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Toth° regs paper due: now for talks
Page 7
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A DRAFT consultative document on the introduction of tachographs was expected from the Department of Transport this week. Following a meeting with the trade unions on August 14 the British proposals were sent to the Commission and were due back in London at the beginning of the week.
Tachograph manufacturers anticipate that the regulations will be laid before Parliament by December 1 to be implemented in stages from January 1 next, and phased in over a two year period. Veeder-Root UK sales manager Gerry Leggatt told CM that operators should not harbour hopes of a five year retro-fit programme. However, the SMMT have said that their members are not yet ready to meet a January 1 deadline and that they will require six months grace.
This will mean, however, that any delay in beginning fitment will mean a shorter overall fitment period. If the Commission and Department of Transport compromise with the industry, April 1 looks like the most likely starting date but as the overall period is unlikely to be reduced it will mean the programme being completed in 21 months.
Although many new vehicles have already been fitted there is a danger that their instruments are now unserviceable and will have to be replaced.
Under union pressure operators have not been using the tachograph which was fitted as original equipment by most chassis manufacturers and those who have neglected to fit a blank chart will now find that the head has been damaged and will now need replacement. A number of operators have already made plans for this.
The current retrofit price is approximately £230. There are now about 400 fitting and calibration stations licensed by the Department of Transport and equipped to service the 500,000 vehicles which will require the instrument once the law has been made. Fitting time is estimated. to be four hours per vehicle.