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
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188 
Ticking tad() timebomb
Page 20
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Maybe it's due to the expense, maybe it's just the hassle, but the uptake of digital tachograph driver cards has been low — and the BVRA is predicting serious consequences for the industry. Dylan Gray reports.
Since 1 May 2006 it has been compulsory to lit digital tachographs on all newly registered vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.
However, to use a vehicle fitted with a digitach. the driver and company both need to have the requisite cards and office equipment. Figures just released by the DVLA show that the uptake of these cards has been rather low. with only 10% of drivers having obtained one.That's 141.000 from a total of almost 1.4 million licensed LGV/PCV drivers.
Natalie Barroccu from the DVLA says: "Last year we ran forums explaining the process and the importance of obtaining the cards. Well continue attending other seminars to try to promote them and prompt other drivers to sign up as soon as possible."
Rental firm concerned
Vehicle rental company TLS has also voiced its concerns about the slow uptake of driver cards 4% of its standard 7.5-tonners are now equipped with digitachs. Vehicles only stay with TLS for around 18 months before they are updated, soils digitach-equipped fleet is set to increase rapidly.
TLS is keeping driver card forms at all of its branches for drivers to complete if they wish and ii reports the feedback obtained from drivers suggests that they will only get one when they feel it is absolutely necessary. The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) is advising operators to lake up the cards soon it believes the slow uptake could threaten the UK road transport industry's abi lity to cope with peak demand periods and unexpected vehicle downtime. It also points out that drivers without cards could be rendered useless to a company if it buys digitach-equipped vehicles.
BVRLA director general John Lewis says:"This is a very complex subject, and we're certainly not having a go at the hauliers. We understand the attitude of 'why gel the cards before you've got the vehicles? but we're surprised the government isn't helping.
"A suggestion is that the cards he made free to people such as agency drivers who may be required to drive both types of vehicles-as well as to other key sectors. We also believe that the enforcement regime is incredibly penal, as drivers must remember to carry their cards, even when they are handling a non-digilach vehicle."
The BVRLA thinks that the governmentwill only begin to take an interest when 'UK plc' starts to he affected.
FTA cost predictions
To give a better idea of the cost involved in digitising a fleet, the Freight Transport Association (FTA ) has released some figures on the required start-up costs.
One-off costs such as the analysis software, computer/ network hardware upgrade, digitach demonstrator unit and digi data postbox' will set the operator back around £8,000. After that the costs will vary depending on the size of the fleet, the number of cards required. vehicle download units and, most importantly, driver training.
An FIA. case study on a haulage firm with 70 vehicles. 10 depots and 100 drivers estimated the total start-up costs at about .£42,000. These costs will certainly not have hauliers rushing to fit digitachs in their vehicles.
Highbridge-basedRIKeedwell Group has bought 26 pre-digitach Dais this year. But spokesman Stuart Keedwell stresses: "We aren't holding off digitachs for cost reasons, hut because of the 'hassle factor'. We feel it is easier to wait until 2007 and digitise the whole fleet at once, rather than run both technologies in a changeover period. Waiting until then will also see most of the system's faults ironed out." II