Have the technical difficulties been fully appreciated?
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by Roger Howell
JUST what type of equipment is the Minister of Transport likely to specify if he ever decides to implement the tachograph legislation? Certainly if the requirement is for the recording of speed, distance and time, all on the one instrument, the end product will be a sophisticated and delicate mechanism which may be inappropriate for use on some types of haulage operation. And if a tachograph is to function properly it needs to be fitted with skill and care so that, for example, cable runs are as direct as possible to reduce friction between the revolving inner cable and its outer casing.
Tyre deflection under load will tend to alter readings, while the speeds recorded will tend to increase slightly as tyres become worm. Such variations may well fall within permitted tolerances, but one may well ask whether an instrument that may be used to provide statutory information should be susceptible to variations at all.
The fitting and maintenance of tachographs will probably be beyond the capabilities of the average garage, and one can visualize lorries queuing at tachograph agencies in much the same manner as the fitters' vans now wait outside vehicle distributors for spare parts. There is also the chance that manufacturers would concentrate on original equipment sales to vehicle builders and the small operator might find himself in a weak bargaining position.
While the average driver remains "antitachograph" there is also the risk of sabotage, though short of severing the drive pr breaking the instrument there are few fiddles which, it is claimed, will not reveal themselves to the eye of the trained disc interpreter. But if he has successfully interfered with the device, the driver can, of course, become awkward. Section 97 (1) (b) provides that no driver shall drive a vehicle to which Part VI of the Act applies unless the "recording equipment" fitted is in working order. Granted that the Minister may waive, by regulation, the application of this requirement in certain circumstances, this would carry little weight with a body of men who probably don't want to understand anyway! As with drivers' hours, a firm could doubtless be held over a barrel: "The tach has packed up. I'm not going any farther."
Recently I visited Servis Recorders Ltd., Gloucester, perhaps the best-known manufacturer of time-recording equipment in this country. Mr. R. V. Redston, the company's managing director, quite naturally put forward a strong case for straight time-recording equipment; but lest it be thought that this was an over-biased view, it should be made clear that Servis has its own tachograph in production.
Mr. Redston sees considerable difficulty in the production of a standard unit suitable for all vehicles legally requiring to be equipped if the Act's provisions were implemented. The SMMT working party on tachographs has been preparing a suitable engineering specification but much work remains to be done. Vehicles already in service present the major problem; for instance, the variations in gearbox output speeds and in the thread sizes of cable connections.
Of perhaps greater importance is the fact that the relevant sections of the Transport Act are concerned with drivers' hours. Mr. Redston considers that the implementation of the tachograph provisions would mean that more information was produced than was really necessary, whereas enforcement, to be effective, must not be spread over too wide a field.
Time factor
All operators are interested in the time factor and it is right and proper that the industry should have positive means of establishing the period which a vehicle actually spends in revenue service. Distance covered can be arrived at fairly easily, as most operators have set runs, and even when on day tramp work, vehicles often travel over the same route and to the same delivery points week in, week out. Is the knowledge of exact speed so vital? Certainly an accurate assessment of time, and also of mileage (taken from the vehicle's odometer and confirmed by traffic documents) can provide an average speed figure which is not too wide of the mark.
Over-driving can be traced from the simple time recorder, which will show journeys completed in an extremely short period of time, or alternatively long periods of standing time. And checking of documents and routine discussions between traffic clerk and driver will, more often than not, distinguish the genuine delay from the over-long cafe stops. The recording of high speeds does not in itself prove that a vehicle has been over-driven, since 60 mph in overdrive on a motorway might well be within a vehicle's governed output, but driving against the governors when descending a long incline in low gear is an altogether different story that would escape recording.
Mr. Redston sympathizes with drivers who make a stand against the tachograph on the ground of its legal admissibility as • evidence. Certainly the evidence might prove beneficial to a driver, particularly on questions of "when and where", but this information can be obtained from a time recorder. It is the speed record, with its admitted margin of error, which might well prove detrimental. Most drivers, whether of heavy lorries or private cars, frequently exceed the statutory speed limits, though relatively few are caught. Why should the heavy haulage man have his petty misdemeanours placed on a record which has a fair chance of being subject to official scrutiny, while the private motorist proceeds unchecked?
It has been suggested that drivers might accept tachographs if they were offered as an alternative to separate record keeping, and certainly the average driver dislikes paper work. Particularly if the men could be convinced that their pay and bonuses were to be taken off the chart, driver acceptance might stand a better chance, but the tachograph could not effectively replace the vehicle running sheet which so often forms the basis of a haulier's statistical analysis.
It is also necessary to consider the task of the traffic clerk, often working under great pressure. He will often be the person who would have to interpret the tachograph information, keep check on the keys and fit new charts at regular intervals. Will he have time to do all this on top of his present duties? Will he be able to manipulate the dials and make sure that the machine is properly set up? Even the relatively simple Servis Recorder is sometimes found with the charts fitted back to front. Visualize the performance as attempts are made to rig up the more complicated tachograph on a cold, dark night with 20 trucks to go out, one clerk on duty and half-a-dozen sets of delivery notes to complete.
The technical and administrative problems associated with tachographs are considerable but, especially in some fields of road transport, there is certainly a case for the encouragement of voluntary fitting and one could argue for Government financial assistance where necessary.
Some tachographs have a fourth stylus which records engine rpm as well as road speed. The recording of rpm enables a much more precise check to be kept on engine stress, and is particularly useful when it is expected that a vehicle will be continually operating near the recommended limits. Indeed, if an operator does want evidence of the way in which a vehicle is being handled, the rpm reading surely provides it. Again, the modern vehicle engine is often used for auxiliary purposes, and is kept running while the vehicle is stationary. Whereas an ordinary tachograph will not record such running time, the rpm version will do so. Indeed an rpm tachograph will give the bulk operator a complete picture of his discharge cycle—always assuming the vehicle pump or compressor is in fact used—highlighting weaknesses in a customer's receiving equipment and in the driver's discharge technique.
In cases where an operator wishes to use a tachograph to implement a productivity agreement—particularly where bonus is related to average speed—having speed, time and distance on the same chart might certainly facilitate the calculation of bonus for individual drivers. It would not be necessary to plough through piles of log sheets to establish the exact distance covered by any one man in any one week.