Digital Tachograph Downloads
For any UK operator running vehicles fitted with a digital or smart tachograph, downloading the data is a legal duty, not housekeeping. The download itself is only the start. Once the file is off the vehicle unit or driver card it has to be analysed, any infringement has to be followed up with the driver, and the record has to be stored so it can be produced if DVSA asks.
Choose your route
Select the area that best matches your situation.
Digital Tachograph Downloads: frequency and legal duties
Two intervals sit at the centre of this duty. Vehicle unit data must be downloaded at least every 90 days. Driver card data must be downloaded at least every 28 days. These are legal maximums, not targets. Exceeding either one is an offence on its own, regardless of whether the underlying drivers’ hours were clean.
DVSA can read the last download date from the vehicle unit at the roadside, so a late file is visible without an examiner ever seeing your office. Most well-run operators work to a shorter internal cycle, often weekly for cards and monthly for vehicle units, so that a holiday, workshop visit or depot change cannot push a file past the legal limit.
An operator reads the vehicle unit using a company tachograph card, which locks that data to the business and authorises retrieval. Cards and units are read with a download tool, and the data must be stored in its original DDD format. Keep the raw file unchanged. Analysis software produces reports from it, but the original file is the evidence.
After the download: what operators must do with the data
A downloaded file collects information. It does not check anything. The compliance duty is to manage what the data shows, and that work belongs to a named person.
Read each file for excess driving, missed or short breaks, reduced daily and weekly rest, missing mileage between activities, card-not-present periods and any sign of tampering with the unit or its seal. Look for manual entries that do not match the rest of the record, and for vehicle movement with no card inserted.
Where an infringement appears, debrief the driver. Record the driver’s explanation, the date of the conversation, and the action agreed, whether that is coaching, a written warning or a route change. The signed debrief belongs with the relevant download file.
Andrew Logan, transport compliance specialist: “An infringement with a signed follow-up reads as a working system. The same infringement with no follow-up reads as a system that does not look at its own data.”
Setting up a compliant download system: what operators need in place
A compliant download routine needs three things: a timetable, a named person responsible for it, and a regular review. Set the download dates for every vehicle unit and every driver card, and keep that schedule in writing. Store the files securely and unchanged. Review the analysis output on a fixed cycle. Record each infringement and keep the driver debrief with the file.
Scale the method to the fleet. A two-vehicle operator may need only a download tool and a desktop analysis package. A larger fleet may use remote download, depot alerts, workshop calendars and a telematics dashboard. Whatever the method, build in the awkward cases: agency shifts, ferry and out-of-base work, replacement and hire vehicles, night trunks, and calibration visits.
Remote download can fail quietly: a unit stops sending data and nobody notices for weeks, so check that every vehicle has actually reported. Agency drivers usually hold their own card, and that card data can sit outside your analysis unless you arrange to capture it.
Use these linked guides when checking whether Digital Tachograph Downloads are managed properly.
Useful records and next steps
A download audit stands or falls on whether you can show what was downloaded, when, by whom, and what was done with it.
Driver card log: keep a full record of every card download with dates, and check those dates against the expected 28-day cycle.
Debrief notes: every breach should have a dated explanation from the driver and a recorded outcome, held on the same file as the download it relates to.
OCRS context: keep evidence of how any findings affected scoring or coaching action at the correct point in the audit folder.
Audit pack: keep the policy, coaching plan and evidence trail with each download file, so DVSA can review the operator response and not just a list of files.
Traffic Commissioner hearings: be ready to show this file trail if a route or vehicle is escalated for review.
Digital tachograph downloads: key obligations
The six download and analysis points DVSA tends to check first during a desk-based assessment: a written download schedule, current last-download dates, secure and unaltered file storage, analysis output that a named person has read, a dated debrief matched to each infringement, and a retention trail going back at least 12 months.
Vehicle unit: 90 days
Download each vehicle unit within the maximum interval. DVSA can read the last download date at the roadside, so a missed file is visible immediately.
Driver card: 28 days
Download every driver card at least every 28 days. Deal with overdue cards before further driving is authorised.
Approved equipment
Use equipment that reads the data correctly. Keep files in original, unmodified format, and do not let analysis tools alter the source record.
Analysis required
Analysis required means a complete review of the download file for infringements, missing records and signs of tampering. Keep that review evidence with the file so a file is only evidence when someone has acted on it.
12-month retention
Keep downloaded files and debrief records for at least 12 months. DVSA can ask for any period within this window.
Debrief and record
Debrief each infringement with the driver and record the outcome. Keep signed notes beside the downloaded data.
Latest Operator Licence Information
Current UK-wide operator licence figures pulled from the live weekly register.
Latest Operator Licence Information
Current UK-wide operator licence snapshot
Live weekly-register figures across mapped UK operator licence regions.
Need help setting up a compliant tachograph download process?
Operator Licence Ltd can help review this evidence, identify the gaps and connect you with the right specialist support for digital tachograph downloads. Our tachograph compliance review checks the download process, analysis output, infringement management and record retention, so weak points can be fixed before DVSA or a Traffic Commissioner asks for the file.
Driver hours rules, OCRS score and tachograph requirements.
Download compliance checklist
Check these points before DVSA asks for tachograph records. The file should show a controlled process, not a last-minute search for missing data.
Download schedule: keep a written schedule for every vehicle unit and driver card.
Last download dates: check each record, then deal with anything already overdue.
Data storage: keep files secure, unchanged and easy to retrieve.
Analysis output: make sure a named person reads the reports.
Debrief records: match each infringement to a dated debrief signed by the driver and reviewer.
Retention period: check that the oldest files go back at least 12 months and investigate any gap.
Tachograph download FAQs
How often must vehicle unit data be downloaded?
Vehicle unit data must be downloaded at least every 90 days. Many operators run a shorter internal cycle so holidays, maintenance downtime or depot changes do not push a file late.
How often must driver cards be downloaded?
Driver cards must be downloaded at least every 28 days. An occasional or agency driver still needs a card download within the legal interval if they drive in scope.
Is downloading enough on its own?
No. The operator must check the data for drivers’ hours breaches, missing manual entries, reduced rest and possible tampering. Where an infringement appears, keep the debrief and outcome with the record.
What should an operator do about a missing or failed download?
Treat it as a gap to close, not a file to ignore. Identify why the data is missing, record the cause, and bring the schedule back on track.
How long should tachograph files be kept?
Keep digital files and related debrief records for at least 12 months, retrievable quickly if DVSA or the Traffic Commissioner asks for evidence.
Related Compliance Guidance
Tachograph Requirements
Which vehicles need a tachograph, what type is required, and how Smart Tachograph 2 changes the rules for newly registered vehicles.
Covers:
Vehicle scope and weight thresholds
tachograph type by registration date
Smart Tachograph 2
Driver Hours Rules
Covers:
Daily and weekly driving limits
break and rest requirements
the limits tachograph analysis checks against
Infringement Management
Covers:
The driver debrief
records to keep
building a consistent approach
