Why Tachograph Rules Exist
2,940 fatalities involving heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in the EU in 2022. Not just a number – in each case a family member, a friend, a colleague is lost. These are preventable deaths.
November 18th - 22nd is the Road Safety Week, a time to highlight all things safety. The topic that the Tachogram team knows best is EU driving and rest time rules! Find out how they are not just a collection of random limitations for you, but rather a tool to solve one of the biggest HGV road accident causes.
You’re not yourself when you’re tired
Road accidents happen because of many reasons. Some are beyond human control, like an animal running across the driveway or thick fog reducing visibility. In other cases, the issue lies with the driver.
Humans need to make decisions constantly while behind the wheel. It’s common for companies to provide coaching that helps improve decision-making skills, which is especially important for inexperienced drivers.
However, the other big thing that impacts our driving actions is fatigue. Let’s be honest, your reaction time and critical thinking skills decrease when you are tired. Research supports this. For example, in one study, researchers found that after 11 hours of work, the crash risk for professional drivers doubles.
In addition, if you don’t sleep enough overall or are awake for too long, the odds are against you. Yes, even if you have been driving only for a couple of hours.
The EU realised that reducing driver fatigue would be a good way to decrease HGV road accidents. Tachograph laws were born.
There's a lot of rules that drivers need to remember
Shortly about tachograph regulations
The idea behind the EU’s rules for HGV drivers is to protect drivers from overworking. There’s no doubt that transport companies and drivers themselves are sometimes interested in working long hours – who doesn’t like a big paycheck? Now, that paycheck can quickly turn into a fine.
Tachograph regulations include the Mobility Package, Reg. No 561/2006, as well as the Working Time Directive. The rules are basically a bunch of math about how much you can drive and how much you have to rest. They are made flexible to account for all kinds of working situations. For example, you’re allowed to drive for up to 9 hours per day, but 10 hours is also an option up to twice a week if you really need to finish that delivery on time.
In the past, recording work time and other parameters was a manual process, but the EU introduced mandatory second generation smart tachographs to collect all this information in a simple way. They come with their own rules regarding data download regularity, storage duration, calibration dates, and so on.
Math is hard
The flexibility of driving and rest time rules is the reason why they are difficult to follow. You can drive up to 56 hours in a week, but you cannot drive more than 90 hours in any consecutive two week period. You have to rest at least 11 hours in a row, but this can be reduced to 9 hours in some cases. And so on.
If your employer does these calculations – good for you! But many companies don’t do this, or when they do, the drivers have limited options to double-check the numbers. Of course, you too can do the math with a phone calculator plus pen and paper, but it’s going to take a while. We have a better idea.
Try this:
Get a driver card reader
Connect it to your phone
Install the Tachogram app (we offer a free trial)
Download the driver card data
See all your driving and rest time information
Use it to stay compliant
Tachogram costs EUR 2.99 - 3.99 per month depending on the subscription period, and you save a lot more money by avoiding fines and not doing things manually.
Tachogram is a useful app for both drivers and managers
Be safe during the Road Safety Week
As mentioned, the Road Safety Week 2024 takes place from November 18 to 22. The occasion is going particularly strong in the United Kingdom, where related events are organised by Brake, a road safety charity.
As a professional driver, you can take part even by simply double-checking your compliance with driving and rest time rules, which, in turn, makes roads safer for all. Take care!
