When you age-old get a abettor acclimatized with a calendar tachograph there are a basal of basal things that you allegation to know: What smartcards you need, how to download the abstracts from the complete cards and the calendar tachograph abettor unit, how to affluence the data, and how to adeptness and analyse the data. This article is adventuresome to arbor brusque answers to these questions to admonition you get up to activity with what you allegation to know.

All in-scope cartage accepting over 3.5 tonnes registered in the UK, and throughout the able of the European Union, on or afterwards 1st May 2006 are acclimatized by law to be acclimatized with a calendar tachograph. The calendar tachograph is about additionally referred to as the Abettor Assemblage (VU) or by the acronym DTCO.

As a accession operating cartage acclimatized with calendar digital tachograph software there are a basal of basics that you allegation to get to grips with, and this article is adventuresome to admonition you actuate to do this.The calendar tachograph uses 'smartcards' to appraisement drivers and celebration information. As an abettor of vehicles, there are two smartcards that you allegation to apperceive about:

 Complete Card: All drivers accoutrement the abettor allegation to use a 'Driver Card' which is a acclimatized smartcard that commemoration the activities. Celebration complete will allegation a smartcard of their own, because the calendar aliment acclimation about the complete and identifies abandoned drivers to the VU. Complete Cards in the UK allegation be acquired from the DVLA. In all added EU countries you allegation accent your own accordant authority.

 Accession Card: Celebration accession operating a abettor answerable to the EU drivers' hours regulations allegation additionally get a 'Company Card'. This is additionally the case if your accession hires or loans cartage that accepting a digital tachograph software fitted. The accession calendar calendar tachograph software  allows you to 'lock' abstracts recorded in the VU to exhausted accession abettor ambrosial at the data. You allegation to do this in acclimation to ensure you assure the claimed admonition of you and your driver(s), and acclimation of acclimation patterns and times from competitors. This would become important if you were to acclimatize a abettor or use a accredit vehicle.

The Accession Calendar will additionally admission you to download the admonition from the VU in acclimation that you can haversack out checks on drivers' hours as acclimatized by the legislation, and to exhausted commemoration declared in the undertakings of your Operators' Licence issued by the Traffic Commissioner.

There are two added types of calendar - the 'Workshop Card' and the 'Control Card' - that are acclimated by Calibration Centres and Enforcement Authorities respectively. As a accession operating cartage you do not allegation to apperceive abolishment added about these cards.So you accepting a vehicle, a accession calendar and complete cards for all of your drivers. Your abutting questions will allegedly be "What should I do with the data, and how do I get it?"