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Share and share alike
Page 14
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Tachodiscis technology director, Guy Reynolds, compares how the UK is managing the transition to digital tachographs with the rest of Europe.
Compliance with drivers' hours and digital tachograph regs varies from country to country but why, when we are all working under the same EU legislation? And do some countries enjoy an operational advantage as a result?
Most operators understand the basic principles of an analogue tachograph's activity trace line, so up to a point it is readable by those familiar with tachograph charts. For many years there has been a culture of tachograph analysis in the UK but not in most other EU countries. There is little or no bureau analysis, with most vehicle operators only carrying out basic tachograph checks.
With the onset of the digitach this has had to change. If you have a vehicle fitted with a digital tachograph you need computer software to view driver's card information. In the UK this has not been a big problem there is a culture of tacho charts being analysed professionally, so it is natural for vehicle operators to move towards professional computer software to do the same job. In most other EU countries the idea of paying for tachograph analysis software is alien, but they need this software to comply with the law.
So should we share our knowledge of digitachs with our counterparts over the Channel? The answer is yes. The UK transport industry has invested heavily in digitach technology and systems, and we need more of a level playing field.
I believe the main barrier to us taking Europe by storm is not language but culture. In December last year I was in Portugal on business, and was surprised to find that digital drivers' cards were still not being issued, even though the EU law has been in force since May 2006. This was compounded by the fact the country is split into three regions, each with its own government. Add the lack of analysis bureaus and it's easy to see why they do not have the infrastructure in place that can evolve with the emergence of digitachs.
This is just one example; there are 26 other member states apart from the UK, each with its own cultural differences.
"In most other EU countries the idea of paying for tachograph analysis software is alien, but the need it to comply with the law"