NEW GENERATION TACHOGRAPHS GET GREEN LIGHT
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Proposals for smart tachographs have passed their first test – approval by the parliament’s transport committee. Now they face a vote of the full parliament in September. The Freight Transport Association is confident that the most controversial proposal, which is to ban operators carrying out their own tachograph calibration, will be dropped.
The new generation of tachographs is set to be introduced in 2017-18 after field tests by manufacturers. Romanian MEP Silvia Ticau is rapporteur (sponsor) for the legislation. She says smart tachographs connected to global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) should be compulsory in all LGVs by 2020. “They provide opportunities for integration with other intelligent transport system applications and allow the wireless transfer of data,” she says, adding, “traffic authorities could run remote checks without stopping trucks and only target vehicles with bad records for roadside checks.” Alongside the new rules, Vosa officers and their European counterparts may have to face a new examination to prove they have the skills required to enforce drivers’ hours and tachograph legislation.
The European Enforcement Certificate has been proposed by the European Parliament. “If it goes ahead it will hopefully bring about a harmonised approach to drivers’ hours and tachograph enforcement,” says Chris Yarsley, European affairs manager for the Freight Transport Association.
“Hauliers get fined €2,000 for offences in France and Spain that attract only a small fine in the UK.” Vosa is the lead partner in TRACE, a project to raise enforcement standards across the EU.