Tackling tacho compliance
Su Winch, managing director of Novadata, explains the benefits of online digital tachograph analysis and remote downloads
Now that the vast majority of tachographs in use are in digital format, and all new tachographs are not only digital, but smart digital models, the time has definitely come to consider integrating other critical services with online digital tachograph analysis.
This is particularly true of remote downloading. The remote download function can be set to complete every 24 hours, which we normally recommend, making data available far more quickly, even while the vehicle and driver are far from their base.
For a modest initial investment to purchase an in-vehicle remote download device, and a cost-effective online digital tachograph analysis solution, you can download data automatically at frequent, regular intervals, giving you recent data to analyse.
If a driver has exceeded their working hours, this becomes apparent very quickly. The manager will be alerted as soon as they receive the downloaded data, and the driver will normally see an alert on their driver app the next morning, before they start driving.
This access to accurate, timely data allows manager and driver to take action to avoid both multiple infringements and corresponding multiple fines.
Without remote downloading, it is possible for several infringements to occur before the data is analysed. It may not be obvious that a drivers’ hours infringement has occurred, or that the tachograph has been used incorrectly, for several days, during which time more infringements might occur.
As it is now possible to be penalised with up to five breaches of drivers’ hours regulations or incorrect use of the digital tachograph at a time, it is good for both driver and manager to be alerted at the first infringement, so that action can be taken to avoid further breaches.
The fines for drivers can add up to £1,500 in fixed penalties from a single roadside inspection by a DVSA official or police officer, due to the fact that multiple infringements can be penalised and fines imposed from a single check. For the transport manager, the operator compliance risk score (OCRS) will suffer, which represents a threat to the organisation’s O-licence.
An integrated online solution, however, can flag up a problem at the first infringement, and avoid much of this happening.
The cost of setting up remote downloading is easily less than the possible fines. Both the vehicle unit data and the driver card data can be downloaded while the vehicle is far from base, ensuring that download deadlines are never missed. This can be set to happen automatically, most commonly at the end of each working day, but at whatever interval best suits the user.
Any anxiety about keeping data and other digital information online is easily allayed once managers see the secure online login that they can use to access their securely stored data. This access to data from any secure internet connection also allows them to generate a whole host of useful reports which reflect an accurate assessment of the organisation’s robust compliance, both internally and for inspection by the authorities.
It is also helpful to integrate a vehicle tracking function, as this can alert both driver and manager very promptly to another serious infringement, that of driving without a driver card, more or less in real time, due to GPS tracking. Integrated vehicle tracking will also flag up speed infringements very rapidly, so that action can be taken promptly to prevent further infringements.
The remote downloading of digital tachograph data also brings major logistical and operational benefits. In the current climate, with a severe shortage of drivers, more emphasis can be given to planning fruitful journeys, without needing to factor in trips to base merely to download.
Visits to base can be used more effectively, for defect rectification or preventative planned maintenance, helping to keep the fleet moving, as well as roadworthy.
The handy driver app has a multitude of uses. As well as flagging up the more obvious infringements, this can be very effectively used for conducting digital daily walkaround vehicle checks, prompting the driver to make their check accurately, as well as to switch the tachograph setting to ‘other work’ while completing the walkaround check.
This greatly reduces one of the most common faults with digital tachograph usage; that of failing to record the time spend conducting the check – an error which can suggest that the walkaround check was never completed.
It is, of course, vital that drivers understand how to use their vehicle’s digital tachograph accurately. This is especially true of manual entries, one of the aspects of tachograph usage in which mistakes are made all too often. When choosing periodic Driver CPC training courses, it makes sense to include one that covers tachographs and drivers’ hours best practice.
For the transport manager, a great deal of time can be saved by moving multiple functions online, and a digital approach can be used to foster active driver participation in compliance issues.
In addition to remote downloading, there is a suite of modules which can be integrated with digital tachograph analysis, including driving licence checks, and fleet maintenance management.
An online digital tachograph analysis solution not only promotes accurate record-keeping, which is also a legal requirement; it also helps to provide data for the transport manager to report back to the board.
You can choose from a vast array of automatically generated reports, all of which aid compliance with O-licence undertakings, helping to protect the organisation’s O-licence. As there are many businesses which would cease to operate if they were to lose their O-licence, being able to demonstrate compliance and maintain a healthy OCRS is critical.
The robust data storage and record-keeping which online integrated services can provide also help to ensure that fleets meet the requirements of the DVSA Earned Recognition scheme, providing invaluable evidence of compliance and best practice.
