Feb/March 2007

Seemingly always in tune with truck operator requirements, Road Tech Computer Systems has set up a low-cost online tachograph analysis service with a difference.

The difference is that its Tachomaster service puts equal emphasis on its ability to automate the processing of old analogue records (the ones on the circular paper chart) and digital records. Road Tech claims this functionality has been neglected in the rush by processing houses to deal with digital tachograph data, and points out that analogue charts are likely to be in wide use for at least the next five years.

In either case, data is captured by operators locally, sent by Internet to Road Tech's server for analysis, then returned almost instantly in appropriate form, complete with analysis and exception reporting. The cost is just £1 per vehicle per week.

Road Tech has commissioned special software from a signature recognition expert for the analogue aspects. You just have to scan the charts with a low-cost scanner; then in seconds the system is said to translate the complex data traces and handwriting on paper disks into meaningful data, which is uploaded to the Road Tech Web site along with data from digital tachs.

 

Electronic tachographs have been mandatory since last year on new goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross.