What is locking a digital tachograph?

23.11.2023

Read this article and watch the video. This will give you an idea of what a company lock on a digital tachograph means.

When using a digital tachograph, it is sometimes required to use the company card. Mainly, the company card has two functions:

• periodic download of tachographic data (enables downloading tachograph data), and
• locking the tachograph data (blocks access to the data by third persons).

This second function – locking the tachograph data – is unknown to many, both drivers and people in the field of transport, and few have heard of it and realise its importance. In the video below, I explain in further detail the principle of locking it and the potential risks involved.

Video: locking a digital tachograph:

What is locking a digital tachograph?

• Locking essentially means blocking access to data recorded by the tachograph for third parties.
• This is a data protection function.
• Instead of the word ‘locking’, ‘data blocking’ is also common.

How does the tachograph lock work?

STONERIDGE DIGITAL TACHOGRAPH

• When inserting the company card for the first time, the tachograph automatically asks if the company lock needs to be activated.
• If the company card is already locked, this will not be asked again.
• Select YES (which is already pre-selected) and press OK. It is now locked.
• Later, the lock can be displayed in the INFO menu.
• If you wish to unlock the tachograph, there will be a new sub-item COMPANY LOCKS in the menu after entering the company card. By entering there, it is possible to unlock it.

VDO DIGITAL TACHOGRAPH

• When entering the company card for the first time, the tachograph registers the company automatically. It displays ‘Company registered’. This means that the device is now locked.
• If the company card has already been in this tachograph before and it is locked, it will display ‘Company already registered’ when the card of the employer is inserted.
• Removing the company card is very important in VDO. When removing, it asks ‘Remove the company?’ – if you wish to leave the company lock activated, select the default option ‘No’. If you wish to remove the company lock, select ‘Yes’.
• NB! The danger here is that the user may get the impression that the question ‘Remove the company?’ means to remove the company card, but that is not the case. ‘Remove company’ always means to inquire if you want to remove the company lock. You do not.
• A downside of the VDO tachograph is that the company lock cannot be checked via the menu, as can be done with the Stoneridge tachograph.

Tips for using a company card

• Always insert the company card in the digital tachograph as the first thing when you take possession of the vehicle. This way, you remove a possible lock activated by a card of another company (in the case of a used vehicle) and make it ‘yours’ right from the start.
• Newer tachographs also ask for the registration number of the vehicle and country of residence when entering the company card for the first time. Insert this information correctly and carefully. I recommend checking the user manual of the digital tachograph.
• The company card is not intended for driving.
• If the company uses wireless systems for downloading driver cards and tachograph data, the company lock of the tachograph must also be activated by physically inserting the company card into the tachograph.
• The company card is valid for 5 years and is issued by the Transport Administration.
• If there is no company lock on the tachograph, the working and rest time data are so-called public, which means that if you sell your vehicle, another company that buys the vehicle will be able to see this data.

Potential dangers in the absence of a company lock

There have been cases where the police check the tachograph data and discovers that the company lock is not activated. There are a multitude of reasons why the lock has not been activated. Mainly, these are reasons arising from ignorance that such a thing as a company lock even exists and that it is very important.

The police can see it in digital form from the tachograph data. It shows all the locking and unlocking actions ever done with the tachograph.

There have been cases when a fine as large as 8,000 euros was issued for unlocked data (in Germany), but there have also been cases where the fines have ranged from 200 to 2,000 euros.

It is impossible to find a specific clause in the law that would result in a violation and fine due to the company lock not being activated, but it is related to the ‘proper use of the tachograph’, and a point in the law which demands the ‘proper use of the tachograph’ can indeed be found. This, then, becomes the basis for this.

Buying or selling a used vehicle

If you buy a used truck or bus with a digital tachograph, you should always assume that a lock of another company is activated. If you do not remove the lock of another company (by entering your company card), all work and rest time data will be stored under the lock of the other company, and once you start downloading and analysing data from the tachograph, you will receive a tachograph file, but you will not see work and rest time data. Why? Because they are blocked for you. You can see data from the period you have entered your company card and activated the lock. Usually, this process takes place without you knowing it. ☺

There have been cases where the Labour Inspectorate asks for tachograph data during a company inspection, but the work and rest time data are missing from the file. There seems to be some data, but there is a lack of data about particular activities. The reason is that the data has been locked with the card of someone else.

So, whenever you receive a new or used vehicle, the first thing you should do is insert the company card into the tachograph and activate the company lock. Consciously!

If you sell the vehicle, you may unlock, but you do not necessarily have to. From now on, it depends on the awareness of the other company of a company lock. They can either lock it or start driving straight away and save their work and rest time data under the lock of your company, so they will be unable to see it.

NB! You can always see your work and rest time data on the driver card. This will not be affected by locking the tachograph.

In conclusion

Actually, I was supposed to write this article about 10 years ago… We have introduced this topic from time to time during training, discussed it, but I only came to inform a wider circle of people now that I see that there are still plenty of fines issued. It is still a real blow for everyone, considering that the fines for this are huge in some countries (1,800 euros in Slovakia in 2023). Everyone must be warned against this. This locking is, in itself, a bureaucratic nuance that nothing really depends on. But, as always, if the inspector finds nothing else during their inspection, they will still find something – always. This is one of those cunning things.

It is very important that the driver is aware of all possible dangers and will not let inspectors deem them as law breakers for the reason that in addition to commanding the steering wheel, there are a ‘million’ rules that they also need to know. Who has the time to keep an eye on all these cunning things?

We here at the Autosert Driver’s Training Centre and Driving School work every day to keep up to date on these ‘million’ things and then pass this knowledge on to drivers, transport managers, and transport company managers through training.

Our motto is ‘Do not wait for the fine to find you –find it yourself and eliminate the danger’!

Another danger is that this article will be read by the police and they will ‘get to it’.

If you have any question about driving hours, tachographs or any other in field of transport, dont hesitate to write or call us in contacts below. You're welcome!

Here’s to pleasant, stress-free, and fine-less kilometres, dear professional driver!