User Guide
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Tachograph Solution User Guide
User Guide
0 mins to read
Learn how the Tachograph Add-in can help you control and analyze the information generated by vehicles and drivers in your fleet. The Add-in displays detailed information in real-time, which allows fleet managers to improve their fleet’s performance and reduce costs.
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Introduction
The tachograph solution helps you control and analyze the information generated by vehicles and drivers in your fleet. The solution displays detailed information in real-time, which allows fleet managers to improve their fleet’s performance and reduce costs.
This user guide provides an overview of some important features of the tachograph solution.
Clearances and roles
There are six default clearances predefined in the Fleet Management Application: Administrator, Supervisor, Default User, Drive App User, View Only, and Nothing. Each clearance has a predefined access level to certain tachograph features.
Fleet Management User Clearance | Tacho Module Clearance |
Administrator | Full access to all tachograph solution reports and features, including managing Company Cards, manually triggering remote downloads, managing inspections, and downloading tachograph files. |
Supervisor | Full access to all tachograph solution modules and the feature to download tachograph files. This clearance does not provide access to the following features: managing Company Cards, managing inspections, and manually triggering remote downloads. |
Default User / View only | Access all reports. This clearance does not provide access to the following features: managing Company Cards, managing inspections, manually triggering remote downloads, and downloading tachograph files. |
Drive App / Nothing | Access to the granted vehicles only. This clearance does not provide access to analytics reports or driver data. |
If these clearances do not meet your fleet’s needs, you can always create new sub-clearances and manually select the features. For more information, follow the instructions under the Clearances section in the
Access to feature | Description |
View Tachograph Remote Download reports | Allows the user to view all reports related to Remote Digital Download module. |
View Tachograph Driving Time reports | Allows the user to view all reports related to Time Activity Control module. (Note: make sure to have as well enabled the access to feature “View user asset link” to see the real time data) |
View Tachograph Infringements reports | Allows the user to view all reports related to Advanced File Analysis module. |
View Tachograph Company Cards | Allows the user to view company card list. |
View Tachograph Inspections | Allows the user to view Inspections report list. |
Manage Tachograph Company Cards | Allows the user to manage the company cards linked to a database. |
Manage Tachograph Inspections | Allows the user to create, edit, or remove inspections. |
Tachograph Download And Upload Files | Allows the user to upload and download tachograph and driver card files, as well as schedule downloads. |
Automatic remote download reports (Remote Digital Download, RDL)
In the Remote Digital Download (RDL) module, you can manage and monitor your fleet’s download status and company cards.
Status
The Status page monitors the remote download status of all vehicles and drivers in the fleet. It shows information such as the last download date, the next scheduled download date, device communication status, and more.
We recommend checking this view approximately once a week to ensure that all downloads are up-to-date, and to schedule downloads for outdated devices. If necessary, you can even schedule a download for the current day (for example, if the driver of a vehicle is on vacation). On this page, you can also subscribe to a weekly email digest with a status summary.
Finally, you can archive assets on the Status page when a vehicle or driver is no longer in your company. Note that archiving a unit does not erase its data, and if an archived unit receives any data, it is automatically removed from the archive. Also the associated tachograph files of an archived vehicle will still keep being visible under the Downloads view.
❶ | Vehicle / Driver filter — This feature shows the vehicle and driver error and warning counters. Activating this filter will only show drivers and vehicles that currently have a warning or error. |
❷ | Company card number — This section shows the data and overall status of your company card(s). In the example above, the card is connected and functioning normally (note the green checkmark). If an error is detected, the application will show a warning message instead. ✱ NOTE: If no card is connected and there are pending downloads, the following message appears at the top of the page: There is not any valid card connected and there are pending remote downloads. Check DTCO-RCS application status and company cards connection to resume automatic downloads. |
❸ | Tachograph downloads status in real time — This shows the status of legal data downloads for drivers and vehicles. This table displays the following information:
If the download type is Remote STD, the system will attempt to download when the vehicle is available on the scheduled download date. Depending on the tachograph model and version, vehicle ignition may need to be on. Downloads may be made with the vehicle running or the vehicle stopped. If the download is Manual, the next download date is a reminder to do the download and upload it to the system. All downloads are automatic, but you may need to download the files of a vehicle or the entire fleet immediately. |
❹ | Schedule for today — Set today's date. The download does not start until the ignition of the vehicle is turned on. Available for Admin roles. |
❺ | Defer one week — Defer the next download dates for the selected vehicle(s) by one week. Available for Admin roles. |
➏ | Archive — Hide vehicles or drivers you no longer want to view. Note that archived assets are not permanently deleted and can be retrieved at any time. |
➐ | Help Dialog — The help dialog shows information about automatic and manual downloads, and how you can download the RCS software.
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➑ | Settings Dialog — Dialog to adjust certain parameters of the download system and the user interface. Only available for users with Administrator clearance.You can configure values such as the download period or the format the tachograph or driver card files will be downloaded if needed. For more information visit the FAQs section. ✱ NOTE: Settings help us to modify properties for each view in the Tachograph Module |
Downloads
The Downloads page shows all your legal files in one place, sorted and ready to download or upload to the platform for analysis.
✱ NOTE: Click the red or green icons on the left side of the page to show additional information about the file in the dialog.
❶ | Select Vehicle / Driver — Use this selector to switch between vehicle and driver files. |
❷ | Download Information:
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❸ | Wizard — Click this button to open the wizard view. This view helps you to download the necessary files to cover a specific period without missing any data. It has the same functionality as the Inspection view, but the results cannot be saved. For more information, see the Inspections section.
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❹ | Download — Download all selected files. If no files are selected, download the entire list. |
❺ | Upload — Upload files to Tachograph Module. |
Company cards
The Company cards page shows all cards connected to the system. Expired cards are not shown by default in this view, but can be configured using the view settings. In this view, you can see the expiration date for each card, which helps track card renewals in order to maintain compliance. Expired cards cannot be used to download and must be renewed before the expiry date. The system generates a warning before each card’s expiry date to remind you to renew each card.
Settings
The Settings page gathers the main key settings of the Tachograph Module solution, for more information on how to properly set up the solution please refer to the .
Inspections
The Inspections page creates and completes any requests for legal files, including adding files downloaded from other systems.
❶ | Filter — Filter the inspections table using this field. |
❷ | Create a new inspection — Add a new inspection for legal requirements. |
❸ | Information — Table with the list of inspections created. Access the details of each inspection by clicking its row. See the following table for more details about this. |
Inspection detail
❶ | Status — Resume vehicle data status. |
❷ | Vehicle files — Details from file vehicle (source, name and date). |
❸ | Driver files — Details from file driver (source, name and date). |
❹ | File details — Scheme activity from the files, during the inspection period requested. |
❺ | Inspection detail — Float window with information about this inspection. |
➏ | Download — Download all selected files. |
Connectors
Real-time driving-time information reports (Time Activity Control, TAC)
In this module, you can check driver workdays in real-time to help ensure compliance. You can also create historical reports based on the available legal downloads.
Status
The Status page allows you to verify and analyze all data related to driving and rest time including cumulative times, forecasts, and available bonuses.
❶ | Filter menu — Filter the table by unit or activity. |
❷ | Clear filter — Restore default filters. |
❸ | Scheme Work day — Progress bar of the driver workday. Click to view more information.
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❹ | Scheme Rest — Progress bar of the driver rest. Click to view more information. The following charts show the driving availability and expected resting data summaries.
✱ NOTE: If an asterisk is present, it means that more than one legal option is available
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❺ | Export to Excel — Export the driving and resting data to a spreadsheet. When you click Export to Excel, the following options become available:
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A — Main menu — Show a preview of the data. | |
B — Columns data filter — Select columns to export. | |
C — Format — Choose between Microsoft Excel format or plaintext. |
➏ | Settings — Click to filter by available items and create a custom view. |
Activity chart
This view displays the daily activity of the selected driver over a selected period of time.
❶ | Driver — Select the driver to show his activity. |
❷ | Period time — Select the period of time to display. |
❸ | Clear filter — Clear the driver and time filters. |
❹ | Activity data — The table shows all the activity in the selected period. Each row corresponds to one day. |
❺ | Print — Print report. |
✱ NOTE: Additional information is available when you mouse over the graph:
Information Activity chart
❶ | Timestamp |
❷ | Driving time |
❸ | Working time |
❹ | Availability time |
❺ | Resting time |
➏ | Unknown time |
➐ | Daily activity chart — Shows daily activity and working days. |
Work report
The work report shows the accumulated values of activity carried out in a vehicle by a driver. These values are used to verify compliance with labor regulations for working hours, as well as to verify that drivers correctly record their activities. Recording incorrect activities may be grounds for sanction.
In addition to controlling values such as driving, working and availability separately, there are grouped values contemplated in the legislation such as effective work, night work, and international work among others.
All driver activity data is organized by periods. Data can be customized by selecting particular columns to view, or by printing or exporting only what you need.
Work report summary
❶ | Information — Accumulated data for each driver during the period time selected. Clicking on Detail enters the daily detail of a driver. |
❷ | Summary / Detail — Switch between the Summary Report and Details by Driver Report. |
❸ | Region — Select the countries to apply to the national effective work calculation (driver activity in those countries). |
Work report details by driver
❶ | Information — Data for each driver during the period time selected: driving time, working time, available time, etc. Clicking on Summary displays the accumulated data for each driver. |
❷ | Summary / Detail — Switch between the Summary Report and Details by Driver Report. |
❸ | Region — Select the countries to apply to the national effective work calculation (driver activity in those countries). |
Work report information
❶ | Driving time |
❷ | Working time |
❸ | Available time |
❹ | Sum of driving time, working time, and available time |
❺ | Sum of driving time and working time in national territory |
➏ | Sum of driving time and working time in international territory |
➐ | Sum of rest time and unknown time |
➑ | Night work time |
➒ | Total distance (data taken from CAN bus) |
➓ | Daily distance. Data is filed in UTC |
Rest report
The Rest Report displays all daily or weekly breaks taken by your drivers in a given period:
❶ | Table information:
✱ NOTE: If the driver manually enters the address, it may appear as empty or country-only. |
Infringements reports (Advanced File Analysis, AFA)
The Advanced File Analysis (AFA) module provides all necessary information to prevent and correct infringements, and to document and appeal penalties.
Infringements report
The Infringements report displays all infringements and records punishable by a fine. This includes, but is not limited to, excess driving time, speeding, and manual entry errors. Infringements are shown in graphs, either by driver or by vehicle:
Infringements by driver
Infringements by vehicle
❶ | Menu filters — Filter data by vehicle or driver, date period, or select from a list of infringement types. |
❷ | Infringements data — Infringement table for the vehicle or driver in the date period selected. |
❸ | List infringements — List of infringement types to filter data (for example, card conflict, hardware sabotage, speeding, power supply interruption, etc.). |
❹ | Details / Summary — Switch between summary and detail views. See below for more information about these views. |
❺ | One / Aggregated Chart—Switch between one and aggregated views. See below for more information about these views. |
➏ | Settings — Click to open the settings of the view where:
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Vehicle detail view
Driver detail view
Driver detail view can be switched between a single chart and multiple charts.
Single chart:
Multiple charts:
❶ | Activity chart. |
❷ | List of charts and tables for every infringement. |
❸ | Toggle view mode (one chart or multiple charts). |
Group: In the summary view, you can switch between table mode and aggregated chart mode:
Settings — Enable to create a custom view combining Aggregate Mode (Table / Chart) and Detail Mode (Interactive Chart / Detailed List). | ||
Places report
The Places report displays the driver place records registered on each driver card. It detects duplicates and mismatches caused by errors, which can result in serious penalties.
❶ | Menu filters — Filter data by vehicle, driver, date period, or select from a list of infringement types. |
❷ | Activity chart — Chart displaying driver activity in the selected date period. |
❸ | Places table — Table displaying places by timestamp. Rows with incidents (such as duplicate place entry, place mismatch, etc.) are highlighted in red. * NOTE: Spain is the only European country that requires both Country and Region inputs on the tachograph unit. In all other countries, the tachograph unit only requires Country to be input by the driver. You can zoom in on areas of interest to see more detailed annotations:
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Records report
The Records report displays a uniform view of all available records on cards and in tachograph files, including events and faults, control activities, over-speeding events and tachograph calibrations. Records are categorized by severity level, and warning and error records are also visible in the infringement view.
❶ | Records — Represented as icons indicating the severity of the incident (Info/blue, warning/yellow, error/red). |
❷ | Effective work — Each cell indicates the effective work time for that day. The cell shade indicates how many hours the driver worked that day: the darker the shade, the more hours worked. |
❸ | Type filter — Filters the type of records visible in the table (for example, card conflict, card insertion while driving, control activity, etc.). By default, all record types are visible. |
❹ | Report mode — Toggles between Details and Summary mode. Summary mode is a compact visual representation of the report, while Details mode displays one record per row, accompanied by a detailed description. ✱ NOTE: View more information in Summary mode by hovering the mouse over the record icon or the effective work cell. |
Certificates
Use the Certificates view to manage attestation of activities. This view displays existing attestations as yellow shading over the activity of each driver. Any periods that the driver needs to justify are shaded in red. Select the period you wish to justify by clicking the red box. Fill in the attestation, and then click Print to print a paper copy for the driver. Administrative privileges are required to create new entries.
❶ | Period without entry — A suggested period without a certification entry. Click the red box to create a new entry for this period. |
❷ | Period with entry — A period with a certification. Click the yellow box to see the attestation details. |
Select a driver name to see the list of all entries for that driver:
Activity analyzer
Use this Activity analyzer page to analyze the driving time and rest periods regulation. This view displays detailed information about the counters used to calculate total driving and resting times. Use the source selector to choose the source of the data that the platform uses for the calculation. The default source is Combine, which uses file data up to and including the last available file combined with real-time stream data.
❶ | Activity Chart — Displays activity in graph form using the selected sources. For more information about this, see Activity chart. |
❷ | Activity table — Information detail in table mode relating to the activity of the driver. |
❸ | Source selector — Change information data source:
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❹ | Tabs — Activity (activity change info), Continuous driving (continuous driving time, cumulative break time, etc.), Daily driving (work days, rest type, etc.), Fixed driving (weekly, biweekly driving). |
❺ | Simulator—Allows you to manually enter activities (such as driving, working, availability, and rest) to simulate different scenarios. Switch between one and aggregated views. See below for more information about these views. |
Activity chart
❶ | The timeline shows the full time range and the currently selected time range. Click the timeline to reset the selection. Drag and scroll to change the time range selection. |
❷ | Activity changes — (Rest, Work, Driving and Available). |
❸ | Continuous driving activity — The continuous driving period is outlined in black. |
❹ | Daily driving activity — Work days are outlined in black, similar to continuous driving. |
❺ | Weekly driving activity |
➏ | Biweekly driving activity |
➐ | Place records — Records are represented using standard tachograph symbols. |
➑ | Vehicle used records — Records are represented as a box between the card insertion and the card withdrawal. |
File analyzer
Use this view to analyze raw file data and detect corrupted or unexpected data in legal files. This view shows detailed information about the content of the files, and data is organized following the internal file structure.
❶ | Interactive timeline — This timeline shows the full time range, and the current zoomed time range. Click the timeline to reset the selection. Drag and scroll to change the time range selection. |
❷ | Activity Chart — Interactive chart. Scroll to zoom in and out, drag to move the time, and click the timeline to reset the chart. |
❸ | Activity table — Information detail in table mode relating to the activity of the driver or vehicle. |
❹ | Tabs—Different views for Driver and Vehicle: Driver:
Vehicle: |
Export and print
Throughout the module, you can export or print data in different ways.
Export
When the Export button is available, you can download a file as follows:
❶ | Export view — Show a preview of the data. |
❷ | Columns data filter — Select columns to export. Columns may change per different view. |
❸ | Formate — Choose between Microsoft Excel format or plaintext. |
❹ | Export setting — Choose Time and Date format. |
When the Print button is available, you can print the relative document or choose to save as PDF. In addition in some views there is the option to require a signature for manager and driver. This is useful in particular for Infringement reports.
❶ | Sign Report — Toggle Yes if you require a signature. |
❷ | Manager / Employee fields — Yes enables the option to insert in the print the Manager and Employee name with the place and date to sign off.. |
❸ | Update values — Update the name for future use. |
FAQs
How can I check if the system is working?
You can check the system status on the Status page. Automatic download works as long as the company card is connected.
At what intervals are driver and vehicle files generated?
The legal limit is one download every 28 days from the driver card and one download every 90 days from the tachograph. It is possible to adjust the frequency of downloads, but the default interval, combined with the weekly download status summary makes it unnecessary to download more frequently.
How can I modify the interval frequency period for the tachograph files download?
By default the system is configured to download driver card files every 15 days and vehicle unit files every 30 days (15/30). Based on the rate plan, administrators can increase this frequency to the following values:
- Base (15/30)
- EU Regulatory (1/7)
- Pro (1/1)
- ProPlus (1/1)
To change the frequency from default, administrators can enter the settings menu by clicking the setting ‘cog’ icon in the top right corner of the Tachograph Status page. Note the fields for ‘Automatic Download Period’ and enter the desired values and click save - the above values apply so if a device is on the Base rate plan (15/30) is the highest frequency available. As per the information banner in the settings window, the amended automatic download period will be applied at the next download.
Where is the tachograph data stored?
The tachograph files are stored in the Fleet Management Application database and fully accessible from the RDL module.
In which country is the cloud server located for tachograph purposes?
The server is located in Europe.
How long is information stored on the cloud server?
The current agreements stipulate storing data for a minimum of 2 years. In some cases, data may be stored for up to 5 years.
Is the communication encrypted?
Yes. It uses a RC4 pre-shared key.
What is the RCS software installed in my computer/ server?
The DTCO-RCS software manages the authentication process and it makes available the tachograph files downloaded in the proper database.
Where is the data stored when ""Local download / File Upload" is activated through the RCS software?
The DTCO-RCS does not download the files. Files are downloaded and stored in the Fleet Management Application database. The Local download / File Upload option in the DTCO-RCS software enables the system to download a copy of the tachograph files to the local machine.
Can all digital tachographs be adapted to digitally download information?
No. Only certain makes and models are supported:
- Stoneridge: All models version 7 and newer
- Siemens/VDO: All models version 1.3 and newer
- Actia: All models that include the word “Remote” or have a reference number greater than or equal to 921872.
- EFAS: All models since EFAS-4 with version 2.00-2.15 or higher.
If you are still unsure, you can use the compatibility tool linked here, or reach out to your Reseller contact.
Can the digital tachograph data be downloaded manually or remotely without the company card?
No. The company card must be connected to enable downloading. The company card needs to be inserted in the card reader linked to the DTCO-RCS software.
Can I download information from the digital tachograph remotely even when the vehicle is several thousand kilometers away from the office or where the connected business card is located?
Yes. Our new, innovative equipment allows remote downloading of tachographs anywhere in Europe.
Does the remote download work only with the vehicle ignition on or off?
The system works when ignition is on, and if it has started before the ignition went off it will continue till it is completed. But if the vehicle has the ignition off it will not start a tachograph remote download.
How long does it take for the system to download driver and vehicle files?
Downloads take from 5 to 50 minutes on average. This process goes through the following phases:
- Connection: Tachograph remains permanently connected and available for your requests.
- Authentication: Occurs between the company card and the tachograph. The company card is only used during the authentication period. This process is fast and takes less than a minute. This means that the card is immediately available for use by another vehicle. With a single card you can download hundreds of vehicles.
- Download: Files are downloaded between the tachograph and the uReader and stored securely. The download process takes an average of 5 minutes for driver files and between 5 and 45 minutes for vehicle files, depending on the tachograph model and the period downloaded. A first download will always take more time than subsequent ones. In each download, the driver mass memory is always fully downloaded and the vehicle data from the last scheduled download.
- Transfer: The files are encrypted and sent to Tachograph Module. This takes approximately 1 minute.
- Local download: The files are available for download or analysis in Tachograph Module.
✱ NOTES:
- The download times from the tachograph depend on the brand / model / version of each tachograph.
- The download times from the uReader depend on the network conditions (coverage). The times indicated here assume adequate coverage.
- Both downloads also need to carry out mutual authentication between the tachograph and the company card, prior to data download. This process lasts less than 1 minute (depending on network conditions) and once completed, the company card is available for use by other vehicles.
Can the analogical tachograph data be downloaded remotely?
No.
Who is responsible for the information contained in the digital tachograph?
Tachograph information is the responsibility of the company or person holding or leasing the vehicle. The tachograph retains the information on vehicle and driver cards for 365 days and this information is also stored on cloud servers, eliminating the risk of data loss due to accident or damage.
Before an inspection, what files do I have to deliver?
According to the current regulations, you must provide all vehicle files indicated in the inspection, as well as all driver files related to the vehicle during the indicated period.
Can I view all the driver’s vehicle information?
Yes. This information can be found on our platform.
How is information calculated in the Real-Time module?
The system applies the EU regulations to the real-time driving-time information with a conservative approach. This helps the customer maintain compliance with current legislation and helps avoid incurring infringements.
