A little Bit of Knowledge About Tachographs

Coyote - Tachograph -Coyote Logistics

Tachograph –a device that probably holds no secrets for truck drivers and other professionals in the transport industry. However, not every person operating in the logistics industry needs to know exactly how a tachograph works, which has been a mandatory equipment of trucks operating on European routes for several decades. Let us briefly describe what a tachograph actually is and what it is used for.

What is a tachograph?

Tachographs are mechanical, analog or digital devices that are designed to monitor driving time, speed and distance covered by a truck. The history of this device, whose name comes from the Greek words tachos (speed) and graphos (to write), dates back to the first half of the 19th century. Since their invention, tachographs have evolved significantly to meet increasing anti-counterfeiting requirements and changing legal regulations.

Who invented the tachograph?

The inventor of the tachograph is Max Maria von Weber, a German civil servant and engineer who lived in the 19th century. He developed the first tachograph for railway purposes. Around 1844, these devices began to become popular because railway companies used them to investigate the causes of train delays. Tachographs are still used in rail transport to this day.

After the invention of the car, when new vehicles began to be used for the commercial transport of people and goods, tachographs were also adapted for use in trucks. In Europe this happened in the 1920s. Initially, they were simple mechanical devices that measured only basic information about the vehicle’s movement. Over the years, they were replaced by analog tachographs, which measured more data and were constantly significantly modernized, but were still susceptible to falsification. It was only in the 1980s that we could talk about a breakthrough, when the first digital tachographs were introduced. Not only did they track data more precisely, but they were also increasingly resistant to interference by unauthorized persons. However, until 2006, analog devices dominated, albeit with standardized dimensions and a head that fit into the DIN socket on the vehicle’s dashboard, making it easier to replace them later with digital models.

What does a tachograph consist of and how does it work?

As already mentioned, we can distinguish mechanical tachographs (the oldest and simplest designs), analog and digital. The most important difference in their design concerns how the collected data about the truck’s operation is recorded. To simplify: in analog models, data is recorded on a special dial made of waxed paper. Instead of these elements, digital models have a display and a chip card on which information is collected.

In an attempt to present the most generalized description of the construction of the currently common digital tachograph, we can point to the following elements:

  • Driver card: a personal smart card issued to drivers that stores driver activity data (driving time, breaks, rest periods, etc.). When taking control of a commercial vehicle, each driver is obliged to connect his card to the tachograph.
  • The vehicle unit is the main part of the tachograph system installed in the vehicle cabin. It includes a display showing the driver’s current operating mode, a printer for creating reports and slots for installing chip cards.
  • Speed sensor connected to the vehicle’s gearbox. It sends signals to the vehicle unit regarding the vehicle’s speed and distance traveled.
  • A display showing current driving and rest time information and a user interface allowing the driver to enter or change information such as the driver’s activity status.
  • Remote communication interface (optional) with which some modern tachographs are equipped. It enables remote communication and data download, thanks to which transport companies have remote access to data from tachographs.

Each tachograph is calibrated and sealed to protect against unauthorized interference by third parties, which may result in data falsification. The services may detect such illegal changes during vehicle inspection. These devices can also be equipped with a data logging function in emergency situations or accidents. This information can later be used for analysis during an investigation. Tachographs are synchronized with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), ensuring consistency of time records across regions.

Legal regulations regarding tachographs

Carriers from countries belonging to the European Community (the predecessor of today’s European Union) had to use tachographs compulsorily from 1986, in accordance with the provisions of the regulation issued a year earlier. In the same year, 1985, the AETR Convention (concerning road transport outside the EC and EEA areas) came into force, which –together with the above-mentioned regulation –introduced the obligation to register data in road transport in heavy goods vehicles or vehicle combinations with a GVW above 3.5 t.

In force since 2007 Regulation No 561/2006 established common rules on driving times, breaks and rest times for professional drivers of commercial vehicles in the EU. In turn, Regulation 165/2014 repealed the act of 1985 and amended the regulation of 2006 –in accordance with the new regulations, the obligation to use the so-called intelligent tachographs. From August 2023, all newly registered trucks must be equipped with a second-generation intelligent tachograph. Carriers had time until the end of last year to equip their trucks and buses, registered after August 21, with such a device. However, the European Commission, acknowledging the recommendations of the IRU (International Road Transport Union), gave Member States the opportunity to extend the grace period until August 18, 2025 (by this date, intelligent second-generation tachographs must be placed in commercial vehicles not equipped with them, used on international routes;previously, because the oldest devices installed before 2019 must be replaced by the end of 2024). As logistics media reported in October last year, the reason for this decision was the still visible shortage of new devices on the market.

After Brexit, the UK continues to apply EU regulations, but with possible local modifications.

What is an SMT2 tachograph?

The tachograph mentioned above (SMT2) is an intelligent tachograph of the second generation, which, thanks to advanced telematics, enables better use of collected data. This translates into more effective fleet management and monitoring of drivers’working hours and rest periods. The SMT2 model features a number of additional, advanced features:

  • Short-range communication system (DSRC): allows remote reading of data by control authorities without the need to stop the vehicle.
  • Automatic registration of crossing borders.
  • The storage period for driver’s working time data has been extended to the last 56 days.
  • Registration of the place of start and end of work.
  • Increased resistance to unauthorized manipulation.

Summary

The tachograph is a key element in ensuring the safety and efficiency of road transport, because these devices ensure drivers’work in accordance with EU regulations, but also help transport companies in optimizing their work.