Tachograph download service Tachomaster is officially 15 years old, and Road Tech has marked the occasion by celebrating the “revolutionary” impact the technology has had on transport – as well as revealing new features that have been introduced.
Since its launch in 2006 with the advent of digital tachographs, Tachomaster has analysed over 240 million driver cards, charts and vehicle downloads. The result is that Tachomaster has helped its customers manage and improve compliance, reduce infringements and control drivers more effectively.
Recent new features were demonstrated at a virtual press event on 27 May. Road Tech says it hopes it will demonstrate how Tachomaster is still “at the forefront of digital tachograph analysis”.
Those new features include improvements to its Download Optimisation Technology (DOT), originally launched in May 2019; new app facilities which enable its installation; a new training module; and improvements to a driver compliance infringement dashboard.
Road Tech’s Driver Compliance Reporting System, which provides a way to manage driver performance and features a configurable procedures feature using a score-based system, has been improved. That includes more flexibility in how driver compliance is managed, “level locking”, and the introduction of management by days, weeks and months, where previously it had been limited to months.
“COVID-19 has allowed us to really home in on some good product development. We’ve been able to work as normal and do some smart fixes and changes,” says Road Tech Director Adrian Barrett.
Another new feature is the Training Plus system. “A lot of the companies we dealt with said they are happy with what we do with training. We have had a training system for quite a while – however a few of our customers are wanting more.”
Now, Road Tech provides better visibility of CPC and other types of training. The new system will allow mitigation against specific training against the risk system, monitor CPC cycles, increase driver knowledge and use booking wizards to find courses relevant to driver needs, and set up training profiles for driver types.
“What this allows users to do is have their own training system,” says Mr Barrett. “You can see what level each driver is. You can set up a profile against each individual driver which then enables you to show against that driver what their training record has got, so you can view that record and against each part of their training history you can upload supporting files.”
Tachomaster customers have long been keen on a portal where all driver details are available in one place – that includes risk profiling, licence checking and training records. As such, a place to record everything relating to driver management has been “a godsend” for some in the transport space.
Operators have three options when it comes to the installation of DOT. An option to install DOT with Falcon (Road Tech’s real time telematics system) into any vehicle. Option two includes DOT with Falcon plus remote downloads for vehicles fitted with a tachograph unit. If the vehicle has a DOT unit and a tachograph unit it will remotely download tachographs. “The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) positions of a DOT unit are second to none,” says Mr Barrett. “You can see what side of a road a driver is using and which way around a roundabout they go. We haven’t seen accuracy like it as yet.”
Option three includes Falcon DOT tracker, GNSS positions, remote downloads, and advanced telematics, which give the ability to see MPG, severe braking, and harsh acceleration.
Mr Barrett is keen to stress that development will continue to respond to user needs. That, hopefully, has been evident during the pandemic.
“It’s been one of the most exciting things that I’ve ever been involved with,” says Mr Barrett. “It hasn’t ever stopped, and that’s the beauty of it. It’s constantly evolving and we’re always changing, so it’s not just about the present and the past – it’s about the future and the future is the most important part of this.”
