Downloading tachograph data can be a time consuming task, especially in a large fleet. Every transport operator is required by law to download and analyse their driver data at least every 28 days, and all vehicle data must be downloaded and analysed at least every 90 days, however there are many different ways this can be done depending on personal preference, analogue vs digital tachographs, and which solution is right for your business.
Disc-check works with several different companies, from telematics companies and remote downloading hardware, and even vehicle manufacturers so you can get your data easily, in a way that suits your business needs.
1. Analogue Charts
Although all new vehicles registered after May 2006 must be fitted with digital tachographs, there are still some older vehicles which are fitted with analogue charts. For these types of tachographs, you can still use disc-check for your analysis. You can either scan your charts into us and we can manually analyse these and upload them into our software, or if you don’t have a scanner, you can post them to us, and we can do all the hard work for you and scan and input your tachograph data into disc-check.
Digital Tachographs
2. Manual uploads
Possibly one of our most popular options for our customers to get data into disc-check is to manually upload their data either from a handheld device, such as a digiVU or digidown. Once downloaded onto the device, you then plug the device into your computer for the data to be transferred to disc-check, using our drag and drop option or disc-check transfer.
The main benefit to using these types of devices is that they’re a simple and easy way to get driver’s data, but it relies heavily on manual input, which can be time consuming, especially when you have several vehicles and driver data to download at once.
3. Depot Solutions
Another way that you could get your data downloaded is through a wall mounted depot device such as a Digipostpro. This is mainly used in larger depots, warehouses or transport offices. This type of device allows drivers to download their card at the end of shifts or when needed by inserting their card into the device, which is then instantly uploaded to your analysis provider, and also comes with a vehicle download tool, which can be plugged into the device and uploaded the same as a driver card.
Download tools like this can be really beneficial in larger fleets, where multiple drivers are passing through a depot, and allows them to download their card without having to go to the transport offices. However, these types of solutions are costly, and heavily relies on drivers to remember to download their data regularly.
4. Mobile Card Readers
When drivers use our disc-check app, they can have a mobile card reader that connects to their phone, and uploads to disc-check whilst drivers are out and about. Some of our customers use these types of devices when drivers are on the move a lot, and cannot return to depots often.
Although this is a cheap solution that can assist with driver downloads, a different device is required to download vehicle data.
5. Remote Tachograph Downloading Solutions
With a remote downloading device, vehicle and driver data can be sent automatically, no matter where your vehicles are. This is becoming an increasingly popular choice due to the benefits that come with this type of solution. Firstly, it means that customers are no longer relying on manual downloads, which means better compliance when it comes to data downloads. It also means that you get better insights into your data with data coming through as often as daily, so you can get a better picture of what your drivers are doing on a day to day basis, rather than chasing infringements down a month after they’ve happened. Another benefit to this is that you get real time data, within 15 minutes of accuracy, so you can keep track of working time and drivers hours better.
We suggest this solution to customers who regularly miss deadlines to download their data, but it can also be useful for drivers that work in more remote places, and travel throughout Europe often.
Whilst this can be a great solution, it can be costly, especially when you have a large fleet. We offer rental solutions to enable companies to make the most of remote downloading, without the large initial start up fees.
6. Integration Partners
Lastly we have a growing network of integration partners, ranging from telematics companies such as Webfleet and Samsara, as well as HGV manufacturers like Scania, Volvo and Renault, who send tachograph data through an API directly into disc-check. This offers a cheaper solution to remote downloading to those who use telematics. However, it means that you may have less control, so unlike remote downloading where we can control how often your data is downloaded, this may not be possible using some integration partners. It also means that if not all your vehicles use a certain manufacturer or you have a mixed fleet, you may still have to download some vehicles manually, which can be time consuming and can lead to missed data.
Every fleet is different, and finding the right solution to your business could save you a lot of time and money as well as improve compliance. We have some customers that only use one way to download their data, some use a mixture depending on their needs.
If you need any more information or would like to speak to someone to help you decide the right solution for you get in touch.
