subject: Tachograph Supplies for the Tachograph Regulations [print this page] Tachograph Supplies for the Tachograph Regulations
In the haulage industry and the passenger transportation business, the tachograph device is a very essential part of operations prescribed by the law. In Europe for instance, the tachograph is a must for any vehicle that exceeds 3.5 tons, or a passenger vehicle with nine seats and more. The tachograph is basically a device fitted in the vehicle, usually behind the speedometer, to track and keep a record of the vehicle's speed all through the day. The purpose of this is to record a driver's actions throughout the day, indicating how fast or how slow he or she was driving at a particular time of the day, and whether or not he or she took a break as required by the driver hours' laws. Tachographs are stand alone devices that operate entirely on their own, only requiring tachograph supplies every now and then to replenish or replace the used ones.
Earlier analog tachographs made their recordings by plotting a line on a circular disk which was only good for a 24hr period. These disks required replacement everyday and the spent disks sent to the analyzing department to be converted into readable reports. Tachograph supplies for this type of device were mainly the tachograph disks or charts without a doubt, and the periodical replacement of the plotting stylus in the device. Other tachograph supplies that also go along with the analog tachographs include, defect books such as the 50 Page Defect Report Book and the PVC Defect Report Pad found at Chartwise, clock timers, driver clipboard holders with provisions for storing the tachograph disks, secure postage bags for mailing the disks and report back to head office and trailer or truck inspection, maintenance and defect report pads. Also available are the wall charts for the management department to plan the maintenance and inspection schedules for a number of vehicles for a set period of time.
From the year 2006, tachograph regulating authorities in the EU made it mandatory for all new vehicles that fell under the tachograph requirements to be fitted only with digital tachographs. Apparently, analog tachograph had become so prone to tampering of the records or the recording process, rendering the purpose and whole idea of these devices useless. Tampering tactics range from interfering with the device itself such as rigging the stylus's position or blocking its path with rubber, short circuiting it and completely cutting the power supply; to the messing around with the tachograph supplies such as the tachograph disks or charts that some drivers change along the way or simply claim to have forgotten to replace with a fresh one. Digital tachographs record information in a digitally encrypted format both within the digital tachograph unit and in a removable smart card, making tampering with the device or stored information very difficult. Tachograph supplies include digital tachograph rolls, digital tachograph down loaders, digital tachograph readers, the usual vehicle defect books and so on, all of which can be gotten from tachograph suppliers and trainers such as Chartwise.
