thumb|250px|Analogue tachograph
thumb|250px|Tachograph chart
A tachograph is a device fitted to a vehicle that automatically records its speed and distance, together with the driver's activity selected from a choice of modes. The drive mode is activated automatically when the vehicle is in motion, and modern tachograph heads usually default to the other work mode upon coming to rest. The rest and availability modes can be manually selected by the driver whilst stationary.
A tachograph system comprises a sender unit mounted to the vehicle gearbox, the tachograph head and a recording medium. Tachograph heads are of either analogue or digital types. All relevant vehicles manufactured in the EU since 1 May 2006 must be fitted with digital tachograph heads. The recording medium for analogue heads are wax coated paper discs, and for digital heads there are two recording mediums: internal memory (which can be read out with one of a variety of download devices into a so-called .ddd file) and digital driver cards containing a microchip with flash memory. Digital driver cards store data in a format that can later also be read out as a .ddd file. These files – both those read from internal memory with a download device, and those read from the driver cards – can be imported into tachograph analysis/archival software, often as part of a larger fleet digitalisation system.
Drivers and their employers are legally required to accurately record their activities, retain the records (files from internal memory and from driver cards must both be retained) and produce them on demand to transport authorities who are in charge of enforcing regulations governing drivers' working hours.
They are also used in the maritime world, for example through the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine.
Origins
The tachograph was originally introduced for the railways so that companies could better document irregularities. The inventor was Max Maria von Weber, a civil servant, engineer and author. The Daniel Tachometer has been known in the railway industry since 1844. The Hasler Event recorder was introduced in the 1920s.
Regulations
For reasons of public safety, many jurisdictions have limits on the working hours of drivers of certain vehicles, such as buses and trucks. A tachograph can be used to monitor this and ensure that appropriate breaks are taken. The data collected is also used in some fleet management systems for driver scoring to analyse performance and encourage safer driving habits.
In Germany (historical)
The Verkehrs-Sicherungs-Gesetz (German Traffic Safety Law) of 19 December 1952, made tachographs mandatory in Germany for all commercial vehicles weighing over 7.5 tonnes. Since 23 March and 23 December 1953, all new commercial vehicles and buses must be equipped with the device per law Straßenverkehrs-Zulassungs-Ordnung § 57a.
Tachographs are mandatory for vehicles allowed to carry a total weight of over 3.5 tonnes and vehicles built to carry at least 9 passengers, if the vehicle is used for commercial purposes. They are used to review the driving and rest time of drivers during reviews by traffic standards organisations or accident investigation. A driver must carry the tachograph records with him for all days of the current week and the last day of the previous week that he drove. Companies must keep the records for 1 year. In Germany, § 16 of the work time regulations lengthens this time to 2 years if the records will be used as proof of work time.
Russia
In Russia, buses with more than 8 seats and trucks with a permitted gross weight of more than 3.5 tons (Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated 13 February 2013, No. 36) must be equipped with tachographs in order to ensure safe conditions. A tachograph is mandatory for vehicles of class M2, M3, N2, N3. Vehicles must be equipped with on-board monitoring devices in accordance with regulatory documents.
From 1 April 2014, in the absence of a tachograph, fines will be applied to the following types of transport: - buses with more than 8 seats; - vehicles used to transport dangerous goods; — According to the order of the Ministry of Transport dated 17 December 2013 No. 470, Moscow "On Amendments to the Order of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation dated 13 February 2013 No. 36", penalties will be applied to freight vehicles with a gross weight of over 15 tons engaged in intercity transportation starting 1 July 2014, penalties will be applied to freight vehicles with a gross weight of over 12 tons engaged in intercity transportation starting 1 September 2014, and penalties will be applied to freight vehicles with a gross weight of over 3.5 tons engaged in intercity transportation starting 1 April 2015.
Russian tachographs use a cryptographic information protection tool (CIPF). Requirements for the use of the CIPF unit as part of tachographs are established by Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia No. 36 dated 13.02.2013.
Digital tachograph
thumb|right|200px|Digital tachograph
Digital tachographs appeared in Russia on 16 June 2010 (digital tachographs appeared before the specified date). Starting from 16 June 2010, the Russian Federation was supposed to implement the European digital tachography system on its territory for international transportation, but by that date the digital tachography infrastructure was not ready, as was the case in a number of other countries, as a result the first AETR digital tachograph cards were issued at the end of 2010 in accordance with the international agreement of the countries that joined the AETR. Before that date, no later than 3 months, all interested parties (drivers, inspectors, mechanics, administrators of motor transport enterprises) must be provided with special cards.
Unlike analogue devices, the disks of which were easily counterfeited, this device cannot be opened or the recorded information changed in any way. All information is recorded on an individual driver card and transmitted to the central computer of the motor transport enterprise.
Since 23 January 2012, the tachograph in Russia has become mandatory for installation and use when transporting passengers and dangerous goods. This is evidenced by the Technical Regulations on the Safety of Wheeled Vehicles in the latest edition. And since 1 April 2013, the presence of a digital tachograph has become mandatory for all wheeled transport owned by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs (including GAZelles and taxis), which is in operation on the territory of Russia, as reported in Federal Law No. 78-FZ adopted on 14 June 2012 (Article 1 and Article 12).
In accordance with Order No. 36 dated 13 February 2013 of the Ministry of Transport of Russia, the following categories and types of vehicles issued for circulation and in operation on the territory of the Russian Federation are equipped with tachographs:
- Vehicles used to carry passengers, having, in addition to the driver's seat, more than eight seats, the maximum mass of which does not exceed 5 tons (category M2);
- Vehicles used to carry passengers, having, in addition to the driver's seat, more than eight seats, the maximum mass of which exceeds 5 tons (category M3);
- Vehicles intended to carry goods, having a maximum mass of over 3.5 tons, but not more than 12 tons (category N2);
- Vehicles intended to carry goods, having a maximum mass of over 12 tons (category N3).
On 16 December 2015, the Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia No. 348 was published, which amends order No. 273. Order No. 348 changes the deadline for equipping vehicles of categories N2, N3, M2, M3 with digital tachographs. Now vehicles must be equipped with digital tachographs by 1 July 2016.
European Union
EEC regulation 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport from 20 December 1985 made tachographs mandatory throughout the EEC as of 29 September 1986. (Regulation 1463/70 amended by regulation 2828/77 made tachographs mandatory by 1 July 1979, reference to these regulations can be found in Regulation 3821/85).
A "European arrangement in regard to the work of driving personnel engaged in international traffic" (AETR, from French ) became effective on 31 July 1985.
Regulation 561/2006/EC of the European Union, adopted on 11 April 2007, specified the driving and rest times of professional drivers. These time periods can be checked by the employers, police and other authorities with the help of the tachograph. Regulation (EU) 165/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on tachographs in road transport, issued on 4 February 2014, repealed Regulation 3821/85 and amended Regulation 561/2006. The 2014 regulation introduced the specification for a so-called "smart" tachograph. A "smart" tachograph records the position of a vehicle automatically via a global navigation satellite system at the places where the daily working period begins and ends, and at every three hour interval of accumulated driving.