Tachograph Calibration And Beyond: What To Know As A Commercial Driver
Those employees who spend all or the majority of their working hours behind the wheel are the ones who are most likely to be injured in a workplace accident. These individuals include those who operate buses, lorries, and other delivery vehicles. If you’re a commercial driver in need of additional guidance on tachograph calibration and beyond, consult this handy guide from Transcare.
The Damning Statistics
Motorists who have a greater chance of being involved in an accident than the average driver include the tens of thousands of people whose jobs require them to operate motor vehicles. These types of drivers include maintenance workers, sales representatives, and repair staff.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), there are approximately twenty workers who are killed in a motor vehicle accident every single week in the United Kingdom. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), an additional 250 people sustain injuries related to driving while on the job each week.
Laws Regarding Driving At Work
Occupational safety and health law govern driving for work. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act of 1974 makes it mandatory for employers to ensure the safety, health, oand welfare of their employees while they are on the job. The law applies this principle to employees who are driving for work-related errands or purposes.
Employers now have an additional responsibility as a result of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. They are responsible for evaluating and mitigating the dangers that their employees might face while driving.
In addition to this, there are several Road Traffic Acts A. significant number of the Acts’ provisions are applicable to motorists and their vehicles. Employers are accountable for ensuring that their drivers and vehicles adhere to these provisions, and they should take this responsibility seriously.
What Is Tachograph Calibration And Why Is It Important For Commercial Drivers?
A tachograph is a piece of technology that records information about the driver, such as the speed of the vehicle, the amount of time spent driving, and the distance driven in a specific amount of time. Their primary objective is to verify that motorists are abiding by the laws governing drivers and that they are not becoming overtired as a result of driving for an extended period of time. Driver fatigue is a major contributing factor in many vehicle accidents.
Both digital and analogue versions of tachographs are commercially available. To use a digital tachograph, simply insert it into the corresponding hole in the dashboard. This is analogous to the operation of an in-car CD player.
Who Could Possibly Need A Tachograph?
If you are driving a vehicle that is governed by EU or AETR regulations, you are required to have a tachograph installed. This rule applies to a wide variety of vehicles, including those used for public transportation, goods transport, and passenger transportation.
In the case of passenger vehicles, the need for a tachograph will be determined by the total distance travelled, the maximum number of passengers the vehicle is capable of transporting, and whether or not it is crossing international borders. A tachograph is also required for use on any vehicle that has a passenger capacity of more than eight people and has a range of more than fifty kilometres.
When it comes to goods vehicles, the rules vary depending on the weight of the vehicle, the location to which you are travelling, and the purpose for which the vehicle will be put to use. If the vehicle you are driving has a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 3.5 tonnes and you are operating it in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, you are required to have a tachograph.
The law is very specific about who is required to have a tachograph, and those who mislead authorities or tamper with the data face fines that can reach into the thousands of psu.
What Does It Mean When A Tachograph Is Calibrated?
It is required that vehicles equipped with tachographs be tested on a regular basis, and digital tachographs require a full re-calibration at regular intervals:
- Every two years
- Following a significant repair
- A modification to the diameter of the tyre
- In the event that the vehicle’s registration number is altered
If the tachograph fails to function properly or if the seal is damaged in any way, it must be re-calibrated and repaired by an authorised dealer.
It is important that it is calibrated because, a) it is the law, b) it could save you thousands of pounds in fines and c) you and your employer need to know that the data it records is accurate so that you can continue to drive safely.
How Does Fleet Management Play Into Your Working Day?
Fleet management is the practice of managing commercial motor vehicles such as cars, vans, and trucks to ensure optimal utilisation, fuel consumption, and maintenance. Examples of commercial motor vehicles include: cars, vans, and trucks. It’s possible that fleet managers can play a role in helping to coach drivers in order to improve safety, compliance, and liability in the fleet. Fleet management can also include the tracking of assets and the management of equipment in certain industries, such as construction and building contracting. This can include the management of large equipment like cranes and bulldozers, as well as smaller equipment like trailers, generators, or specialty tools.
The goals of fleet management are to maximise efficiency, increase productivity, and improve safety for an organisation’s drivers as well as the organisation’s vehicles. This is frequently accomplished by utilising a combination of techniques, including reporting on fuel consumption, monitoring of driver behaviour, management of vehicle maintenance, and tracking of vehicles.
What Are Some Of The Key Safety Factors For Commercial Drivers?
Health
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is in charge of establishing minimum medical standards (such as being able to read a number plate from a distance of 20 metres) as well as rules for drivers. These rules include health conditions that are required to be reported to the DVLA.
The medical requirements for drivers of large vehicles (over 3.5 tonnes), minibuses, and buses are more stringent than those for drivers of smaller vehicles. Every new driver is required to go through an HGV medical exam, which comes with its own set of accompanying paperwork that must be submitted to the DVLA by the doctor who actually performs the exam.
It is important that employers and fleet managers encourage drivers to report any health concerns they may have. They need to be aware of the potential adverse effects of any medications they are taking, particularly those that could affect their judgement.
Vehicle
Employers have a responsibility to ensure that any vehicles used for work purposes comply with all relevant laws and regulations governing road traffic and are both safe to operate and authorised to be driven on public roads.
Every driver needs to be aware of how to perform a vehicle safety check and who they should notify if they find any problems. In order to ensure that the vehicle’s fundamental features, such as its lights, tyres, and wheel fixings, are in proper working order, a routine safety check will inspect the vehicle.
Every vehicle is required to have the appropriate taxes paid, a current and valid MOT (if it is older than three years), and regular maintenance performed on it. When you are dealing with company-owned or leased vehicles, it is not too difficult to make sure that this is the case.
When employees use their own vehicles for work, things can get more complicated because companies have the same legal obligation to ensure that the vehicle is safe and legal. When employees use their own vehicles for work, things can get more complicated. In addition to this, they are obligated to verify that the employee’s automobile insurance policy includes coverage for business use.
Journey
Another area of occupational road risk is the journey itself. Although you can’t completely remove the risks from work-related driving activities, they can be minimised by carefully planning the route and organising a realistic schedule. Road safety is also affected by adverse weather conditions, which need to be taken into consideration.
Common Repair Issues To Anticipate
Leaks
It is essential to look for leaks before performing any other kinds of checks. Driving your vehicle while it has a fluid leak can result in a variety of serious issues as well as expensive repairs.
Battery
When you leave your van idling for an extended period of time, the battery is likely to be the first thing that breaks down and needs to be repaired. After being parked for an extended period of time, the voltage will almost certainly have fallen below the level required to kick start the vehicle.
On the other hand, if you try to restart your van and it does not work, there may be a problem with the battery or the electrical system in your vehicle.
The Engine Oil
The primary function of engine oil is to act as a lubricant. The engine’s moving parts do not receive the lubrication they require when there is insufficient oil or when the oil has been sitting idle for an extended period of time. It is possible that your vehicle will sustain damage, be destroyed, or even catch fire if you do not change your dirty engine oil or have any leaks in the engine oil seals repaired.
How Often Should You Service Commercial Vehicles?
Conducting checks is a legal duty for operators of large cargo vehicles and public service vehicles. Before an operator can be issued an O-licence, they are required to have a maintenance plan that is compliant with the conditions set forth by the Traffic Commissioner (operator licence).
Before operating a heavy-duty or passenger-carrying goods vehicle (HGV or PSV), drivers are required by law to perform a walk-around inspection of the vehicle.
There is no explicit legislation that controls the frequency or timing of vehicle checks for typical commercial vehicles. This includes both inspections and maintenance.
The Health and Safety at Work etc Act of 1974 stipulates that as an employer, it is your responsibility to look after the well-being of your workers “to the greatest extent that is reasonably practicable.”
In the absence of regulatory mandates, firms are required to conduct vehicle inspections using a methodology that is grounded in logic and experience. Any enquiries about the condition of your vehicle? Enlist the assistance of Transcare.