Tracking tachograph information for heavy commercial vehicles has been made mandatory in the European Union back in 1985. This provision meant that all heavy vehicles traveling on the EU roads had to be equipped with this device, and tachograph data must be read at least every 90 days, whereas the information from driver cards must be downloaded once every 28 days. All this data has to be stored on two data storage mediums and made accessible for one year.
Even if the regulations remained unchanged, tachographs as hardware devices have changed and modernized with the data reading process becoming more convenient. Similarly, the transport companies have changed their perspective towards tachographs as well – from seeing them as contradictory and activity-limiting devices to seeing them as advantageous instruments that can streamline overall business operations and increase safety on the roads.
Now companies can count on modern solutions like Ruptela’s developed TrustTrack fleet management platform that abolish the problem of complicated manual tachograph data reading. Such a fully functional platform supports almost all fleet management aspects and enables, among others, remote download of tachograph data and convenient management of it. The platform’s complexity means that the driver no longer has to drive to the base to provide data from the tachograph – he does not have to interrupt his route and can forget about the strict tachograph data reading schedule. The transport manager authorized to manage TrustTrack will download the data remotely from the office without causing the slightest disturbance to the driver performing his task.
Even better, with TrustTrack, the transport manager doesn’t have to think about the mandatory tachograph data reading and its schedule anymore. It takes a few simple steps to create a schedule on the system, and TrustTrack will download the selected information on the chosen dates itself. Simultaneously, there is no need to worry about data storage and accessibility – the platform ensures that this data is available whenever needed or requested. Overall, using TrustTrack, downloading the data, accessing and retrieving it from the digital storage can take only a few moments instead of hours of manual work and interrupted operations on the road and the headquarters.
Importantly, this information downloaded from tachographs and driver cards doesn’t have to be stored on servers aimlessly – it turns out to be advantageous in managing the company’s overall processes, whether these are financial or human resources.
Integrating them with TrustTrack will allow the transport managers to create particular timelines of drivers’ activity. They will contain all the necessary information – including the exact driving time, rest time, availability time, or unidentified activity if the driver card is removed. The system will recognize violations, such as driving for too long, determining the severity of such violations, and applying the relevant paragraph to them. Correspondingly, the company then has access to specific, accurate data on the driver’s efficiency and vehicle’s functioning on the road at any time. Such information can be used in many ways – employee training, calculating bonuses, or verifying the chosen route’s accuracy.
Like this, TrustTrack eliminates the inconvenient manual labor when reading the tachograph data, allowing the company to monitor both the vehicle and the driver for a broader purpose. It removes the obligation to download the tachograph data manually and improves the overall efficiency of the work. Manual tracking of work and rest time as well as calculating the estimated arrival time to the endpoint is very arduous work. Some operators are looking for third-party apps and programs to relieve them from this task that requires extraordinary concentration and precision. Using TrustTrack, all kinds of third-party software become redundant – the system combines all the necessary functionalities and much more.