tachographs

Tachographs are recording devices installed in commercial road vehicles to automatically document driving time, rest periods, and vehicle activity. They are used to verify compliance with driving time regulations and to promote road safety by helping prevent driver fatigue. Tachographs are common in heavy goods vehicles and passenger transport vehicles.

There are two main types: mechanical (analogue) tachographs and digital tachographs. Analogue tachographs use a rotating paper disc driven by the vehicle and a stylus that traces driving status, speed, and rest periods onto the chart. Digital tachographs store data electronically on encrypted memory and require three kinds of cards: a driver card, an operator card, and a workshop/verification card. The driver inserts their card, and the device records driving time, breaks, and rest; data can be downloaded for inspection. Both systems include tamper-detection features and require regular calibration and verification to ensure data integrity.

Regulation and enforcement: In the European Union, driving time limits and rest requirements are defined to regulate work hours for drivers. Tachograph data are used by road transport authorities to check compliance, and violations can lead to penalties for drivers or operators. Data protection and privacy rules govern how collected information may be used and retained, and tachographs may be inspected on the road or at verification centers.

History and scope: The technology evolved from mechanical chart recorders to digital systems in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Tachographs are widely used in the EU and in some other regions; in other markets, electronic logging devices perform a similar function for monitoring driving time and rest periods.