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Tachograph (United Kingdom and Europe)

Overview

Tachographs are devices fitted to vehicles to record driving time, breaks, rest periods, and other work undertaken by drivers. They are a legal requirement in the UK and Europe for most goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and passenger vehicles carrying more than 9 persons (including the driver).

The regulatory framework is derived from retained EU law (commonly still referred to as "EU rules") and requires operators and drivers to comply with strict driving hour limits and rest requirements. Digital tachographs record data on a driver card, which must be available for inspection by enforcement authorities.

Driving Hours Rules

Rule Limit
Maximum daily driving 9 hours (extendable to 10 hours twice per week)
Maximum weekly driving 56 hours
Maximum fortnightly driving 90 hours in any two consecutive weeks
Break requirement 45 minutes after 4 hours 30 minutes of driving
Break split option 15 minutes + 30 minutes (in that order)
Daily rest 11 hours (reducible to 9 hours up to 3 times between weekly rests)
Weekly rest 45 hours (reducible to 24 hours every other week; must be compensated within 3 weeks)

Working Time Directive

In addition to driving hours, drivers must comply with working time rules:

  • 48-hour average working week (calculated over a 17 or 26-week reference period)
  • Maximum 60-hour working week provided the 48-hour average is maintained
  • Night work limit of 10 hours in any 24-hour period

Compliance Requirements

  • Tachograph data must be downloaded regularly — every 28 days for driver cards and every 90 days for vehicle units.
  • Drivers must be able to produce records for the previous 28 days at roadside checks (56 days for international goods operations).
  • Non-compliance penalties include fixed fines (typically £300 per offence), court summons, and potential loss of driving or operator's licence.

For official guidance, see Drivers' hours and tachographs: goods vehicles (GOV.UK).

TN360 Tachograph Fatigue Management (Sentinel)

TeletracNavman's tachograph solution provides a fully automated EU driving hours and working time rules engine, ensuring compliance with the latest tacho regulations at all times. The system pulls live tachograph data for all drivers into a single view, giving transport managers and planners the tools to maximise productivity while remaining compliant.

Key Capabilities

  • Real-time Driver Status — Five status lenses (All, Driving, Other Work, Rest Break, POA) provide an at-a-glance view of where every driver currently stands.

  • Driver Decision Support (DDS) — Live data updated every 2–5 minutes showing how much driving has been completed on the current trip, today, this week, and this fortnight. Identifies how soon a driver will need a break or rest period.

  • Infringement Alerts — Immediate visual alerts when infringements occur, making it quick and easy to identify and address compliance issues.

  • Next Break & Rest Calculations — Displays next break/rest requirements, time until next weekly rest, daily/weekly/fortnightly drive time, available extended drive, and available reduced rest.

  • Job Allocation Support — Enables planners to deploy drivers with sufficient hours remaining, allocating jobs based on the most accurate real-time data.

  • Automated Rules Engine — Continuously calculates compliance against EU driving hours and Working Time Directive rules without manual interpretation.

  • Historical Reporting — Full audit trail of driving hours, infringements, and rest periods for compliance reviews and operator licence audits.

See the TeletracNavman Tachograph Site for more information.