AUMOVIO celebrates 20 years of the digital tachograph: from control device to data hub in freight transport

The development of the digital tachograph is part of a history of more than a hundred years. VDO has continuously driven this development from the first mechanical tachographs to today's digital and connected systems – always interacting with regulation, technology and practical requirements in everyday transport. Since its introduction in 2006, the DTCO has been gradually developed into a highly integrated system by VDO’s development department based in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. The focus was on two aspects: enabling reliable compliance with legal requirements and increasing support for drivers and fleet operators in their operational business.

One example of this is the so-called VDO counter. This function continuously calculates the remaining driving and rest times based on the recorded data and shows them in the tachograph's display. The tachograph is thus transformed from a pure recording device into an assistance system that makes the complex legal regulations understandable and directly applicable. At the same time, the security of the system has been continuously increased. Modern tachographs use intelligent sensor technology as well as additional, independent signal sources. These include, among other things, a second movement signal via satellite-based positioning data. The DTCO 4.1a was already the first industrial application ever in Europe to use OSNMA (Open Service Navigation Message Authentication) authentication for the position data of the European navigation system Galileo. On the one hand, this increases the reliability of the collected data. On the other hand, manipulation attempts can be made much more difficult and better detected. The control options for authorities have also been developed further. DSRC technology (Dedicated Short Range Communication) can be used to read certain vehicle data as you drive by. This enables more targeted checks and reduces unnecessary stops in ongoing traffic.

The next phase has begun with the introduction of the DTCO 4.1 smart tachograph in 2023. The current legal requirements, in particular the ones stemming from the EU Mobility Package I, significantly expand the requirements for the system. Today, for example, the tachograph automatically stores border crossings, thereby supporting the documentation of cabotage journeys, i.e. domestic transports that are carried out by foreign companies without a branch or location in the respective country and that are only permitted in limited numbers. It also facilitates tracking of driver postings: drivers are entitled to the applicable minimum wage of the country in which they carry out transport journeys. In addition, the regulations are intended to ensure that drivers and vehicles return to their home country in prescribed cycles.  

Technologies such as satellite-based positioning and secure data transmission further increase transparency and control options. At the same time, the importance of connectivity is growing. Vehicles, infrastructure and authorities are increasingly interconnected. The tachograph has a central function as a data source.

In parallel to regulatory and technological developments, the role of the tachograph has also changed fundamentally. Today, the data recorded in the tachograph is much more than proof of compliance with legal regulations. They form the basis for digital applications that noticeably change the everyday work of fleet operators – from automated compliance to more efficient dispatching of vehicles and drivers. The connectivity of the tachograph with digital services via standardized interfaces plays a central role here. With solutions such as the VDO Fleet platform, companies can evaluate tachograph and vehicle data, automate processes and efficiently organize mandatory tasks such as downloading mass storage and driver card data.

In addition, the VDO Link as a plug & play telematics solution enables easy access to this data – even without a permanently installed telematics infrastructure. The device is plugged directly into the front interface of the tachograph and transmits the relevant information in real time to cloud-based applications. This particularly enables small and medium-sized fleets to quickly integrate their vehicles into digital workflows and gradually automate their processes. The VDO Link is also a simple, secure and retrofittable option for using tolling services in connection with the DTCO and DSRC antenna without having to install additional hardware in the vehicle.

Furthermore, the combination of reliable tachograph data and open interfaces creates the basis for additional applications. These include, for example, integration into third-party billing and management systems, the use of position data for scheduling processes or the linking with other digital services along the transport chain. "We no longer see our job as just translating regulatory requirements into practical technology. We want to offer fleet operators concrete solutions that make their everyday lives noticeably easier and give the logistics sector a push towards digitalization – all based on the reliable data from the tachograph," says Volkmar Knaup, head of Services Europe in the Commercial and Special Vehicles segment at AUMOVIO.

The role of the tachograph will continue to change in the future. With increasing integration into digital ecosystems, it is becoming a central building block for connected mobility. New applications are created where data from different sources is merged. These include automated workflows in fleet management, new approaches to toll collection and the optimization of logistical processes. At the same time, the regulatory framework is evolving.  

The extension of the tachograph requirement to light commercial vehicles in cross-border traffic from July 2026 shows that the system will continue to play a central role in European transport in the future. "The tachograph will continue to develop from a pure control device to a platform. In the future, its data will make an even greater contribution to making transport safer, more transparent and more efficient," says Volkmar Knaup.