Legislation

Digital Tachograph: “One Minute Rule” Legislation

The legislation governing the use of tachographs in the European Union came into force in October 2011. The main focus of now clarifies some of the more important issues facing users in the industry.

Of most immediate impact for the transport industry will be the so-called “One Minute Rule”, which states that the single longest continuous activity undertaken within a given minute will be logged against that specific action. This is a departure from the previous legislation which specified that any minute with at least 5 seconds of drive, be logged as drive. The implications of this change are huge, potentially allowing significant extra driving time in a day and resolving an issue which has troubled the industry since digital tachographs were introduced.

The new legislation also addresses the problem of unscrupulous drivers or companies using magnets to invalidate tachograph readings. With the introduction in October 2012 of the requirement to compare the motion sensor input against a second source of motion, and the added requirement of having the motion sensor protected against external magnets, the vast majority of companies who keep to the rules will find they are not faced with unfair competition from those who flaunt them.

With a number of other measures, including 255 company locks instead of the previous 20, the opportunity to enter the VRN one-time-only on company mode, and improved manual entries provisions, most haulage operators will welcome the new legislation.

Visit our OPTAC Tachograph Analysis site for more information about digital tachographs and the legislation.