This article covers Polish regulations and market practice. The principles apply elsewhere, but check the rules in your country.
When should you make a tachograph printout, and how do you annotate it correctly? This question raises doubts among many drivers, especially those at the start of their professional career. Yet correctly producing and reading a digital tachograph printout is a valuable skill that can help avoid severe penalties in the event of an inspection. The situations in which this skill comes in handy vary: losing a driver card or exceeding the daily driving time, to name just two... A thorough description of the situation and a reasoned explanation of the causes of the infringement increase the chance that the person carrying out the inspection will take a more lenient view of the driver's conduct.
There is no doubt that for many drivers the tachograph printout is a familiar tool, but not always a fully understood one. When does it have to be made? What exactly does it show? How do you make a tachograph printout and then annotate it in line with the regulations, to prevent unnecessary problems during a roadside check? You will learn all this in the rest of this guide, which we have prepared for drivers and those who settle working time.
What is a tachograph printout and when does it have to be made?
A digital tachograph records driving time, rest periods, speed, events and faults, among other things. This data can be downloaded electronically or printed directly from the device. When do we make a tachograph printout? It is particularly useful in unusual situations, such as:
- exceeding the daily driving time,
- a tachograph malfunction,
- loss, theft or damage of the driver card,
- being stopped for a roadside check.
In such cases a printout with a written justification can save the driver from a fine. For that to be possible, however, it is essential to understand how to annotate a tachograph printout correctly, what to include in it and which regulation to cite.
How to make a digital tachograph printout?
Understanding how to make a tachograph printout without a card inserted in the relevant slot, or in situations where you do have the document, is crucial from the driver's perspective. Fortunately, the process itself is fairly simple and easy to master. We will explain it by showing how to make a speed printout from the tachograph.
To make a speed printout from the tachograph, you need to carry out the appropriate operations using the buttons on the recording device. Let us go through it step by step using the example of a VDO tachograph (DTCO 4.1).
- Press OK.
- Then use the arrows to select in the menu: printout -> vehicle.
- Confirm with the OK button.
- Use the arrows to select: vehicle -> v-diagram.
- Confirm with the OK button.
- Select the date for which the printout is to be made.
- Confirm with the OK button.
- Select that the tachograph printout is to be made in UTC time.
- Confirm with the OK button.
- After a moment, the printout with the speed graph for the selected day is ready.
As you can see, the answer to the question of how to make a tachograph printout is not particularly complicated. The ability to perform this simple action can help avoid penalties in the event of an inspection by the competent authorities.
What data does a tachograph printout contain?
A typical digital tachograph printout (e.g. after inserting the driver card) may contain:
- driver details (first name, surname, card number),
- vehicle details (registration number, VIN),
- start and end time of activities,
- indications of driving, rest and breaks,
- infringements, faults, errors, tampering attempts,
- information on speeding (if any occurred).
There are various types of printout that can be made. These include:
- daily printouts of driver activities from the driver card or from the vehicle,
- printouts of events and faults from the driver card or vehicle,
- a printout of technical data from the vehicle,
- a printout of speeding incidents,
- a printout showing the speed graph for a selected day.
Depending on which tachograph printout we choose, its exact content may differ.
How to read a digital tachograph printout?
Wondering how to read a digital tachograph printout? Here it helps to know the individual elements that may appear on it, as well as the pictograms symbolising driver activities and events, among other things. With this knowledge, it is easy to see for yourself that the rules for reading a printout from a VDO Siemens digital tachograph or, say, a Stoneridge one, are very similar, because the basic information on each of them is alike.
How do you read a digital tachograph printout? Using a daily printout as an example, the particularly important data includes:
- the time driving started,
- the total daily driving time,
- rest time,
- activities: marked with a symbol (e.g. steering wheel = driving, bed = rest).
To fully understand how to read a printout from a VDO tachograph or another make, it is best to study the device's user manual carefully and, in case of any doubts, consult the person responsible for working time settlement.
How to annotate a digital tachograph printout?
How do you annotate a tachograph printout correctly? Drivers may face this question in various situations. When driving time rules are breached or there are problems with the driver card, the appropriate printout or printouts must be prepared and then annotated by hand on the back. As a rule, a well-prepared annotation is one that:
- refers to Article 12 of Regulation (EC) 561/2006 (if necessary),
- contains precise information about the time and place of the event and its nature,
- indicates the cause (e.g. accident, traffic jam, breakdown, no safe parking place),
- bears the driver's legible signature and includes their identification details.
Example of an event description on the back of a printout: "Pursuant to Art. 12/561/2006 EC, I declare that I exceeded the daily driving time by 35 minutes because it was not possible to stop the vehicle safely. I finished driving at 21:05 at the Wola Wężykowa service area. Signature: Jan Kowalski".
Let us now take a closer look at how to fill in a digital tachograph printout in two example situations in which it proves necessary.
How to annotate a tachograph printout: exceeding driving time
The question of how to annotate a tachograph printout is often prompted by one of the changes introduced by the Mobility Package. This is the amendment to Article 12 of Regulation (EC) 561/2006, under which a driver may exceed their working time by a maximum of 1 or 2 hours (depending on the context set out in the provision and subject to the conditions it contains) in order to, among other things, reach the operational centre or their place of residence to take a weekly rest period. However, it must be an exceptional situation and must not compromise road safety.
These reservations matter, because Article 12 cannot be invoked when breaches of driving time rules are regular or planned, or result from poor route planning. Where infringements occur, it is mandatory to annotate the tachograph printout each time with a proper justification and a reference to Article 12, at the latest on reaching the destination or a suitable stopping place.
How to annotate a tachograph printout after exceeding driving time for reasons that qualify under Article 12? The description of the situation on the back of the tachograph printout should include:
- the driver's identification details, such as full name and card or driving licence number,
- the specific reasons for extending the driving time,
- a reference to Article 12 of Regulation 561/2006,
- a legible signature.
What is the template for annotating a digital tachograph printout in the case of such an infringement? Below is an example of how to annotate a tachograph printout when invoking Article 12.
Example annotation: first we write down the identification details, then the main part of the description, and sign the printout. Indicative wording of the explanatory part: "Pursuant to Art. 12/561/2006 EC, I declare that I exceeded the daily driving time by 55 minutes in order to reach the employer's operational centre for my weekly rest. I finished driving at 22:00 at the company base. Signature: Jan Kowalski".
How to annotate a tachograph printout: driving without a card
If the driver card is lost, damaged or stolen, driving without it is permitted for a certain period. In such a situation, however, the driver must make printouts at the start and end of the shift and annotate them carefully. What should such an annotation contain?
- Start printout: the driver's full name, the card number (if damaged) or driving licence number (if the card was lost or stolen), the reason for driving without a card, and a legible signature.
- End printout: the driver's identification details and signature, the reason for driving without a card, and detailed information on the hourly breakdown of the driver's activities and the breaks taken.
Annotating a tachograph printout: good practice
How do you prepare proper annotations, and how long should tachograph printouts be kept? Following the good practices below will help you get this right.
1. Use the right legal language:
- always refer to Article 12 of Regulation (EC) 561/2006 or other provisions where necessary,
- do not write "because I was in a hurry", but "due to circumstances beyond my control", and state the reasons for the infringement precisely.
2. Be specific:
- date, time, location,
- a brief note on what happened and why driving continued.
3. Keep and store the printouts:
- the driver should keep a copy for at least 56 days,
- the transport company: for at least 12 months.
The most common printout mistakes: what to avoid so as not to be penalised for breaking the rules
The most common mistakes relating to tachograph printouts include:
- no annotation of an infringement,
- an illegible or unsigned annotation,
- vague wording: "delay", "traffic jam",
- a printout not kept or lost.
How to read a tachograph printout and annotate it correctly? Summary
A digital tachograph printout is not just a technical document; it is an important means of protecting the driver in unusual situations. The ability to read it and annotate it properly in line with the regulations (particularly Art. 12/561/2006 EC) can decide the outcome of a roadside check.
If you are a driver or someone who settles working time, make sure that printouts are complete, legible and truthful. It is a simple practice that can save a lot of stress and money.
You now know how to make a tachograph printout, how to read such a document and what annotating a tachograph printout should look like. If you want to find out more about these devices, we encourage you to read the other articles about them on our blog, including:
- A new era of tachographs: replacement, key deadlines and the most important changes
- How to streamline the settlement of drivers' working time? A guide to remote tachograph data download
- Tachographs in vans: what you need to know about the new rules
- Tachograph: what it is, how it works, what it is for and who must have one
- How to insert a card into a tachograph? A practical step-by-step guide
- Tachograph calibration: what it involves, how often and how much it costs
- Driving without a tachograph: when is it allowed?
Agata Świerczek
E-marketing Specialist
As a UX/UI design specialist I combine creativity with precise communication. I design intuitive interfaces and engaging digital content, and I write product copy and blog articles that hold attention and support business goals.
