Smart Cards For Digital Tachograph Drivers

A tachograph is a piece of technology fitted to a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) in order to give a reading of distance travelled, speed travelled at and the length of time a driver has been driving in any particular journey. The tacograph reading is used principally to help reduce the chances of accidents on the road either driver fatigue.

Today digital tachographs are used, and replace the old style paper discs which had to be removed from the vehicle and given to a depot or transport manager at the end of each shift. Digital tachographs make it impossible for any driver to drive longer than they should or faster than they should.

Smart Card Information

Data captured from the tacograph is captured on smart cards which can be removed from the vehicle and read by handheld and static devices.

There are four types of smart card:

• Control Card
• Workshop Card
• Driver Card
• Company Card

Control Cards

Control cards are used by the police and Vehicle Operator Standards Agency (VOSA) when they carry out checks to enforce the legislation such as the Working Time Directive and the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations etc. The cards give the police and Vehicle Operator Standards Agency (VOSA) unlimited access to all information stored within the digital tachograph system.

Workshop Cards

Workshop cards are used by mechanics at registered calibration centres so that they may repair, reset or program the equipment as and when it is necessary to do so. Any changes to the system are recorded for future reference.

Driver Cards

Driver Cards are the cards contain information relevant to the driver such as name, driver’s number and also details of his routes travelled, time spent on the road and time spent stationary. This information is then stored to the card and cannot be altered by the driver in any way.

Company Cards

Company Cards are used by haulage companies to check the information on the tachograph

For further information on digital tachographs and smart cards you should visit the Vehicle Operator Standards Agency (VOSA) website at www.vosa.gov.uk