Welcome - Marc Sel
European Digital Tachograph
Functionality
As from the 1980's, the implementation of tachographs is driven by the European Commission's DG Mobility and Transport - often referred to as DG MOVE (in 2010 Barosso II split DG TREN (Transport and Energy) into MOVE and ENER). The objective of the tachograph is to have safer and fairer road
transportation within the EU and even beyond.
Look at the EC's website, or here for an overview of the various regulations.
The analogue tachograph is no longer officially in use. The first generation of the digital tachograph, introduced by EC 2135/98, is a device (referred to as VU - vehicle unit or OBU - on-board unit)
that is built-in into the vehicle by an accredited workshop using a workshop card.
A cable connects it with a motion-sensor that captures the movements of the vehicle. The motion-sensor and the digital tachograph are cryptographically
authenticated. To lawfully operate the vehicle, a driver needs to use his driver card.
The digital tachograph card is a smartcard, replacing the traditional paper-based analogue cards. There are four card types in total:
- driver (logging all important driver and vehicle events);
- controller (to allow compliance checks);
- transport company (information retrieval);
- workplace (calibration of the tachograph device in the vehicle in an accredited workshop).
The second generation of the digital tachograph is referred to as the smart tachograph. It was introduced by EC 165/2014.
In every Member State, a MSA (Member State Authority) has been created for its deployment. The MSA takes responsibility for the three core
components in the Member State:
- CIA or Card Issuing Authority, the formal body issuing the cards
- CP or Card Personaliser, the producer and personaliser of the cards
- CA or Certification Authority, the producer of cryptographic certificates
The system is typically linked a.o. to a Member State driving license register, to a national identity register, and to the EU-wide Tachonet.
Tachonet has been created as the European network for interconnecting the MSA's. XML messages are used for information exchange between the CIA's.
Connectivity is via TESTA. Security is achieved via a Public Key Infrastructure. A European PKI has been set-up with the ERCA (European Root Certification Authority) as its root-CA.
Beyond the EU
As road transport goes beyond EU borders, the EU regulation has been accepted in the AETR (Accord Européen Transport Routiere). This is coordinated a.o.
by UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe). CORTE, the Confederation of Organisation in Road Transport Enforcement groups
many stakeholders. The IRU is the world’s road transport organisation.
Timeline EU digital tachograph
The timeline can be approximated as:
- 1985 - publication of EC 3820/85 (Digital tachograph functional requirements) and 3821/85
(overall description and security annexes)
- 1998 - publication of EC 2135/98, amending 3820 and 3821
- 2002 - publication EC 1360/2002 (further refinement, including security requirements)
- 2006-05-01 - digitach VU/cards becomes compulsory in Europe
- 2010-01-13 - publication of EU recommendation on secure exchange of driver information and Tachonet
- 2010-06-16 - Digital tachograph may become compulsory also in the non-EU AETR countries
- 2014 - second generation (GEN2) of digital tachograph is announced and targets to go life by March 2019
- 2016 - preparation of implementations
- 2018 - implementations
- 2019 - go-life
Member State Authorities
Global
- IRU - worldwide road transport organisation - originator of the TIR carnet (1949)
- The Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention) is a multilateral treaty
that was concluded at Geneva on 14 November 1975 to simplify and harmonise the administrative formalities of international
road transport. (TIR stands for "Transports Internationaux Routiers" or "International Road Transports".)
- The 1975 convention replaced the TIR Convention of 1959, which itself replaced the 1949 TIR Agreement between a number of European
countries.[1] The conventions were adopted under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
- As of December 2018, there are 76 parties to the Convention, including 75 states and the European Union.
- UNECE Transport
- UNECE and AETR
- CORTE - Confederation of Organisation in Road Transport Enforcement
- based in Brussels as an International non-profit organisation since 2005
- members are in 2019:
- 31 National Authorities
- 12 Transport Associations: ACEA, ERF, ICTCT, IRU, ITD, NLA, Napta, NP ADTS, TOBB, UICR, Union Camere + Kosovo
- 23 Transport Companies (and beyond): Amazon, Aquarius, Certsign, Continental, Dako, Dekra, Dis-Transics, Efkon, Gemalto, Idha, INELO, Infolab, Intellic, Kiwa, Lesikar, Lisle Design, PwPw, STMicroelectronics, Stoneridge, TachoControl, Tempest, Testek, Trutac
- Nine Working Groups producing harmonised solutions promoted at international level:
- Enforcement WG: driving and resting times for commercial transport and tachograph use
- Digital Tachograph Replacement WG: enforcing the correct version of tachograph
- Calculation Rules WG: methodology for calculating driving and resting times
- Card WG: digital tachograph cards and driving license issuing
- Card Merger WG: merging the driving license with the digital tachograph card (research)
- Innovation WG: smart enforcement practices and new technologies
- Access to Market WG: cabotage, combined transport and posting of workers
- CORTE-CITA Road Worthiness WG: road worthiness of vehicles
- Road Cargo Theft WG: quality incident reporting
- EU Commission projects:
- big data (LeMO)
- smart mobility (Gecko)
- critical infrastructure (PANOPTIS)
- intelligent transport systems (TIMON)
- driving times (TRACE)
- social legislation (CLOSER)
- GNSS in transport (TACOT)
- road transport managers (KNOW-IN)
- cybersecurity (CYSPA)
- supply chain security (SAFE-POST)
- secure parkings (LABEL)
Europe
Digitach.be (the Belgian implementation of the EU digital tachograph)
The situation in Belgium
In Belgium, the Federal Public Service Mobility takes responsibility as the MSA (Member State Authority).
Actual implementation and operation of the system has been delegated to the ITLB (originally named IWT-ITR).
Belgian timeline
The Belgian timeline can be approximated as:
First generation
- 1985 - publication of EC 3820/85 (Digital tachograph functional requirements) and 3821/85
(overall description and security annexes)
- 1998 - publication of EC 2135/98, amending 3820 and 3821
- 2002 - publication EC 1360/2002 (further refinement, including security requirements)
- 2004 - assignment of Belgian contracts:
- systems design, implementation and operation contract for 10 years to G&D, with Unisys and Ubizen as subcontractors
- 2005-06 - first tachograph cards issued in in Belgium
- 2006-05-01 - card becomes compulsory in Europe
Second generation ('smart tachograph')
- 2016-12 Strategic study
- 2018-03 RFI
- 2018-04 RFP and solution selection
- 2019-06-11 Go-life for all card types
Equipment
Tachographs
Tachograph reselling/installation/add-ons
Tachograph consulting
Opposition
Related