What is Digital Tachograph Card?
A tachograph card is used by drivers and businesses to save data from digital tachograph. The driver card contains driver’s basic information. A company card contains data of the vehicle, the business, and its employees. These cards keep track of driving and work hours.
A smart card is a plastic card that contains an integrated circuit (IC) chip. Direct physical contact or remote wireless radio frequency connection are used to link the card to a reader. Cards will process data, store information, and execute complex security operations due to embedded microprocessor, microchips, and security logic.
Other data sources, like speed limiters, tachographs, automobile units and on-board computers (including fuel-consumption data) can also be collected and displayed using the digital card. This will allow users of a new generation of on-board units to communicate with the driver’s card.
A driver’s card is issued to drivers of vehicles equipped with a digital tacho and can be read by enforcement officers. It contains information on:
- Driver details: name, address, date of birth.
- Driver license details: license category; entitlement and validity.
- Driving/working time records including breaks and periods of availability.
- Card history: events that have taken place during use of the driver’s card.
How You Can Get Your Digital Tachograph Card?
You can get Digital Tachograph Card very easily in your own City. It’s a simple procedure to obtain the card.
This Card is essential to have for every professional driver that uses vehicles with maximum authorized mass of 3.5 tones and vehicles used in agriculture. To receive a card, you must first meet the legal requirements, and then confirm that the information recorded on the card is accurate.
How to Renew Digital Tachograph Card?
A driver card is required for every driver who use digital tachographs. The driver, not the truck or bus company, is responsible for this.
Driver licenses are generally expire after five years, but they would be revoked if they are misplaced, stolen, or destroyed, or if they have any other problems. If your card has been suspended due to loss or theft, you must obtain a replacement one from the DVLA immediately.
Your driver’s license must be renewed every 5 years after the date of issuing. Ninety days prior your card expires, you will be notified that this is the time to renew it. You can request to renew your card 6 months before it expires, but you won’t be able to use it until it does. If you request after this time, you will have to wait for 30 days for your new card to arrive, and you will be unable to drive during that time.
To renew your digital tachograph card:
- Your previous digital tachograph driver card ( will be destroyed when you receive a new card)
- A digital photograph that meets the mentioned criteria
- Must be taken in the last 6 months
- Must be square (no borders), with a plain background and with your clear face
- Must be saved as a JPEG or JPG file no larger than 2MB, with a resolution of at least 300dpi
- You’re driving license number (if held) and/or medical certificate
1. Online Renewal
You can renew your digital tachograph card online. You will need to fill out a form which you can get from the DVLA. There are two types of forms depending on whether you have lost your card or if it has been stolen. The form to complete for lost cards is called D777 and the form for stolen cards is called D976. Both of these forms can be downloaded from the websites. If you are unable to download either of these forms then you can request them by calling the DVLA .The following information will be required when filling out either form:
- The reason for requesting a new card
- Your driving license number
- Your date of birth
- Your national insurance number
- Your digital tachograph driver card license
- A current passport style photo
2. Phone Renewal
As of today, tacho card can be remotely renewed by phone. The call must be made from a fixed network telephone and lasts about 4 minutes. To establish the connection, the driver must be in possession of the service card and his PIN, which he has received in advance by means of a letter. During the call, an employee of the manufacturer will ask all driver-specific data (name, address, date of birth) and check them with the information stored on the card. If everything is correct, he will then activate the new time period via a code number. Statutory regulations stipulate that this code number must not be transmitted over the Internet or mobile radio.
You don’t need to book an appointment. It will take around 5 minutes to complete the renewal process and you will leave with a temporary digital HGV driver card. A new permanent digital tachograph card will be sent to you in the post within 10 working days. Your temporary card will remain active until your permanent one arrives.
Digital Tachograph Card Symbols
A digital tachograph is a device fitted to a vehicle that digitally records its speed and distance, together with the driver’s activity selected from a choice of modes. It also records other data, including:
- The vehicle’s speed.
- Distance travelled.
- The driver’s driving time and break times.
- The driver’s card number.
- Vehicle registration number.
- Time (from an internal clock in the digital tachograph head). and
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), where the digital tachograph has been integrated into the vehicle (as opposed to being added at a later date).
Digital Tacho Symbols and Meanings:
Understanding what the various symbols mean on your digital tachograph will help you to understand how to operate it correctly. For more information on using a digital tacho, see our guide here.
- The symbol of “driving“
This symbol represents the driving time, namely, the driving time between the driver and the vehicle.
- The symbol of “rest“
This symbol represents the rest time, namely, the rest time between the driver and the vehicle.
- The symbol of “break“
This symbol represents a break, that is, when a driver or a vehicle stops driving and stops working for more than 15 minutes, this state is called a break.
- The symbol of “available work time“
It shows that the driver can work in this period if necessary, but he has no right to force himself to work unless there is an accident or other special situation that requires him to work overtime. This period is called available working hours by drivers. The road transport department defines it as a flexible working hour system or discretionary rest period in Chinese. The so-called flexible working hour system means that drivers are entitled to take breaks whenever they want during their normal working hours, but they must ensure that their daily driving hours do not exceed 9 hours (or 8 hours for vehicles with air conditioning), and their weekly working hours shall not exceed 56 hours (or 48 hours).
Other Generic Symbols
- On/off button
When the power button is turned on, the symbol is displayed on the screen, and when the power button is turned off, the symbol disappears.
- Printing button
The print button is used to print out the mileage and speed record information in real time or during working hours (the function must be set by the user).
- Recording paper
The recording paper is used to record the mileage and speed of a vehicle in real time.
- Recording pen
The recording pen is used to write data on the recording paper.
- Power switch
The power switch can boot or shut down the tacho device quickly. If you press this button for more than 3 seconds, it will be shut down quickly. If you press it for less than 1 second, it will enter standby mode.
Conclusion
That’s it, with the digital tachograph card renewal, you have the advantage of renewing your driver CoC without leaving work or home. In addition to this, the digital card renewal allows you to control the time it takes to complete the entire process. Since the majority of information is sent via email, there’s less risk of errors and it significantly reduces paperwork. Sign up for digital tacho card renewal today!
The card gives drivers the flexibility to conduct tacho card inspections on their own. This eliminates the need for a periodic workshop visit.
This digital card is as valid as an analogue card and can be used in every machine where the visible signature, stamp or left hand thumb-impression is required. The readings of the digital tachograph are stored digitally. This means that they must be transmitted to the authority once a week.
