As an O Licence holder managing a fleet of commercial vehicles, you have a series of legally binding undertakings which must be fulfilled. These include the maintenance and roadworthiness of vehicles, compliance with Drivers’ Hours rules, and the regular checking of the validity of drivers’ licences, ensuring they are valid. Key to much of this compliance is accurate tachograph analysis and record keeping.

Tachograph analysis is the process through which data is extracted from each vehicle unit and corresponding driver card, before being examined to establish compliance with current transport legislation and best practice.

This process requires the installation of a tachograph in each vehicle. In the UK, this is a legal requirement in LGVs (large goods vehicles - also known as heavy goods vehicles or HGVs) that weigh over 3.5 tonnes, as well as passenger carrying vehicles with more than nine seats. Data must be downloaded from the tachograph at regular intervals and analysed to determine compliance.

What does tachograph analysis involve?

Before we go into the common infringements, we pick up because of tachograph analysis work at Novadata, let’s first take a closer look at what data is collected and why each piece of data is important.

In short, tachograph analysis uses data that looks at driving hours, break periods, the driver’s period of availability, and other work carried out on or in the vehicle. For example, cleaning or stores work, as well as the daily vehicle walkaround check. The tachograph records whether the driver took sufficient rest, or if their driving hours exceeded the legal limits, as well as any other notable events or incidents.

Data must be downloaded at regular intervals –legal requirements stipulate downloads at least every 28 days for individual driver cards and at least every 90 days for vehicle units. The analysis allows transport managers and company owners to see potential infringements and act on them.  Using Novadata’s online tachograph analysis solution, fleet managers can access their fleet’s tachograph data via a central database, tracking live updates of work availability, any active infringements, and more. This allows them to identify potential infringement issues and act on them far more quickly. Our online tachograph analysis solution also provides an app which gives drivers access to their own data.

Alternatively, operators can analyse their tachograph data using our standalone analysis software called CT-TachoTEK, which can be used on a PC or laptop.

The most common infringements we find during tachograph analysis

During tachograph analysis, several infringements can be identified. These are the most common:

1. Driving time and rest period violations

One of the biggest risks to road safety comes from fatigue. Regulations exist to protect both drivers and the public, but breaches still happen frequently:

• Exceeding maximum driving times: Going beyond daily or weekly limits.
• Missing mandatory breaks: Skipping the 45-minute rest after 4.5 hours of driving.
• Insufficient rest: Not taking the daily or weekly rest requirements.
• Interrupting rest periods: Breaking a rest by driving short distances, inserting a card, or setting the tachograph to “work.”
  
  

2. Tachograph and driver card misuse

Errors in using tachographs and cards are common but can quickly escalate into major infringements:

• Forgetting to insert a driver card: A simple oversight, but one that leaves driving time unrecorded.
• Not using the tachograph at all: A clear violation of the rules.
• Using someone else’s card (or lending yours): Considered a serious act of fraud/falsification.
  
  

3. Record-keeping and falsification

Accurate records are essential for compliance. Common errors include:

• Not recording all activities: Such as “availability” or other non-driving tasks.
• Falsifying or altering records: An intentional act that carries heavy penalties.
• Failing to record country entry/exit data: A frequent mistake with digital tachographs.

It is also possible to fall foul of tachograph regulations if you fail to produce tachograph records when requested by a law enforcement officer or DVSA official. This could occur if the driver is stopped following a road traffic accident or other roadside event.

Failing to provide tachograph data or printouts on request is itself a serious infringement.

Online tachograph analysis not only helps transport managers to achieve and maintain compliance, but it also allows drivers to be aware of their driving hours, so that they are prompted to take adequate rest.

These are not just common infringements but potentially dangerous for drivers. For serious infringements, companies and drivers can each face fines of up to £5,000 – or even imprisonment. Exceeding regulatory driving hours can land a fine of £2,500, while using another driver's tachograph card can also lead to fines of up to £5,000.

<h2> Who needs Novadata’s online tachograph analysis services? </h2>

Novadata works with companies that manage fleets of drivers across a wide range of sectors, arming transport managers with the information they need to prove their compliance with transport legislation, while keeping drivers safe on the road.

Novadata’s online tachograph analysis is an approved software solution for the DVSA’s Earned Recognition scheme, and is ideal for companies aiming to achieve and maintain membership. Earned Recognition requires more frequent data downloads, making an online solution more practical for the transport manager. It is also ideal for use with remote downloading of tachographs, which does not require the vehicle to be at the depot for data to be downloaded for analysis.  

If you operate a fleet of commercial vehicles that weigh over 3.5 tonnes or has more than 9 seats, Novadata is your go-to provider of tachograph analysis solutions, with outstanding technical support, to ensure you don’t just have the tech but also use it in the most accurate, compliant way possible.