
We had to have them in compusorily at, I think, the end of 1980. An earlier alternative was to be limited to 450km per day. You certainly don’t need it for a lorry that’s not being worked commercially.
Hi 240 Gardner,
What you’ve said is exactly my memory of it too!!
I also remember the time when a log-book limited you to 450 km per shift
It’s easy for me to remember cos I’d been driving 7.5t from '76 and took my Class 1 in Dec '79.
January 1980 saw me get my first proper job on ‘proper’ HGVs at Birkenhead and District Co-Op on furniture removals and shop deliveries.
When the new “V” reg came out in Aug '80, all the “V” plate trucks had to have a tacho fitted and calibrated.
In Sept '80, the “T” reg trucks had to go for retro-fitting of the “spy-in-the-cab” then in Oct '80, the “S” reg trucks had to go too. It was a month of '80 and '81per year of registration letter until they were all caught up, but then there came a point when the older vehicles could just go willy-nilly.
I remember the furore in our garage when the old hands realised that they couldn’t do the cushy job of taking the dairy dray trucks to get tachos retro-fitted cos they were HGV 2 trucks and those guys had HGV 3 licences. 
I’m a bit younger than some of you guys, but I remember when I started as a drivers mate in 1981 having to fill in a log book for the driver, as well as him doing the tacho? Any ideas?
Regards,
Mark
I’m a bit hazy on the date that tacho’s had to be “operative” but lets say it was Jan 1st '81? What I did at Bewick Transport was implement a system that from Jan '80,prior to sending the motor for it’s MOT we had the tacho calibrated and then that tractor/driver started using it as if it was legal.By doing this when we arrived at the following January all the drivers and motors were clued up and straight into the new procedures.We had one or two drivers that wern’t too happy,and as per usual thought they shouldn’t go onto the tacho until the actual date when it became law!!! As we were not able to shuffle Mot dates about we just offered them a Big J for the rest of the year if they weren’t keen on the tacho!!! None of the handful of drivers took us up on our offer!!! Storm in a teacup and we cruised into tacho use fully conversant with the requirements! IIRC it was a nightmare for some firms that had just “buried their heads” until the due date then the tacho centres were choked with demands for immediate attention,and a lot of motors(some of ours as well) needed new tacho heads as they had been neglected over the years previous.cheers Bewick.