1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
FTA says smart-card tack's
Page 4
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
doomed by system glitches
m by Emma Penny and Brian Weatherley
The move to introduce smart-card tachographs from August 2004 must be stopped amid fears that manufacturers cannot Iron out glitches In the system.
This is the call from the Freight Transport Association, which warns that If the current timetable for introducing the technology is followed, operators will be forced to buy trucks with Inadequate systems requiring updates within a short time of fitting.
The FTA has written to transport minister John Speller asking him to "use the government's influence to bring an end to the progress of the current EU regulation".
According to the association's James Hookham, tachograph manufacturers have told the European Commission that they cannot meet its 5 March target for system approval.
l`This would affect the whole process, and could mean operators are left with a great deal of uncertainty about what to do in August 2004 when the technology is supposed to come in. It would also leave operators with little time to train their drivers."
Hookham says problems stem from three key deficiencies: • The smart-card tacho specification having technical errors, which could result in malfunctioning units.
• EU regulations for smart-card tachos have no provision to require recording of non-driving time by the driver, or that data be downloaded from the tacho at minimum intervals; both hinder operators and enforcement agencies.
• As manufacturers can't meet type-approval deadlines, the EC Is expected to propose a revised timetable delaying introduction in new vehicles for a year, but this will clash with the EU's expansion and proposals may fall into a 'legislative vacuum', leaving operators uncertain of legal requirements.
Hookham says: "Operators should be allowed to continue using existing analogue equipment until a new specification can be agreed.''