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Drivers Hours and Tachograph Policy Pack
Put card use, manual entries, analysis and infringement follow-up into a controlled process.
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Why tachograph rules decide so many DVSA investigations
Of all the areas DVSA examines, tachograph rules produce the clearest evidence trail. Every card insertion, mode switch and missing mileage entry is recorded to the second, so an examiner does not need to take anyone's word for anything. In our 25 years supporting operators at roadside checks, DVSA visits and Traffic Commissioner public inquiries, we have seen more licences put at risk by poor tachograph discipline than by any other single failing.
The frustrating part is that most drivers who fall foul of tachograph rules are not cheating. They are making small, repeated procedural mistakes: forgetting a manual entry, leaving the mode on rest while unloading, or missing a card download. A driver handbook that explains the daily routine in plain language, backed by a proper infringement process, closes most of these gaps within weeks.
Driver cards: the daily routine
The driver card is the driver's personal legal record and the habits around it need to be automatic. The essentials we expect every handbook and induction to cover are:
- Insert the card before moving off at the start of the duty, and confirm the tachograph has accepted it.
- Never drive without the card inserted, and never use another person's card under any circumstances.
- Carry the card at all times on duty, and be ready to produce records for the current day and the previous 28 days at the roadside.
- Report a lost, stolen or damaged card straight away and follow the printout procedure until a replacement arrives.
- Only hold one card. Applying for a second while one is still valid is an offence.
We also encourage operators to spell out card expiry responsibility in writing. Drivers should apply for renewal well before expiry, and transport offices should diarise expiry dates rather than relying on memory. A driver turned away at the gate because a card lapsed is a cost that a two line handbook clause would have prevented.
Tacho manual entry: the most common failing we see
If we had to pick one habit that separates tidy operators from those facing tachograph infringements, it is the tacho manual entry. Whenever a driver's card is out of the vehicle unit during a duty period, the record has a hole in it, and the rules require the driver to fill that hole with a manual entry the next time the card goes in.
In practice that means recording other work, availability or rest for the time between removing the card and reinserting it: the evening after finishing, work in the yard before starting, a day spent on non-driving duties, or a mid-shift period spent loading with the card out. An unexplained gap looks the same to an examiner as concealed driving, which is why gaps attract so many questions.
A good tacho manual entry routine is short: when the card goes in, work backwards from now to the last withdrawal and account for every block of time honestly. Handbooks should include a step by step walkthrough with the actual button sequence for the tachograph models in the fleet, because generic instructions get ignored.
Mode switches: other work, availability and rest
The mode switch is where honest drivers accidentally build a false record. Modern tachographs default to other work when the vehicle stops, but drivers still need to set the correct mode deliberately: other work for loading, paperwork, walkaround checks and fuelling; availability for genuine waiting time known about in advance; rest only when the driver is genuinely free to dispose of their time.
Recording work as rest is the one that causes real trouble. A driver who sits on rest while supervising loading has understated their working time, and if that pattern repeats across a fleet, DVSA reads it as systemic. The tachograph rules on modes are not complicated, but they must be taught, checked in the data, and corrected early. We advise a plain table in the driver handbook showing common activities and the correct mode for each.
Downloads, analysis and record keeping
Operators must download driver cards at least every 28 days and vehicle units at least every 90 days, and in our view both intervals should be treated as maximums rather than targets. Downloading more often gives you earlier sight of problems and protects you if a card is lost.
Downloading is only half the duty. The data must be analysed, and the analysis must be acted on. A Traffic Commissioner will give little credit for a filing cabinet of unread reports. The operator's system should show that data comes in, someone competent reviews it, infringements are identified, and each one is closed out with the driver. Records need to be kept and retrievable: tachograph data for at least 12 months, and longer where it also serves as working time evidence.
Where agency or part time drivers are used, make sure their cards are downloaded on the same cycle. Missing agency data is a recurring finding in DVSA desk based assessments, and the operator, not the agency, carries the responsibility.
Tachograph infringements: running a debrief process that stands up
No fleet has zero infringements. What DVSA and the Traffic Commissioner look for is how the operator responds. A credible tachograph infringements process has four stages: identify the infringement promptly through analysis, debrief the driver face to face or in a documented conversation, record the explanation and any action taken, and escalate repeat offenders through the disciplinary route.
The debrief is the part most operators do badly. A signature on an unread infringement report proves nothing. The record should show the driver understood what went wrong, what the rule requires, and what will change. Where the same infringement recurs, the file should show escalating action: refresher training, formal warnings, and in serious cases removal from driving duties.
We help operators build this into the driver handbook so the process is agreed in advance. When drivers have signed for a handbook that sets out the tachograph rules and the consequences of breaching them, the debrief conversation is quicker, fairer and far easier to defend at a public inquiry.
Putting the tachograph rules into your driver handbook
A handbook section on tachograph rules should be short enough to read and specific enough to follow. Ours typically cover the daily card routine, manual entries with model specific instructions, the mode table, roadside production duties, download expectations and the infringement procedure, all in plain English and signed for by the driver.
That signature matters. When a driver later claims nobody told them, the signed handbook record is the operator's answer, and it is the difference between a driver conduct issue and an operator systems failure in the eyes of a Traffic Commissioner. If your current handbook covers tachograph rules in a single vague paragraph, it is not protecting you, and we would be glad to put that right.
