Digital and smart tachographs work by storing digital data on the driver and vehicle in their own memory and separately on a driver’s card. Smart tachographs work in the same way as digital tachographs however; they also automatically record the location of the vehicle and allow enforcement authorities to remotely interrogate the data. Strict rules are in place for the use of the data.
Operators must periodically download this data from digital and smart tachographs (known as the Vehicle Unit or VU) every 90 days, and from driver cards every 28 days and analyse the information to ensure that the rules have been complied with.
When driving a vehicle fitted with a digital or smart tachograph on a journey that is not in scope of EU/ AETR rules it is recommended, but not legally required, to select ‘out -of-scope’ in the tachograph. Details of how to do this will be contained in the user manual for that model of tachograph.
Driver cards and records
It is a legal requirement for a driver to use a driver card when driving a vehicle that is in scope of EU/ AETR rules and which is equipped with a digital or smart tachograph.
If the vehicle is used without a driver card being inserted, the system will not prevent the vehicle from being driven, but the VU will record the fact that the vehicle has been used without a card.
A driver who has not been issued a driver card is not permitted to drive a vehicle equipped with a digital or smart tachograph.
Similarly, a driver who is not in possession of their issued driver card is not permitted to drive a vehicle equipped with a digital or smart tachograph unless the card has been lost or stolen, in which case the procedures for reporting this must be followed. See the information at Lost, stolen or malfunctioning driver cards below. It is not permitted to keep manual records if the driver card has been forgotten.
Drivers may only be in possession of one driver’s card and must never use anyone else’s card or allow another driver to use their card.
Drivers must inform the DVLA if their card bears incorrect details, for example after a change of name.
When driving a vehicle that is equipped with a digital or smart tachograph, drivers must:
Mode switch default
Depending on the preferences entered into the digital/smart tachograph at the time of calibration the digital tachograph can default to recording either ‘rest’ for driver 1 and driver 2 or ‘other work’ for driver 1 and ‘availability’ for driver 2 when the vehicle stops. Drivers must use the mode switch correctly to ensure that rest and break periods are recorded correctly.
How to apply for driver cards
In England, Scotland and Wales
Apply for a digital tachograph driver card in England, Scotland or Wales.
DVLA will accept payment for up to 25 driver card applications on one company cheque.
Contact DVLA to get help applying.
DVLA
Telephone: 0300 790 6109
Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm – Find out about call charges
In Northern Ireland – Apply for a digital tachograph driver card in Northern Ireland.
Call the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) to get an application form or pick one up from a DVA test centre.
DVA
Telephone: 0300 200 7861
Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm – Find out about call charges
Lost, stolen or malfunctioning driver cards
Driver cards have passed all relevant International Organization for Standardization (ISO) qualified tests and security certification requirements. They are designed to work reliably and securely for their period of validity but, like all cards, can be damaged by abuse. Drivers must take care of their driver card – treating it as if it were a credit card and not subjecting it to excessive force, bending or extremes of temperature.
Where it is impossible to use a driver card, (that being when it has been lost, stolen or damaged or is malfunctioning) a driver may drive without the card for a maximum of 15 calendar days (or longer if this is necessary for the vehicle to be returned to its premises) provided that they produce two printouts – one at the start of the day and another at the end so long as there is no change of vehicle.
Where there is a change of vehicle then a printout will need to be taken at the start and end of the use of vehicle 1 and then a printout at the start and end for vehicle 2 and so on. All printouts must be marked with:
The driver must report the problem to DVLA and apply for a new card within seven calendar days.
UTC – the time set on a digital or smart tachograph
The internal clock of a digital or smart tachograph is set to Universal Time Co-ordinated (UTC). The time displayed on the clock face can be set by the driver either to local time or to UTC. However, all data will be recorded by the VU on the time set by the integral clock, which operates on UTC – this is the same as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Drivers will need to remember that UTC is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST). Therefore, between 01.00 on the last Sunday in March and 01.00 on the last Sunday in October drivers must account for the difference when manually inputting activity details in the digital or smart tachograph.
For example, if drivers carried out other work for two hours between 06.00 and 08.00 in June before taking over the vehicle, they must enter this as between 05.00 and 07.00 in UTC time. As mentioned above, it is possible for drivers to set the display time on the VU to local BST, but this will not prevent the VU recording in UTC. Therefore, it is recommended that drivers leave the display time in UTC as a reminder of the difference.
Manual records
A digital or smart tachograph offers the ability for a driver to enter activities carried out by them away from their vehicle. This is by means of the manual input facility offered by the tachograph. There is however no requirement to make a manual record on a driver card where all the activity has already been captured on an analogue record sheet.
Analogue tachographs do not have a manual input facility so a manual record must be made on the reverse of the record sheet detailing the type of activity and the times started and finished. Further details are given in the section relating to analogue tachographs under the heading of ‘manual records’.
The only time a manual record or entry is legally required is when:
Reason 1 – Activity takes place away from the vehicle and it is not possible to use the tachograph.
Action – Manual record to be kept on analogue record sheet, on printout paper or by manual input on a digital or smart tachograph where possible
Reason 2 – The tachograph or card malfunctions.
Action – Manual record must be kept on an analogue record sheet or on printout paper.
Reason 3 – The rules are breached due to an unforeseen event see Unforeseen events within this section.
Action – Record reasons on a printout or the reverse of a portion of print roll, at the latest on arrival at a suitable stopping place.
Reason 4 – A record needs to be corrected because the incorrect mode has been recorded.
Action – Amend record on a printout or the reverse of a portion of print roll as soon as possible.
Manual records must be retained and produced in the same way as any other record, which has been produced using tachograph.
COMMON RULES
Operation of the mode switch or button
Drivers must ensure that the mode switch on an analogue tachograph or the mode button on a digital or smart tachograph is correctly set to record their activities.
Symbols – Explanatory notes
Driving – This is automatically recorded on most tachographs.
Other Work – This covers all activities as work other than driving in scope of the EU/AETR rules. It includes any work for the same or another employer, within or outside the transport sector.
Availability – Covers periods of waiting time, the duration of which is known about in advance. Examples of what might count as a period of availability (POA) are accompanying a vehicle on a ferry crossing or waiting while other workers load/unload their vehicle. For mobile workers driving in a team, a POA would also include time spent sitting next to the driver while the vehicle is in motion (unless taking a break or performing other work, i.e. navigation).
Break, rest, annual or sick leave – Covers breaks in work and daily or weekly rest periods. Drivers may not carry out any driving or any other work. Break periods are to be used exclusively for recuperation. During a rest period, a driver must be able to dispose freely of their time. Periods of annual or sick leave must also be recorded.
If for any reason the tachograph does not make an accurate record of activities (eg if the driver inadvertently makes an incorrect manual entry in a digital or smart tachograph, or fails to correctly operate the mode button or switch), the driver must make a manual tachograph record to this effect. For digital or smart tachographs, the driver should make and sign a printout for the relevant period with a note giving details of the error and reason at the time the error is made. For analogue tachographs, the record should be made at the back of the chart.
Multi-manning – second driver record
Some tachographs will automatically record all time spent as a second driver when the vehicle is in motion as a period of availability and do not allow the mode to be changed to either ‘break’ or ‘other work’. Provided the second driver is not required to carry out any work during this time, enforcement authorities will accept the first 45 minutes of this time as a break from driving. Any periods of other work, however, must be manually recorded on a printout or chart by the driver.
A ‘driver’ is anyone who drives a vehicle or is carried on the vehicle in order to be available for driving so where there are more than two drivers on board the vehicle, all drivers are required to keep a record of their activities. If there are more than two drivers, this must be done by making manual entries or records when there is not an available slot on the tachograph.
Travelling time
In cases where a vehicle that comes within the scope of EU/ AETR rules is at a separate location, that is neither the driver’s home nor the employer’s operational centre where the driver is normally based, but is at a separate location, the time the driver spends travelling to or from that location to take charge of or relinquish that vehicle, regardless of the mode of transport, cannot be counted as a rest or break, unless the driver is in a ferry or train and has access to a sleeper cabin (if interrupting a regular weekly rest period), or a sleeper cabin, bunk or couchette (if interrupting a regular daily rest period or a reduced weekly rest period).
Even if the driver is not paid or makes the decision themselves to travel to or from home/ base the travel time cannot be counted as rest or break. Travelling time must therefore be recorded as “other work” or “availability” in accordance with the above descriptions.
Mixed records – analogue and digital/smart tachographs
It is possible that a driver may, during the course of a day, drive 2 or more vehicles where both types of tachograph are used.
Drivers in such a situation must use a driver card to record while driving a vehicle with a digital or smart tachograph and tachograph charts when driving a vehicle equipped with an analogue tachograph. Time away from the vehicle may be recorded on either type of tachograph, but there is no need to record it on both.
Note: A driver who is not in possession of a driver card cannot drive a vehicle equipped with a digital or smart tachograph when the vehicle is in scope of EC/ AETR rules.
Recording other work
Drivers must record as ‘other work’, all time spent undertaking activities described as ‘other work’ below and record as ‘availability’ all time spent undertaking activities described as ‘availability’ below.
Any work-related activity can impact on a driver’s fatigue levels so drivers are legally required, whether employed part-time or full-time, keep a full record of all work-related activity, whether that work is transport related or not. For example, a part time driver who has a second job working in a bar, must record the bar work as other work regardless of when that work takes place.
Reminder: it is not permitted to undertake any work-related activity during legally required breaks or rest periods.
‘Other work’ means all activities which are defined as working time in Article 3(a) of Directive 2002/15/EC except ‘driving’, including any work for the same or another employer, within or outside of the transport sector.
‘Periods of availability’ (POAs) means:
POAs, and their foreseeable duration, must be known in advance by the mobile worker (so before departure or just before the actual start of the period in question).
POAs do not include break or rest periods
The record of other work must be either:
Information to be provided to operators
A driver who is at the disposal of more than one operator must provide each undertaking with sufficient information to allow them to make sure the rules are being met.
Rest and other days off
Drivers are required, in addition to breaks and rest periods, to record periods of annual or sick leave under the rest mode (bed symbol) by using the manual inputs on a digital/smart tachograph or by making a manual record on a chart or print out paper.
It is not acceptable to use attestation letters as an alternative for recording periods of annual or sick leave. Other countries may accept attestation letters from drivers on international journeys for other types of leave, but we are not aware if that is the case so such drivers should ensure that all periods of rest and leave are recorded as detailed the paragraph above. The UK will not accept attestation letters as an alternative to keeping records as detailed in the paragraph above.
Source – DVSA
