Transport written question – answered at on 19 April 2006.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has made to inform UK lorry drivers of their obligation to work on Co-ordinated Universal Time when the new EU digital tachograph regulations come into force.
Universal Time Co-Ordinated (UTC) is the same as Greenwich Mean Time. All records made by a digital tachograph vehicle unit will be made against UTC, irrespective of the vehicle's country of origin or what country the vehicle is in. Drivers using vehicles equipped with digital tachographs need to understand that vehicle units record in UTC and the implications of this should be explained as part of the overall package of guidance and training available to industry from the tachograph manufacturers and other organisations. Vehicle units display both local time and UTC; guidance on how to set the vehicle unit display to local time is contained within the user handbooks provided by tachograph manufacturers and should normally be part of any training package aimed at drivers.
Both the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency have arranged seminars to help industry better understand the implications of digital tachographs, including UTC. In addition, VOSA's digital tachograph website—www.digitaltachograph.gov.uk—contains general information about digital tachographs.
Yes3 people think so
No1 person thinks not
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