The study, among companies operating vehicles of 3.5 tonnes or more, revealed risk of prosecution for tachograph offences was a growing concern for 46% of companies. A fifth (20%) said infringements had been recorded against them in the last three years.
Convictions for drivers’ hours violations and tachograph offences can lead to fines of up to £5,000 and, in some cases, prison sentences of up to two years.
The research suggests that almost a third (32%) of transport companies currently spend in excess of an hour per vehicle manually downloading digital tachograph data, with 15% having missed download deadlines, which are set to ensure data is not overwritten.
Furthermore, a quarter (25%) reported spending more than two hours a month analysing tachograph data to ensure legislative compliance, while 28% say they never do so.
‘The severity of these penalties and potential damage to a business’s reputation makes compliance crucial,’ said Giles Margerison, director UK and Ireland, TomTom Business Solutions.
‘Systems should be in place to ensure the process is managed effectively, while minimising time-consuming administration and impact on precious business resources.
‘Advanced software solutions (such as TomTom’s WEBFLEET Tachograph Manager) will automatically schedule remote downloads to ensure deadlines are never missed and incorporate reporting analytics to detail driver infringements at the touch of a button,’ he added.