Tachograph and working conditions
This domain tests the tachograph as an evidence system and the working-time rules around it: correct use of the driver card and modes, manual entries, records, downloads and the Working Time Directive.
The equipment and card
Smart tachographs record position, speed and events. The driver card is personal, valid five years and must not be used by anyone else. Insert it at the start of the shift and leave it in until the end; switch the mode to other work when loading, to available when waiting, and to break when genuinely resting.
Records and manual entries
Carry and be able to produce the last 28 days of records plus the current day. If the card is lost, faulty or forgotten, print the day's data, write the missing periods on the printout, sign it and keep it. Manual entries must be made at the time, not reconstructed from memory at the end of the week. Operators download vehicle-unit data at least every 90 days and card data every 28 days.
Working time
Under Directive 2002/15/EC the average working week is 48 hours over four months, with a maximum of 60 hours in any single week. Breaks are 30 minutes after 6 hours and 45 minutes after 9 hours; night work is limited to 10 hours in 24 unless collective agreements extend it.
Worked example
A driver realises at the first stop that the card was left in yesterday's truck. Reasoning: make a manual entry covering the driving already done, print the day, annotate and sign the printout and keep it with the records. Simply driving on creates an unexplained gap that looks like manipulation.
Traps
- Leaving the mode on other work while resting.
- Recording a break in the cab while queueing to load.
- Making a week of manual entries in one sitting.
- Forgetting the printout when the card fails.