As the new year is approaching, we thought it would be great to look at the industry trends that are expected to dominate the market in 2019. From smart tachographs to international legislation and business processes – the next 12 months will be very exciting for both the drivers and companies with big fleets.

Starting to use a new product may get a bit stressful. There are so many new features to master and, consequently, as many questions on how to do it properly. Whenever you have anything to ask about Tachogram, our Support team is there for you. Now, our Customer Support Team Manager Uldis has gathered the answers to the five most frequently asked questions about Tachogram to help you find what you’re looking for even faster!

Last Thursday, on September 27, a part of our team attended the annual Telematics Conference CEEurope in Warsaw, Poland. This year the conference was focusing on the topic of telematics industry collaborations, and we were lucky to be among the event partners and host an interactive session on the issue of co-opetition possibilities in telematics.

One of the best Tachogram features is that it doesn’t require an expensive card reader to keep track of and analyse your driver card data. A simple smart card reader that’s connected to your Android smartphone will be just enough to enjoy all the Tachogram app has to offer – from remaining driving time calculation to notifications about any infringements made according to international legislation. However, not all card readers are supported by the app, therefore we’ve created a list of 7 most popular vendors whose card readers can currently be used with Tachogram app.

Understanding Tachogram charts and being able to read and use the data it provides helps to effectively plan and execute your daily duties. However, there is some data that requires a more detailed explanation. One of such is compensations – an important topic that is only briefly explained in the international regulations, but very important for the drivers to prevent the risk of violating the law.

Using a digital tachograph is an integral part of the drivers work. It provides a lot of information to both the drivers and their managers and it’s crucial to understand all the data you’re getting from it. Whether you have been using Tachogram for a while now or are about to start, a simple explanation on what data can you see and what do all the charts in the system mean, may help you to better plan your work and avoid violating the EC regulations.

We at Tachogram believe that integration and automation are the future and the next logical step of fleet management and overseeing your digital tachograph compliance.

We have developed quite a few integrations with various products and today we’re adding one more – e-mails.

Rules in the UK will be changed, so lorry, bus and coach drivers who drive tired will be fined for every time they’ve done it in the last 28 days. From 1 November, The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) can fine drivers up to £300 if they spend their full weekly rest break in their vehicle in places where it causes a problem, such as suburban areas. They can also be prosecuted or have their vehicle immobilised.

At the moment, DVSA can only fine drivers for:

• offences committed that day;
• ongoing offences, like manipulating tachograph records, which record drivers’ hours.

However, DVSA traffic examiners will be given new powers to issue on-the-spot fines for any drivers’ hours offences committed in the last 28 days.

So it can get quite tricky…

We have launched a new update to our Tachogram mobile application. Initially we developed the application with drivers in mind, now we’re launching an update that includes features also for transport managers. The new application version includes a dashboard for managers, as well as vehicle and driver sections.

There are quite a few digital tachograph card events and faults that drivers ignore until they run into trouble. Let’s look at one of the most dangerous of them – “Last card session was not closed correctly”.

Read on to find out what does it actually mean, why it might be so dangerous and how Tachogram solves the potential risks by timely alerts to drivers and managers.