Tachograph definition

pinkduvetdiva

Strange question, I know, but would any HGV drivers be able to tell me if the following is an accurate description of a tachograph:

[FONT=Calibri,sans-serif]"Tacographs are very accurate as all drivers of heavy goods and human transportation are required to have them by law. They show exactly when a vehicle leaves and where it is and how long it is in motion for; law requires this to ensure drivers do not go above their hours."[/FONT]

Many thanks in advance.:o

wealdroam

I don't think they have the capability to show where a vehicle is, do they?

MX5huggy

They are only on larger passenger vehicles not Taxi cars etc.

pinkduvetdiva

Thanks very much, both of you. I was thinking about coaches in particular. I didn't think that tachographs would be able to show where a vehicle was, only the time on the road and the speed of the vehicle.

forgotmyname

Also they are only required for business use, Not private use unless thats changed?

Was vehicles over 3.5 tons, Or a vehicle with combined weight of over 3.5 tons (towing if used for business)

It records speed, distance and time. Can tell you how many stops have been made and how long the stop
was for but not where the vehicle stopped unless the vehicle is fitted with a GPS tracker.

They are not foolproof. Popping the fuse out and replacing with a blown fuse was common.

vikingaero

It depends on how old the vehicle is. The newer digital tachos are far more accurate in recording exact times. Start a new job with a major firm nowadays and they will require that you have a digital tacho card. A lot of firms now use GPS to check on location of employees and some systems will send an overspeed alert to the firm if they speed or indeed if they stray off route.

pinkduvetdiva

vikingaero wrote: »

It depends on how old the vehicle is. The newer digital tachos are far more accurate in recording exact times. Start a new job with a major firm nowadays and they will require that you have a digital tacho card. A lot of firms now use GPS to check on location of employees and some systems will send an overspeed alert to the firm if they speed or indeed if they stray off route.

Thanks very much.
So, to clarify, is it the GPS and not the tacho that shows the vehicle's location?

paddedjohn

pinkduvetdiva wrote: »

thanks very much.
So, to clarify, is it the gps and not the tacho that shows the vehicle's location?

yes but these are not always accurate anyway. A large trucking company i know of has them fitted and a driver was called whilst working and asked why he was still in warrington when he was in fact parked up at his base in ellesmere port some 20 miles away and had been for about half an hour.

forgotmyname

Some tin foil or copper mesh works wonders.

Hammyman

pinkduvetdiva wrote: »

Thanks very much, both of you. I was thinking about coaches in particular. I didn't think that tachographs would be able to show where a vehicle was, only the time on the road and the speed of the vehicle.

They can't however it could be feasible to work out where a vehicle was when analysing a tacho but its not an easy thing to do.