One common concern among fleet managers and drivers is the duration of tachograph infringements, resulting in the question "How long do Tacho infringements last?" In this blog post, we'll explore the duration of tacho infringements and how they can affect your business.
Table of Contents
What are Tacho Infringements?
Tachograph infringements occur when drivers or operators violate regulations related to the use of tachographs, which include driving time, breaks, and rest periods. These regulations are in place to prevent driver fatigue, enhance road safety, and ensure fair competition within the transport industry.
How Long Do Tacho Infringements Last?
There is no one definite answer for how long a tacho infringement lasts.
Most of the time, the DVSA usually only issues penalties for tacho infringements going back 28 days. However, this does not mean that any infringement more than 28 days can be forgotten about. Drivers can be investigated for infringements as far back as 6 months ago (or longer in exceptional circumstances), and Operators can be investigated for any relevant infringements, regardless of how long ago they occurred.
In order to comply with the EU Drivers' Hours regulations, tacho data must be retained for at least 12 months, and the UK's WTD requires working time data to be held for a minimum of 24 months. This is to aid the authorities in any investigations which may take place.
If a Driver or organisation is found to be committing tachograph infringements, it can result in fines, restrictions, or even imprisonment.
Who Is Responsible For Tacho Infringements?
Companies and drivers both bear responsibility for tachograph infringements. Fleet managers may face legal actions if evidence indicates their encouragement of infringements, such as through financial incentives, or coercion.
Prosecution of fleet managers may also result from failure to address recurring tachograph infringements by a specific driver. Fleet managers are given a 21-day window to rectify identified issues, as communicated through rectification notes (for non-safety-related infringements).
Drivers, upon receiving a fixed penalty, have 28 days to respond.
How To Reduce Your Tacho Infringements
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how long do tacho infringements last - you want to stop them happening in the first place! To minimise tacho infringements, fleet managers are usually required to ensure the following:
Provide Training & Education For Drivers
Ensure that drivers and operational staff are well-trained on tachograph regulations and best practices for compliance.
Regular Audits
Conduct regular audits of tachograph records to identify and address any potential issues before they escalate.
Invest in Tachograph Analysis
Tachograph solutions, such as TachoMagic, automatically highlight infringements, so you can address them as soon as they happen.
Summary - How Long Do Tacho infringements Last?
There is no definitive answer to how long do tacho infringements last, as authorities may request to see data over a larger time period if they believe they have reason to do so.
If a Driver or organisation is found to be committing tachograph infringements, it can result in fines, punishments, or imprisonment.
How Tachomagic Can Help!
If you want to keep on top of Tachograph infringements and avoid them in future, TachoMagic's Automatic Download Device (the TADD) automatically downloads all the driver and vehicle data remotely to our servers, whenever the ignition is on. No human input required! There, it's instantly analysed and converted into simple, useful, easy-to-understand reports.
Forgetting to do your downloads is one of the most common tacho infringements, but TachoMagic can eliminate it completely!
Want to find out more? You can use one of the links below or call us on 0113 877 0190, we are always happy to help.
Related Content
If you found this article on "How Long Do Tacho infringements Last?" useful, you may also want to read about:
- Guide to Tachograph Infringements
- New Tachograph Rules: A Guide for UK Transport Operators
- Free Tachograph Analysis Software - Get Started Today!
