April/May 2007

Since tachographs became mandatory in the UK on 1 May 2006, 40,000 new lorries of over 3.5 tonnes gross have had to be fitted with the new technology, according to research by the Freight Transport Association. Around 245,000 drivers have been issued with the required smartcard, it says, as have 32,000 companies.

The FTA reckons digital tachs have been a good thing. According to Brian Szukala, the organisation's general manager for training: 'Minor infringements on hours, breaks and rest periods have almost become a thing of the past, and the facility for the immediate provision of information from print-outs and downloads, giving complex information at the touch of a button, has been a big plus.'