Hardware - Tacho

The Digital Tachograph (Digi Tacho) is an essential electronic recording device for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes first put into use after 01/05/2006. Often referred to as the ‘tacho head’ or ‘VU’ (Vehicle Unit), it plays a crucial role in monitoring and recording driver activities. This article will explain what Tacho provides, how it is set up, and where you can view Tacho data in BigChange.

What Does Tacho Provide?

Driver Identification and Activity Tracking

• Each card has a unique Driver Card ID, which is sent to the BigChange website when the card is inserted.
• This enables the system to associate the driver with the vehicle and attribute all activities to the driver for that period.

Activity Monitoring

• As the driver switches between modes (driving, rest, period of availability, other duty/work), an event is sent to the BigChange website.
• The website processes these events to calculate the amount of time spent on each activity.
• Driving Rules put limits on the length of these activities, and the website calculates and displays them accordingly.

How Is Tacho Set Up?

Setting the Tacho Card Number

• Navigate to: Settings > Resources > Add - edit > Edit.
• Input the matching 'Tacho card' number to ensure the correct Tacho card is set against your resources.

Where Can I See the Tacho Data in BigChange?

Map Pop-Up

• When clicking on a vehicle icon on the map, the pop-up shows:
• Current driver resource (identified by Driver Card ID).
• Current Tacho Work State as a pictogram (e.g., ‘Work’).
• Work state start time (e.g., 15:51).
• Driving left – calculations for today and the current week based on stored records.
• Driving done – totals from the stored records.

Map Journey View

• When ‘View Gantt Chart’ is selected from the resource journey toolbar, the Tacho timeline is displayed underneath the journey timeline.
• Driving is shown in blue, breaks in grey, and other work in violet.

Tachograph Report

Located within the 'Analytics & Reporting' tab, this report shows individual work state events and summarises them over the required period.

Conclusion

Understanding and utilising the Tacho system in BigChange is crucial for effective driver and vehicle management. By following the setup instructions and knowing where to view the data, you can ensure compliance with driving rules and optimise your operations.