Guidance

Approved tachograph centre special notice 01-20

Published 3 April 2020

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

1. Periodic inspections and initial calibrations

To relieve pressures within the tachograph and vehicle maintenance industry, the requirement to calibrate or inspect tachographs periodically has been relaxed.

Until further notice, all tachograph calibration and inspection expiry dates are extended by 3 months.

Any faults with the tachograph system must still be repaired as normal, the tachograph system must function as required by the legislation, and the system is still required to be sealed in line with the requirements. Initial calibrations are to continue, and any changes to the various parameters (such as tyre size, vehicle registration and so on) will also require action as normal.

Further guidance will be issued when available.

2. Extension of current training certificate expiry dates

To relieve pressures within the tachograph calibration scheme, the expiry dates of all current and valid tachograph training certificates will be extended by 6 months from their current expiry date with immediate effect.

Before this period has elapsed, nominated testers will be required to have undertaken the required training unless they have already done so.

This will not apply to certificates that have already expired.

Where possible approved tachograph centres and nominated testers may use refresher training which has been specifically approved for distance learning.

This may be via video link or other means. As and when these courses are approved, approved tachograph centres will be informed.

3. Periodic quality control (QC) checks

All QC checks which require the observation or checking of a calibration is suspended until further notice.

However, it must be stressed that any issues with calibrations that are discovered may still result in disciplinary action against both the nominated tester and the approved tachograph centre.

4. DVSA examiner visits

Until further notice, all Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) examiner visits are suspended with immediate effect.

Enforcement checks will continue however via email.

All centre staff must co-operate fully with any such requests from DVSA examiners and staff, and centres must check their contact information is up to date. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action being taken.

5. Tachograph centre equipment calibration

Until further notice, the requirement for the periodic calibration of tachograph calibration equipment is suspended.

However, all equipment is required to continue to function correctly, and any faults must be repaired or replaced under current requirements.

6. April 2020 workshop cards

As has been detailed in previous special notices, annex 1C training is compulsory for all nominated technicians.

It is also a requirement that all technicians trained must submit their training certificate to the DVSA tachograph section (tachosection@dvsa.gov.uk) for the accurate updating of records.

There are still several centres and technicians who have not forwarded their 1C training certificate to the DVSA tacho section.

If you have not done so you will not be issued with a workshop card in April 2020.

If you have completed 1C training and have not sent your certificate to DVSA tachograph section, then you must do so without delay to ensure the arrival of your next workshop card.

This is as there is a lead time in issuing the relevant cards.

Further to this DVSA will take disciplinary action against any nominated tester or centre who are found to have been undertaking tachograph work without the required training.

Please note any technicians who failed to undertake the relevant 1C uplift/refresher/ initial training course no longer have valid training certificate, as per the instructions in previous special notices.

7. 1C sealing requirements

Approved tachograph centres and nominated testers are reminded that approved tachograph centres must emboss the required tab on the dedicated 1C seal using the workshop seal pliers. This is not required if the approved tachograph centre is using a seal that has the unique centre details already shown on the 1C seal.

8. Phoenix seal

An issue has been raised regarding Phoenix 1C seals. On these, there are 6 rather than the required 8-numeric digits.

The Phoenix seal (with only 6 numeric digits) will be accepted for use within the tachograph scheme providing the procedure below is followed:

  1. When using the Optimo programmer, the seal number input must have eight digits. When the above Phoenix seal is used, it must be prefixed by two dashes (- -). Currently, no other programmer can be used with this process, and in these cases, another 1C seal must be used. 1B seals cannot be used.

  2. Any calibrations already carried out with the above procedure will be deemed acceptable and no retrofit will be required.

  3. A new fully compliant seal must be fitted at the next periodic inspection.

Phoenix will arrange for current stocks to be changed to meet the eight-digit numbering requirements as quickly as possible under the current conditions.

The use of the above seal is acceptable within the UK and no enforcement action will result if the correct procedure is followed.

If a vehicle is calibrated with the current seal and goes outside of the UK, DVSA cannot guarantee what enforcement action will be taken by the relevant enforcement authorities for that country.

9. 1C tachograph retrofit program

The timescales for the temporary derogation to allow 1B tachographs to be installed in 1C vehicles have been suspended.

Any vehicle that required a 1C tachograph to be installed from 15 June 2019 but instead had a 1B tachograph installed (due to the unavailability of the Kitas 4 sender unit) will not require retrofitting with a 1C tachograph until further notice.