Every truck driver, during his work, uses a tachograph. It is a mandatory piece of equipment. Technological advances have contributed to the development of these devices, and with new features, fleet management is becoming simpler.
What is a tachograph?
Atachograph is a mandatory piece of truck equipment designed to record driver activity and control working time. Thanks to the equipment installed in the truck, shipping companies can analyze the course the driver has taken, making it possible to find the cause of delays as well as a way to optimize the route. Of course, this is not the only advantage, an important aspect is driving safety, by recording the activity of the drivers, the fleet owner can be sure that the norms of the drivers’ working hours have not been exceeded. Combined with other data, the company can analyze driving style, fuel consumption and look for opportunities to increase driver efficiency.
Evolution of tachographs
Over the years, tachographs have been streamlined to improve work efficiency as much as possible and reduce the possibility of data manipulation. The oldest version is the analog tachograph, which creates what is known as a record sheet, or record disc. Technological advances have contributed to the development of the digital tachograph, which is an improvement on the original version. In its case, data are recorded on a smart card, but the ability to print out the reading has still been retained. We are currently dealing with second-generation digital tachographs, which have been enriched with, among other things, automatic recording of border crossing data via satellite systems, and a remote control system has been enriched so that authorities in control of moving trucks can verify driving time data without having to stop the vehicle.
From when will second-generation tachographs be mandatory?
Second-generation smart tachographs, according to available information, will be mandatory in newly registered vehicles as early as next year, and within the next few years will also cover older vehicles that have earlier versions of the device. These changes, however, do not apply to vehicles used in domestic transport. For the company, the implementation of new technologies will not only allow it to comply with current legislation, but will also contribute to better fleet management.
