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 
FTA attacks EC blundering over smart-card tachos
Page 4
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• by Chris Tindall
The Freight Transport Association has attacked the European Commission for its bungled introduction of digital smart-card tachographs, amid concerns that a French company will become the sole providers of the technology.
The ETA's chief executive Richard Turner will travel to Brussels next week and demand that the EU Transport Commissioner, Loyola de Palacio, and her cabinet delays the August 2004 deadline until more manufacturers are in a position to roll-out the equipment.
Turner describes the situation as a "complete dog's breakfast", and warns that now French firm ACTIA has announced it will be able to produce smart-card tachographs in time for the deadline next year, a monopoly situation could be created.
"I think the Commission needs to get to grips with this. We have a legal requirement racing towards us and only one manufacturer that has said it is going to make it on time. But even it has not met the deadlines laid down. One manufacturer is not a market: it's a monopoly"
But Nick Rendell, boss of Siemens VDO which has developed its own smart-card system, says: 'We're still working towards the original timetable for introduction. However, I don't think the issue of volume
product availability is as important as the one of infrastructure and the availability of smart cards on a panEuropean basis.
"Can one country go ahead with implementing the system if the good people in Greece and Portugal haven't issued smart cards?"
Turner is disappointed that ACTIA is forging ahead with manufacturing this technology after the FTA held a meeting in the Belgian capital last month attempting to win approval for a delay (CM12-18 June).
The FTA is also concerned that the technology being designed is quite basic and will not interact with existing equipment in cabs. Turner likens the situation to fitting a cassette player into a CD environment and complains that the EC is ignoring the association's fears.
"We desperately want the Commission and the Council of Ministers to commit to the early production of a new specification," he adds.
"One which is teiematicsenabled and is more sophisticated and interoperable. We should delay starting the new rules because the market is a mess."
A refusal to put back the deadline could prove disastrous for manufacturers. Turner says there is a strong possibility that operators would delay buying new vehicles next autumn until the situation has been resolved, which would damage the economy. And when the technology is finally fitted, drivers will need time to be trained.
A spokeswoman for VOSA says that France, Spain and Germany, as well as the UK, have all organised card providers for the new tachographs, and Scandinavia and the Netherlands are at an advanced stage.