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Digitalis one year on
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Page 29
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Doesn't time fly... it's
been a year since digital tachographs became mandatory.
Roanna Avison and Dylan Gray look at some of the issues that have come up so far.
Even though drivers have had a year to apply for the smart cards they need to operate digital tachographs, the uptake so far has been slow.
DVLA figures show that to date only 15.4% of LGV drivers have smart cards. A DVLA spokesman reports: The latest figures show that the UK has 1,387,185 truck drivers with only 213,934 of them with driver smart cards."
This has had a particular impact on the truck rental market. John Lewis, director-general of the Bri fish Vehicle Rental and L.easingAssociation, has already voiced his concerns about drivers not applying for smart cards and thus being unable to legally drive digitach-equipped vehicles (CM 7 December 2006).
Things can only get better Five months on and Lewis has some more positive words: "We're noting a real improvement at the heavy end of the market; not so much in the 7.5-tonne region. "There is still a long way to go," he adds, "but there have certainly been major improvements. The Department for li-ansport and Vosa have both worked incredibly hard to accommodate us and make the transition from analogue to digital as easy as possible."
While it is only a matter of Lime until drivers have to apply for their cards, a major issue discussed recently in these pages is the accuracy — or otherwise — with which digitachs record driving time (CM 15 March ).They are designed to round up to the nearest minute and this. according to the Road Haulage Association. can add up to three hours' recorded driving time per week on a frequent start/stop run.
'This isn't j ust a UK problem. French operators have demanded that their government allow them to keep buying new trucks with analogue tachos until it is resolved.
We don't know why It is still unclear why the ELI specification for digitachs demanded that time be recorded to the nearest minute,though it might have something to do with data storage capabilities.
In any case, the situation is that digitachs are now compulsory and 1 he industry will not revert to analogue. For now the many drivers and owner-drivers making a living with analogueequipped trucks have no need for a driver smart card, unless they need to hire a vehicle,of course. But in time the last analogue trucks will be out to pasture and everyone will need a card.
It makes sense to get yours soon, if only for easier job searches and emergencies. •