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Smart-card debacle carries on
Page 5
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N The on-going saga over the Introduction of digital smart-card tachographs rumbled on this week, as yet another EC deadline slipped by virtually without comment.
Tachograph manufacturers were meant to have submitted their prototypes to the Commission for type approval by 5 August, prior to their fitment in new vehicles from August 2004. However, as CM went to press, none of the firms were in a position to do this.
The Freight Transport Association argues that to miss this important deadline will plunge the already sham
bolic introduction of the new technology, beset by wrangles over its specification, Into further chaos.
However, the tacho manufacturers argue otherwise. Paul Kay, managing director of the arm of French tacho firm Actia, says it will have gained type approval by October and will then be able to send units to truck builders and offer training on their use.
He adds: "It's another year before the legislation comes into effect so we don't really see there being a problem. As far as we are concerned, the deadline is August 2004 But James Hookham, director of policy at the FTA, disagrees: "It's a complete mess. Here we are as consumers of this technology and we are asking what the hell's going on it's outrageous that the Commission has allowed this to develop."
He adds that with more than a million people to train before next August, the industry urgently needs working models of the tachos.
A spokesman for the EC denied there was a problem. adding: "As far as we are concerned, the timeframe is still the same."