CONNECTED

By

Page 2 WELCOME

From Director Mark Johnston, welcoming everyone to this first issue of Connected.

Page 3/4

Liz Haselden, our Marketing Manager shares why the company’s new brand identity marks a major milestone in the company’s history.

Page 5/6 IT’S A GLITCH

Warning about the serious technical glitch that has been uncovered when remote downloading from some GEN2 tachographs.

Page 7/8 NEWS ROUND UP

The latest company news from our IT, support and compliance teams.

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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Campeys of Selby share their experiences of going fully digital.

PAGE 13/14 PRODUCT

SPOTLIGHT

In this issue we take a closer look at Document Manager.

PAGE

PAGE 17/19

PAGE 20

SAVE THE DATES

Come join us in 2023 at one or more of the following shows – More information here...

ITT Hub Commercial Vehicle Show Road Transport Expo Coach & Bus UK

WELCOME

To the first issue of our all-new CONNECTED magazine, which as the name suggests has been created as another way for us to connect, share our latest news, and provide technical and compliance advice. We will also be showcasing the work of our customers and for this launch issue we have turned the spotlight on Campeys of Selby who are investing significantly in alternative fuels.

The carbon zero agenda is one I’ve been following closely. I recently attended the launch of Freight Carbon Zero, and it was interesting to hear the UK’s largest operators debate the realities of achieving carbon zero, with some positive and ready to embrace the challenge, and others perhaps more realistic. While this doesn’t directly affect Aquarius at this moment, we know from talking to our customers how important it is, especially with even more Clean Air Zones being created in cities around the UK as well, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on the debate and sharing our insights in future issues.

Turning back to Aquarius, we are pleased to report that we have recorded one of our busiest years in 2022 and central to this success, we believe from talking to customers, has been our Asset Maintenance portal and how it automatically cross-references with our tachograph analysis software, Driver Defect App, Time & Attendance, and eSIGN technologies. More than 75% of our customers who joined us this year are now using the full capabilities of our software, which shows how the tide has turned.

COVID has definitely been the driver for more and more companies wanting to make their operations fully digital, and we are seeing a lot of operators as well, not only now turning from paper to digital but from digital to digital so they can have all driver and vehicle data on one platform.

This total-system approach is not only proving to be beneficial for compliance and safety – as well as for those seeking Earned Recognition – we are also seeing now how it is helping our customers run more efficiently, both financially and practically.

Looking ahead to 2023, we are excited to help even more customers, large and small, embrace the full capabilities of our software so they too can reap all the benefits – and with our new brand identity, we are looking forward to being able to demonstrate how our family of digital solutions provide a real ‘connected’ solution for processing, managing, analysing and reporting on all aspects of driver and vehicle data.

We hope you enjoy reading this first issue, and please get in touch if you’d like to be included in future issues or have any ideas for technical or compliance related features.

Mark Johnston Director

NEW BRAND

DRIVING INTO 2023 WITH A NEW BRAND IDENTITY AND LOGO

By Liz Haselden, Aquarius’s Marketing Manager

The new branding marked a major milestone in the company’s exciting journey. It will feature at the heart of our go-to-market strategy for 2023 and will underpin our ongoing commitment to delivering total system solutions that innovatively provide road transport operators with an efficient, smarter, and greener way of managing their compliance responsibilities, for both driver and vehicle data.

So why the change?

Since developing ClockWatcher 19 years ago when we became the first company to offer analysis software for both analogue and digital tacho data in a stand-alone package, our in-house team have continued to innovate, problem-solve and always be one step ahead of the technological – and legislative - curve.

We pride ourselves on listening to customers and creating real-life solutions, and this can be seen by the success of all our products over the last few years, like Asset Maintenance and Document Management – in particular how they all offer customers a reliable, focused and a truly integrated compliance and fleet management solution.

Moving forward, our new branding, which includes new digital icons for each of the products, will enable us to visually illustrate our evolvement across all marketing and business platforms.

This will help us to show how our family of digital solutions provide a real ‘connected’ solution for processing, managing, analysing and reporting on all aspects of driver and vehicle data.

In line with the new branding, we also launched a new website which showcases our full portfolio of digital solutions, including Tachograph Analysis (Elite), Asset Maintenance, Vehicle Defects, Remote Downloading, Driver Debriefs, eSIGN, POD, employee’s Time and Attendance, Licence Checking, plus lots more, including the latest electronic Document Management system and Aquarius App.

Last October, we celebrated our 18th anniversary by unveiling a new brand identity and logo, which we had designed to reflect our digital evolution as a company and our distinct position for offering forward-thinking fleet compliance and data management systems for the road transport industry. ”

To mirror this marketing re-brand, the software has also followed suit with a new look from log in to reporting. We’ve streamlined the navigation, upgraded the help section and made several advancements to the overall running of the system.

Ultimately, over the last 19 years, as a team, we have focused our expertise on creating a range of reliable technology solutions that enable operators to easily monitor, cross-reference and manage all areas of fleet management data relating to vehicle and driver activity. This total-system approach has proved to not only be beneficial for compliance and safety; it has helped road transport businesses all across the UK and Ireland run more efficiently – both financially and practically.

And now, with an even greater noticeable shift in more and more operators, large and small, wanting integrated fleet management technologies to replace current paper or standalone digital systems, we are looking forward to helping them transform how they manage, communicate, connect and report on all areas of vehicle and driver compliance in 2023 – and hopefully our new branding will help guide them that little bit easier.

Mark Johnston, Aquarius IT’s Director, said: “We are pleased that our new brand identity and logo retains a colourful link with our history, but more so that it serves to represent the Aquarius of today and how far we have come in leading technological innovation over the last 19 years with our solutions-led fleet compliance and Earned Recognition approved management systems.”

Guy Reynolds, who co-founded Aquarius IT in 2004 with Dave Bailey, added: “As a company, we have seen considerable growth over the last 19 years, and we are proud of our success and our continued commitment to helping road transport operators embrace all the developments in digital technology.”

“We have all been on a digital journey, especially over the last few years, which is why the new branding comes at an important time. It solidifies our position and gives us the visual tools and processes to be able to show our progression as an IT company and our mission for the future.”

IT’S A GLITCH

Since October you may have seen us talking in the press, warning UK transport operators about a serious technical glitch that has been uncovered when remote downloading from some GEN2 tachographs. And, the purpose behind this warning is for us to help operators understand that this is not an analysis software issue, and for them to know how to ‘work around’ the problem until a fix is found.

Talking to Motor Transport magazine, Guy Reynolds, Aquarius IT’s Director explained that the issue seems to occur when the tachograph tries to authenticate remotely with an expired company card that has been left in a card reader at a company/customer site or a hosting rack of a remote download service provider. If the system then tries to initiate a download using the expired company card, it results in the tachograph becoming incapable of remote downloading with a valid company card thereafter.

There is no obvious way to reset it, leaving operators only able to manually download data from the front panel.

So, what is happening? Our experience and testing have shown that if the company card is left in the rack after its expiry date with or without a new GEN2 card, and the tachograph tries

The same situation also applies in the following, more common-place, case scenario:

1. A GEN1 card is in the hosting rack and is due to expire on 31st July for example. To ensure continuity a GEN2 card dated from 1st August is placed in the rack alongside the GEN1 card, on and around the 31st July. This is a standard remote downloading practice to ensure no scheduled downloads are missed.

2. On 1st August, the tachograph authenticates with the GEN2 card – all is good.

3. On 2nd August, the tachograph then defaults to try and automatically authenticate with the now out of date GEN1 card. Instead of rejecting the card, it locks up and refuses to remote download ever again.

The result for operators is:

• The tachograph is now rendered permanently unusable for remote downloading

• There is potential for missed hours

• They will have to revert back to manually downloading the vehicles and manage the logistically challenging and costly process this will create.

to authenticate it, the system will fail and it will become incapable of remote downloading – even if you try to use a new valid company card thereafter.

At this-stage, it appears to only affect certain GEN2 tachographs dating from June 2019 onwards, which is why the problem has surfaced more and more, as the first company cards to be used in a GEN2 tachograph are now expiring.

Guy has confirmed that there are many unanswered questions as to why and how this is happening, but there are rumours circulating that a resolution is imminent, but whether this is days or months, no one knows at this stage.

In the meantime, Guy advises that although there might be minor continuity issues, the safest way forward is to remove the old company card the day before the last day of the month, i.e., if the last day is the 31st, remove it at some point on the 30th, and replace it with new company card, which will start working from the 1st of the month.

There may be a few vehicles that may not download on the last day of the month, but they will catchup in the coming days; and it’s a small price to pay until the root of the problem, and a solution is found.

He also added that this problem appears to be specific to the UK, but that’s not to say it isn’t happening in other countries.

NETWORKING AT EURO BUS EXPO

The last show for us in 2022 was Euro Bus Expo and after four years away it was really good to be back at the bi-annual event held in NEC. One of the highlights was meeting the new Minister for Buses and Coaches, Richard Holden, who came on to our stand to learn more about our products and services, and how we assist the road transport industry. It was also good to hear from Richard Turfitt, Senior Traffic Commissioner, and catch up with industry colleagues and customers.

During the show, the prestigious Route One awards also took place and Oxford Buses, one of our customers, won Outstanding Customer Experience Award – congratulations!

We are looking forward to getting back out on the road again in 2023, and we’ll be at the Commercial Vehicle Show, ITT Hub, Road Transport Expo and Coach Bus – for a round up of what each show offers, read Liz’s blog here

APPRENTICE OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to Adam Jones, our Level 4 Software Development Apprenticeship who recently won TDM’s Apprentice of the Month Award.

OUT OUT - CELEBRATING THE INDUSTRY

On the subject of awards, the team recently got suited and booted for two of the most prestigious events in the 2022 road transport calendar.

It was a fantastic night of celebrations at the 2022 Motor Transport Awards, which culminated in us presenting the Service to Industry award to William Stobart. We’d also like to give a special mention to one of our customers, JPE Holdings, who won the Operational Excellence Award.

JPE Aggregates is an exemplary operator and as a team, we are super excited that they have won this coveted award – and we are super proud of the role we played in helping them achieve their Earned Recognition status.

Then it was on to Belfast for the Export and Freight awards, and in partnership with Cubo, Guy Reynolds presented the Fleet Truck of the Year award to DAF Trucks UK.

Adam’s nomination came from his Apprenticeship coach, Nathan, who was keen to express and recognise Adam’s growth and continued development in his Apprenticeship with us in our Birmingham office. Nathan said: “Adam is exceeding expectations in his apprenticeship with Aquarius, both in his technical knowledge and professional behaviour. Due to this, he has been given a new role within the company that is focused on advising how new government legislation will practically affect current projects.”

HAIRY TIMES, RAISING MONEY FOR MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH

For Movember, Marc Caplin and Lloyd Jones (from our Warrington office) smashed their fundraising target and raised more than £500 in aid of research into male-related cancers and suicide prevention. As you can see from the photo, Marc, who organised the staff fundraiser, grew his version of a Ned Flanders tash!! Liz Haselden also joined the fundraiser by running 60k throughout the month of November, with Erin Jones and Connor Haslam also walking their way through the month. Aquarius has since matched the total raised, meaning more than £1000 will be donated to Movember.

TAKING A SHOT

In 2022, we were delighted to sponsor Lloyd Jones, who works in our Technical Support team, in support of his role as a volunteer for the England Amputee Football Association, who’s senior team competed in the World Cup last September.

Since 2017, Lloyd has been volunteering as the England Amputee Football Association’s official photographer, travelling the world to capture the team in action. This has included travelling with the senior team to the Euros X2 (Istanbul 2017 and Krakow 2021) and the World Cup (Mexico 2018), as well as other tournaments and the many training camps in between. His latest adventure was at the World Cup in Turkey, where he celebrated England coming ninth in the world, and he writes in his latest blog that he had an amazing experience with the team. He said: “Being able to photograph in Fenerbache’s stadium and also being able to witness the final in Galatasaray’s stadium with over 20,000 fans is something I could have only dreamt of.”

First, to set the scene, Subir asks for a little bit of background information on Campeys.

Campeys of Selby is a fourth-generation, family-run business that is based in Selby, North Yorkshire. The company first started in the 1940s and was taken over by the current generation of Campeys in 2005 - throughout our focus has always been on meeting the individual needs of our customers.

Since

Services include general haulage, palletised deliveries, warehousing, and specialised glass transportation. We are

one of a few UK hauliers that specialises in glass delivery – it’s a niche, high risk service, and we have outstanding KPIs. We are also a member of Palletforce and in their 100% club.

Turning to Aquarius...

Not for us, we actually flourished during the pandemic with sales more than doubling – this was largely organic growth which is a testament to our customer-centric approach.

In support of this growth and our customer’s growth, we, therefore, had to adapt quickly; we purchased outright another 50 new and used vehicles, created more employment opportunities, and invested in Aquarius’s digital technologies to help us manage this growth and our compliance requirements.

Specifically on tacho analysis, what were your motivations for going digital?

Before ClockWatcher Elite we used a paper-based system, which as you can imagine was very time-consuming - it would take two people two days a week to manage all the administration involved. And then as the business grew and we took on more and more drivers, the burden further increased and we started to struggle to keep up with the admin.

We wanted everything to be quicker, with less admin, and to be more environmentally friendly, which could only be achieved by investing in digital tacho analysis software.

Plus, during the pandemic with social distancing rules, going digital was the sensible choice, which is why alongside ClockWatcher we also invested in e-SIGN, the software’s integral Driver De-brief system. In addition, you also helped us plug our third-party Remote Downloading system into ClockWatcher Elite directly so that the data is transmitted automatically.

Have you achieved this with ClockWatcher Elite?

Yes, 100%, and we are proud to say we maintain the highest operational standards. At our latest DVSA Audit we achieved top scores across the board for compliance with an overall rating of 1 ‘Mostly Satisfactory’. We have a double-green OCRS (with no prosecutions or public inquiries). We have also been FORS silver accredited for 5 years – this forms part of our commitment to continue improvements in compliance and operate to the highest standards, which ClockWatcher Elite helps us do.

Since onboarding with ClockWatcher Elite we have also significantly reduced our paper carbon footprint with a 90% reduction in stationary costs. And the member of staff who was dedicating two days a week to managing the tachos is now down to one day and has been successfully deployed to work in other areas of the business.

Was it a risky strategy to think about changing / investing in new digital technologies during a pandemic?

Moving on to January 2021, you then took on Asset Maintenance, Driver Defect Reporting, Document Manager, and Time & Attendance – the full works. Can you explain?

It’s very simple really, ClockWatcher Elite was running like clockwork (no pun intended) and the support and service that we were receiving from Aquarius was excellent. The natural next step, was to have one all-encompassing digital system that would power all the different facets of our transport operation. We wanted everything to integrate, and be seamless and we wanted one account manager and one company to call.

What was the reaction from your drivers?

It was important for us that they bought into the system and wasn’t overwhelmed with all the technology changes. So, with Document Manager, the Defect App, T&A, Infringements all built into the same App for ease of use, we were able to make the changes progressively which meant as we turned on new features, the drivers were already familiar with the functionality and how it all worked. This also meant, we didn’t have drivers calling us all the time to ask for support – they’d grown accustomed to the App and were able to use and navigate around it easily.

””ClockWatcher Elite was running like clockwork (no pun intended) and the support and service that we were receiving from Aquarius IT was excellent.

With so many products to discuss, can you give us just one top-line benefit you’ve derived from each of these portals?

Time & Attendance – all our timesheets are now automated digitally. At the touch of a button, we can quickly and clearly track start and finish times, and being all in one system we can easily compare with the tacho data for greater transparency. The overlay of the drivers working hours to the tacho hours really is the most useful feature and saves countless hours per week.

Payroll Integration – this is connected to Time & Attendance, but it’s very much worth mentioning how you custom-built us a system that separates hours and pay grades and processes driver’s expenses online. We’ve gone from two days of work to one morning, and our drivers are happy with the fact that we can react more quickly. As a family-run company staff welfare is very important to us.

Document Manager – two words efficiency and eco-friendly. We have broadcast and had more than 10,000 documents acknowledged via this system, which would have originally been paper-based and time-consuming to follow up with individual drivers. Its transformed how we communicate.

Driver Defect Reporting - again this was originally done manually, and was a time-consuming process and could take up to a week for minor faults to be reported. We now have instant reporting, so for example, if a driver reports a chip in the windscreen, we get notified instantly and we can get it fixed before it turns into a crack and an expensive windscreen replacement job with a VOR – saving us time and money.

Asset Maintenance – we did already use software to manage our maintenance requirements, but we wanted everything to integrate which is why we moved wholesale over to Aquarius. For this one though we need to go into a bit more detail.

How are you finding Asset Maintenance?

The biggest, most significant difference is the system’s cross-integration with the Driver Defect App, and as a result, we’ve significantly reduced VOR days. We also use the automated planner for maintenance scheduling and MOT dates, which links with our third-party and external workshops for 360° integration. At the last count, over the last 12 months, we have completed more than 1000 PMIs. Plus, the system is easy to use; we’ve found there are fewer clicks to get to the information you need, which again reduces admin time.

So, what’s next for Campeys?

Digital wise I think we are almost there and we are very happy with the results. As a company, which going digital forms an integral part of, it is our ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.

Alongside working with Aquarius, we have also made significant investments over the last two years into alternative fuels, resulting in 10% of our fleet now fully operating on non-fossil fuel and bio-methane by the end of 2022.

We believe this is unprecedented for a family haulier who owns all its vehicles, and that we are leading by example. The figure would indeed also be higher if the truck manufacturers over the last 12 months had not faced production delays.

Moving forward, in terms of our environmental strategy, we have set-out a five-year plan to reduce our carbon emissions, and will continue to keep reinvesting in alternative fuels – by 2027 we aim to be running 50-75% of our fleet on alternative energies.

This strong commitment to advancing the environmental agenda in transport in the independent haulier sector, is one we think that sets us apart.

In the News

Following on from this interview, we also spotted in Commercial Motor in December that Campeys have purchased 19 New Generation DAF XG 450 FTG 6x2 mid-lift tractor units. The new arrivals, the first of which went on the road in mid-October, are returning an average fuel economy of more than 11mpg.

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The system, which has successfully been providing transport companies with a quick and efficient way for digitally broadcasting internal documents since 2019 - in line with FORS customer recommendations and the DVLA’s expectations for reviewing and periodically updating key company policies – has evolved to provide greater two-way electronic communication between the administrator and the driver / employee.

This follows customer feedback for enhanced interaction when sending, en masse or as a tailored circulation, company memos, policy updates, training materials, time sheets, expense claims and recruitment forms for example.

So, what’s new:

• Users have the ability to create interactive documents, which enables employee signatures and declarations to be captured, or for free type fields to be created.

• Employees are able to input an image into a document, for example an image of stock stored in a vehicle, or a driving licence or car hire documentation to provide evidence of validity.

• When an employee responds to a document or request, there is now a new section that allows the ‘distributor’ to take a more in-depth look at the documents and reply with specific answers.

We’ve turned Document Management up a notch technically to give users even greater interactivity and flexibility.

This new way of interacting, further supports the way administrators can tailor document distribution to specific groups of employees via their smartphones, tablets or PCs.

In summary, for customers wanting to expand the range of employee documents they can broadcast, we have turned our ‘filing cabinet in the cloud’ up a notch technically to give users even greater interactivity and flexibility when communicating, and exchanging important documentation with staff. It also provides a digital audit trail that promotes best and safe practice in relation to health and safety, staff training and compliance reporting.

In 2022, we released an evolved, more interactive version of our Document Management System, and here Mark Johnston, shines a light on what changes have been made.

The

DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT HAS BEEN A GAME CHANGER FOR BM TRANSPORT

One of the first early adopters of the system was BM Transport, and Shauna Lennon, the company’s office operations manager recently said:

“Document Management has been a game changer for our compliance department in terms of time management; no more lists to see who has completed/ seen a document. It’s clear and concise which is exactly what the staff and employees need. Its user-friendly interface means our staff are more inclined to use it. We couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Its reliable and effective- exactly what every company needs!”

Document Manager also supports our core proposition of providing integrated, digitally-advanced solutions that help operators who need to efficiently manage all areas of driver and vehicle compliance.

system can be supplied as part of an Aquarius subscription package, or used solely in conjunction with our Driver Walk-Around App, or it can be supplied as a separate stand-alone software solution.

VIEWPOINTS

By Subir Gupta, our National Account Manager

If you think this statement is true, I will try and change your mind and advise that the best way forward IS with a software demo initially, as evidenced by an upsurge in requests over recent months.

Even with the world’s most user-friendly software, to truly understand its value to your business, the IT supplier needs to know why you are looking to invest in a brand-new system, or thinking of changing providers.

As a transport operator for example, you might be wanting to reduce admin, reduce time, increase efficiencies or all the above and more. Being armed with this knowledge, means we can then use our experience to guide and help you achieve your goal (s).

Even a quick 15-minute software demo prior to going down the trial route will help. Your data can then be applied into a full live environment, and with training you’ll be able to see first-hand how it would work in your operation. This way too, you get the full customer service experience and a feel for

the type of support your potential new software provider can provide.

Changes in process for a business is always challenging whether it be from a paper-based system to a digital, or as we are increasingly seeing in the market digital to digital. With the additional benefit of the demonstration, you can quickly assess if it will potentially meet your requirements.

So, if you are considering changing your software provider take the time to have a look and have a demo first.

Some might call this ‘sales’ and I would agree, but principally it is us as a support-led business showing you potential tools and methods that could help you achieve your target (s) sooner. Yes, we’d like the ‘sale’, but foremost any reputable software company will want you to be a happy customer.

SOFTWARE DEMOS ARE A WASTE OF TIME, LETS JUST DO A TRIAL!

MAKE REMOTE TACHOGRAPH DOWNLOADING WORK FOR YOU!

Remote downloading is designed to make the process of managing tachograph data easier (and to make your life easier), so there should be no reason for it be a source of frustration.

Everything should work as planned, and especially given the amount of time, money and resources that will have been invested in embedding the system.

However, we are increasingly coming across companies who have been ‘sold’ a solution, only to discover that they are not getting what they wanted.

So, if you are frustrated with your system, or are looking to implement remote downloading, how should you go about selecting your chosen solution?

Here are my top 10 tips to help ensure you are satisfied…

Your supplier should conduct a full check on tachograph compatibility. This includes checking the tachograph part number, and whether updates are required to the tachograph head via a calibration station or update card. No one likes hidden costs!

Make sure the download units can be updated remotely. Save revisiting the vehicle unnecessarily!

that the units can conduct full vehicle data downloads and not just a restricted ‘last x days’. Be comprehensive!

Ask whether your provider can host your Company Card or to clearly explain your responsibilities if you are hosting it.

Ensure that you or the provider can ‘force’ and ‘schedule’ downloads. Maintain control!

Check how frequently the driver card and vehicle data will be downloaded. Remember that this technology allows more information to the user if data can be supplied more often. Have flexibility!

Be aware of the cost of downloads – especially if travelling outside the EU.

Check if your remote download solution can offer a ‘live’ tachograph feed on compatible vehicles. Have daily information at your fingertips!

Ensure that the downloads can be seamlessly synchronised with your tachograph analysis provider. But, if not, be aware of the administration process required to load the files into your incumbent supplier software. Never miss a file!

Before you sign on the dotted line, ask for testimonials from the supplier, so that you can be assured they have the right credentials.

We have extensive experience with remote downloading across all sizes of companies operating both here in the UK and Europe, so if you would like to talk through your options, get in touch.

TALKING COMPLIANCE

UNACCOUNTED MILEAGE MISSING MILEAGE WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

With Marc Caplin, our Compliance Advisor

When it comes to vehicle data downloaded from a digital tachograph, there are some keys things that operators need to actively monitor. These include vehicle over-speeds, unaccounted vehicle movements (where the vehicle has been driven with no driver card used), and missing mileage.

In the days of analogue, missing mileage had to be investigated by an operator manually leafing through reams of paper charts, carefully comparing start and end odometer readings. The introduction of digital tachographs in 2006, thankfully, changed all that and, with the aid of the appropriate software, the process of analysing a vehicle’s missing mileage became a lot easier.

But let’s pause for a moment, because although developments in technology may have converted scruffily scribbled odo readings written on old paper charts into a stream of 1s and 0s, there are a few things that an operator needs to consider when dealing with missing mileage.

Firstly, what do we mean by “missing mileage”?

In the “good old days”, if there was a difference between the end odo reading of one chart with the start odo reading of the next one along, chances are the vehicle had been moved without a chart in. Nowadays, when we refer to “missing mileage”, the details of which are usually presented by an operator’s tachograph analysis software, the situation is not always so clear-cut. When dealing with digital tachographs, there is a clear distinction to be made between mileage that is unaccounted for through vehicle usage and data that is actually missing from your tachograph analysis system.

Unaccounted mileage

Let’s examine each scenario in turn, starting with the more conventional mileage that has been accumulated through vehicle usage. We should more correctly term this type of data as “unaccounted mileage”.

Dates to Note:

• The DVSA trialling remote tachograph sensing equipment (RTSE) at the roadside is set to continue until April 2023

• June 2023 – Gen 2.2 will be introduced featuring automated mapping

• December 2024 – The end of analogue for vehicles travelling across Europe.

Here I will discuss how unaccounted mileage differs from missing mileage, and why in either instance, it’s the operator’s responsibility to ensure that all data is downloaded.

As a rule of thumb, anything more than 5km should be investigated but some operators will err on the side of caution and investigate anything over 3km

1Perhaps the vehicle has been moved for a short distance a round an operator’s yard or other private premises. These short periods of unaccounted mileage of perhaps one or two kms can be easily cross-referenced as they will usually be accompanied by similarly short periods of unaccounted vehicle movement which have been recorded on the tachograph memory. In addition to the vehicle’s odometer readings, the tachograph will record the amount of time that the vehicle has been driven with no card inserted which will marry up with any unaccounted mileage. We are very often asked what an acceptable single instance of unaccounted mileage is deemed to be in this scenario and the answer can vary depending on who you ask. As a rule of thumb, anything more than 5km should be investigated but some operators will err on the side of caution and investigate anything over 3km. Many operators will assume that anything less than this must be yard shunting or other similar activity but sometimes assumptions can carry an element of risk!

2Alternatively, unaccounted mileage may be recorded due to a vehicle being driven without a driver card quite legitimately for up to 15 days if a driver is awaiting a replacement card due to their original being lost or stolen or has developed a malfunction. In this scenario, the guidance is very clear – the driver should generate a vehicle printout at the start of their duty period and one at the end, both of which should carry the driver’s personal details on the back. These should then be treated like any other tachograph record and carried with the driver for 28 days and handed in to the operator accordingly. This unaccounted mileage, of which there would be a considerable amount, can then be viewed within your tachograph analysis software and, in most cases, can be supplemented with explanatory notes and copies of any relevant printouts.

3A third cause of unaccounted mileage may be caused by workshop activity; a vehicle may have been moved by a mechanic as part of routine maintenance. In our experience, some mechanics and fitters use driver cards and some do not. These types of occurrences can be easily accounted for using maintenance records with notes added to your analysis system.

4Lastly, and let’s face it the real reason enforcement authorities ask operators to analyse this information in the first place, unaccounted mileage can be caused by drivers using their cards “creatively”. It is a source of constant amazement to us that, despite all the technology fitted to modern vehicles, some drivers still seem to think they can disappear into thin air simply by removing their driver card. Despite operators’ best efforts, nestling in the bowels of their analysis software there will often be an instance of a driver pulling the card out in an effort to get back to base when they have run out of time, or to generally swerve some sort of infringement. This sort of activity is actually quite easy to detect as it will not only create a variance in odometer readings, it will also generate a clear instance of unaccounted vehicle movement expressed as a period of time. Some systems, such as our own ClockWatcher Elite, will display this information graphically making it easier for operators to investigate; others will produce this data in the form of unaccounted mileage and unaccounted vehicle movement reports which can then be cross-referenced. Either way, the data is there – it is down to the operator to check, if found, debrief these types of occurrences appropriately.

So, there are some instances where unaccounted mileage might occur – let’s look at mileage information that is actually missing.

Missing mileage

I could, at this stage, disappear down a technical rabbit hole and go into great detail about which part of the vehicle file is used to calculate unaccounted mileage (don’t worry, I won’t) but in short, unaccounted mileage is calculated by lining up successive vehicle files and looking at insertion and ejection records therein.

TALKING COMPLIANCE

In addition to the more conventional reasons, we have looked at above, sometimes vehicle data can actually be missing from an operator’s analysis software. It is not uncommon in cases where a missing vehicle record which spans a number of weeks for unaccounted mileage records to be several thousand kms. This is because an analysis system is trying to compare the last ejection record contained within a vehicle file with the insertion record of the next one along which may have arrived several months later. Vehicle data can go missing for several reasons.

The most basic reason is that data has not been downloaded in time; perhaps the operator has left it too long between downloads and the configuration of their chosen download device does not look back far enough in time. This is not something we routinely come across as most operators we speak to will download their vehicles monthly in line with current advice from Traffic Commissioners. In any event, most download devices will have a full download facility which will look back across a longer period which should fill in any gaps.

Data gaps are not confined to manual download methods, however; sometimes operators that use remote download technology may also experience disruption to their data from time to time. Although they save huge amounts of time and manpower, automated systems should not be taken for granted. Operators should run unaccounted mileage reports regularly to detect conventional instances of unaccounted mileage, but also to detect any technical issues which, if found, should be reported to their download provider.

Very occasionally, unaccounted kms can also be generated due to an error within the data itself. For example, if your analysis system receives a vehicle file which does not contain the relevant parts of the record needed to compare odometer readings the system may produce an unexpected unaccounted mileage result. As these anomalies can often originate from within the tachograph, it would usually involve more in-depth investigation to determine the cause.

In our experience as analysis providers, one of the first things we check for when presented with one of these “gaps”

in data is the status of the vehicle’s Company Card lock. Issues surrounding Company Cards are probably worthy of their own article but, in brief, if a vehicle has been temporarily locked in to the incorrect Company Card for a period and is then locked back in using the correct one, there will be a gap in the data that can only be accessed by carrying out a download using the “wrong” card. A legitimate example of this could be:

• Vehicle is locked in by the original operator using CARD A.

• At a later point, the vehicle is hired out to another operator who uses CARD B.

• The vehicle is returned to the original operator who locks it back in again using CARD A.

The operator will not be able to access the period locked in under CARD B, creating a gap in data that can sometimes be represented by tens of thousands of unaccounted kms.

This can also happen inadvertently, especially in larger operations with multiple sites; a vehicle may be sent to the nearest depot for download but, as the organisation’s Company Cards might be registered to individual operating centre with different Company Card numbers, all that happens on arrival at a different operating centre is that previous data is locked out. Some analysis systems will allow examination of the Company Card lock status which can be useful in this scenario.

What is clear is that, regardless of the cause of an operator’s unaccounted mileage, there is the expectation that operators should be scrutinising this information and clamping down on areas such as unaccounted vehicle usage and drivers removing cards when they shouldn’t. It is also worth bearing in mind the above scenarios where data is actually missing as it’s an operator’s responsibility to ensure that all data is downloaded, so the relevant steps should be taken to resolve any technical issues.

CUSTOMER TALK

FOX GROUP TORQUE ELECTRIC TIPPERS

We’ve been enjoying listening to Commercial Motor’s latest Torquing Trucks podcast, and was particularly interested to hear Paul Fox, the CEO of Fox Group, talk about how his electric tippers are performing. In the interview he said he is happy and ordering more, but it has been a steep learning curve, with a few charging issues – and the difference between anticipated and the actual range is significant.

Listen here

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Congratulations to L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage Ltd, who won the 2022 London Construction Award for Diversity and Inclusion. This award recognises industry-leading performance, showcasing organisations that are championing diversity and inclusion within the construction industry.

Speaking on social media, Lynch said they are committed to promoting equality and valuing diversity in an inclusive and supportive environment for their people.

RUN AWAY ACHIEVEMENT

Well done to Dave Collett, owner of Collett and Sons Ltd, who recently ran 1,000 miles from Lands’ End to John O’Groats in aid of Overgate Hospice in Elland. Dave ran 100 miles per week for 10 weeks and raised an incredible £15,300 for the hospice – and his story about why he took on the challenge was featured in the national press.

AWARD WINNING PUBLIC SERVICES

Congratulations to Nottingham City Council for winning the Public Services Operator of the Year award at the recent Logistics UK Awards – huge honour and well deserved.

DRIVING AID TO ROMANIA

In December, we were proud to support BM Transport with their Humanitarian Aid Trip to Romania. On the trip they had five fully loaded trailers, filled with essential items for those less fortunate.

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