Planning and controlling your drivers' driving times and rest periods is an absolute must in the road transport sector, as European regulations define strict limits in terms of working hours: maximum daily and weekly driving times, compulsory breaks, daily and weekly driver rest periods...
There's no room for error, and the penalties for both the company and the driver can be severe (loss of points, suspension of license). This can quickly turn into a headache, especially if it's still based on manual records or unsuitable tools.
A well-configured TMS (Transport Management System) can automate, manage and secure the control of driving times, by connecting directly to your vehicles' tachographs. The result: you reduce the risk of non-compliance with European regulations, while improving your operational performance!
Before talking about solutions, let's remind ourselves of the legal framework with which you must comply. European regulation CE 561/2006 lays down the transport rules concerning driving times applicable to HGV drivers:
The on-board digital tachograph records time continuously. If driving times are exceeded, or breaks not respected, the penalties can be high: fines of up to several thousand euros, and, for the driver, points deducted or license suspension.
Responsibility is shared between the transport company and the driver: the slightest breach can jeopardize the business and reputation of both parties.
Faced with this complexity of regulations, how can you ensure that you're always in compliance without spending hours on it? This is where a well-configured TMS can become your best ally on a daily basis.
Connecting a Transport Management System (TMS) to your vehicles enables you to fully automate the monitoring of driving and rest times. In concrete terms, the TMS communicates with the tachograph via an on-board telematics box.
All legal data is automatically transmitted from the vehicle to the software, without any manual input on your part. As soon as a driver finishes his day, the system imports his driving and rest data, and analyzes them in the light of current social regulations.
Even better: thanks to a predictive alert engine, the TMS can detect potential infringements of daily service time in advance. Operations managers receive automatic notifications when a driver is about to reach a limit, even before the legal threshold is crossed. For example, if a driver :
All dashboards and reports generated by the TMS comply with the regulatory format, and include all the indicators required by the authorities. At the click of a button, the software provides you with complete reports on each driver's driving hours, breaks, daily and weekly rest periods, all in compliance with European legislation and directives (EC regulation 561/2006).
Beyond compliance, the integration of the TMS with your other tools provides a real operational plus. The TMS synchronizes driving time data with your scheduling tools in real time: you can easily assign your drivers to routes, taking into account their remaining available hours. No more risk of assigning a route to a driver who has already done all his hours! The maximum driving time is therefore rarely exceeded.
Likewise, the software can automatically export the relevant information to the payroll department: calculation of hours worked, overtime, night time bonuses or allowances... everything is pre-calculated and made reliable, reducing bulletin errors.
In short, this interconnection of the TMS with your processes drastically reduces manual monitoring and reporting tasks, saving you time and improving reliability. Which is far from being its only advantage.
Automating driving time tracking with transport management software is more than just a regulatory compliance obligation. On the contrary, it is a real lever for productivity, performance and operational savings for transport companies.
Up to 70% reduction in manual tasks (data entry, invoicing, reporting) thanks to automated processing of tachograph data and recording of daily driving times. Fewer manual re-entries also mean fewer human errors and greater data reliability.
Logistics costs (transport costs) can be cut by 5-15% by optimizing routes, consolidating loads and reducing empty mileage. By way of example, the implementation of a high-performance TMS often makes it possible to select the most efficient routes and loads, resulting in measurable savings on the transport budget.
Features such as remote tachograph download can save up to two working days per vehicle per year just on automated data retrieval and archiving. These are hours that your teams can reallocate to higher value-added tasks, such as operational analysis or customer service.
An SME equipped with a TMS can increase its operational capacity by around 30% without hiring additional staff, simply by optimizing the use of its existing resources. In other words, thanks to efficiency gains (better planning, less waiting, less duplication), a small transport company can absorb more business volume with the same workforce - a rapid and tangible return on investment.
A TMS also delivers a return on investment in logistics. It is estimated that improved vehicle utilization coupled with optimized routing significantly reduces empty runs. By improving routing and avoiding empty returns, hauliers are seeing a reduction of around 20% in distances travelled without a load. Fewer unnecessary kilometers mean fuel savings and less wear and tear on trucks.
Better management of journey times and normal daily rest periods naturally leads to more punctual deliveries. By making planning and real-time monitoring more reliable, a TMS helps to reduce lead times and better respect delivery slots, which in turn reduces penalties for late deliveries and boosts customer satisfaction.
Last but not least, it also has an impact on the environment. By adopting eco-driving best practices (optimized speed, anticipation, etc.) and avoiding unnecessary detours, a transport company can reduce fuel consumption by 15-20%, which has a direct impact on pollutant emissions. This ecological gain goes hand in hand with financial savings on fuel, and contributes to the sector's sustainable development objectives.
The availability of consolidated, real-time data on driving and rest times within the TMS transport driving time framework encourages more intelligent, more humane management of your road fleet.
Thanks to the use of the connected tachograph, your TMS automatically collects data via the control device, guaranteeing full traceability of applicable conditions and each rest period resumption.
The TMS calculates the normal daily rest remaining before the maximum authorized rest period is exceeded, as well as the space available for reduced weekly rests. It also integrates break time obligations, notably an uninterrupted break or a break of at least 15 minutes after 4 hours 30 minutes of driving.
Leveraging these essential KPIs enables us to reallocate assignments with full knowledge of the facts, for example by assigning long tours to drivers who still have secure legal margins.
By rigorously respecting these driving and break times, you avoid exposing your teams to a heightened risk of road fatigue, subject to penalties when checked en route. Teams who control these parameters work in a calmer environment, in compliance with the regulations applicable to the transport of goods.
What's more, a fleet that suffers few or no penalties enjoys a better image with customers and the authorities. In short, automating the monitoring of driving times with a TMS not only optimizes operations. It creates a virtuous circle in which compliance, performance and team well-being go hand in hand.
Convinced of the benefits of automation? You still need to choose the right tool. Here are a few key features to help you choose the right TMS:
In short, opt for a dedicated transport TMS that ticks these boxes. You'll gain peace of mind about compliance, while having a comprehensive tool to manage your operations. We encourage you to take a look at our Sinari TMS to see which one suits your needs!
In addition to your choice of software, the way you use it on a day-to-day basis will make all the difference. Here are some recommended best practices for getting the most out of your TMS and embedding driver time automation in your processes.
By law, tachograph data must be downloaded at regular intervals: driver card data every 28 days minimum, and vehicle unit data every 90 days maximum. In practice, we strongly advise you to schedule a monthly automated download of tachograph data for each vehicle. This shorter import frequency guarantees seamless traceability, and avoids any risk of loss if the device's memory reaches saturation point.
In many companies, drivers may take turns on different trucks over the weeks. To remain accurate, your tracking must clearly distinguish each driver's activity. It's essential to be able to track time by individual driver card, while maintaining a view by vehicle.
Opt for a TMS that automatically associates each downloaded data file (.ddd) with the right driver profile. You'll be able to generate reliable reports per person, even if several drivers share the same truck, and have an exact view of everyone's hours over a precise period.
Files from tachographs contain personal information (driver identity, working hours...) which are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Complying with the legislation means first and foremost keeping this information only for as long as necessary. Set up a clear data retention policy: for example, automatic deletion or anonymization beyond 12 months, unless otherwise required by law.
Also, make sure that your TMS stores these files securely, protected from any alteration or falsification. In the event of an inspection by the authorities, you need to be able to provide the most recently downloaded tachograph files. Structured, secure storage will help you do just that, while guaranteeing the confidentiality of your employees' data.
Save time, avoid infringements, better manage your fleet, cut costs: the benefits of a TMS for managing driving times are tangible and immediate. Adopting such a system transforms a regulatory constraint into a genuine performance lever. By automatically connecting tachograph data, the TMS frees you from time-consuming tasks, ensures reliable compliance and optimizes your day-to-day operations.