If your company has started operating a vehicle with a digital tachograph but you cannot see the expected driving data after a download, one possible reason is that the tachograph has not been locked to your company.
A tachograph company lock-in is the process of registering your company in the vehicle unit using your company card. This guide explains what a company lock-in does, how to complete it correctly, and what to check before you start downloading tachograph data.
What Is a Tachograph Company Lock-in?
A digital tachograph, also known as the vehicle unit or VU, records which company has the appropriate access rights to its data. A company establishes these rights by inserting its company card and completing the company lock-in procedure.
Once the lock-in is completed, the company is registered in the tachograph with the appropriate access to the vehicle's data, independently of which driver is using the vehicle.
It is important to understand the difference between a company card and a driver card.
A driver card identifies an individual driver and records that driver's activities across the vehicles they use. A company card identifies the company and provides the appropriate access to data stored in a vehicle's tachograph. The two cards therefore serve different purposes.
If you want to learn more about working with driver card data, see our guide on how to download tachograph driver card data.
What Do You Need Before You Start?
Before locking a tachograph to your company, you need:
- A valid company card issued to your company by the relevant national authority.
- Physical access to the vehicle's tachograph.
The company lock-in is performed directly on the tachograph. A driver card cannot be used instead of a company card for this procedure.
How to Lock a Tachograph to Your Company
The process itself is relatively straightforward:
- Insert the company card into an available card slot in the tachograph.
- Wait a few seconds while the tachograph reads the card.
- The tachograph automatically reads your company details from the card.
- The tachograph registers the company. Most units display a confirmation on the screen.
- When you remove the company card, the tachograph may ask whether you want to log the company out.
- Select NO to keep the company lock-in active.
- Remove the company card.
The tachograph is now locked to your company.
The Most Common Mistake: The Logout Prompt
One of the most important parts of the procedure happens when you remove the company card.
After the company has already been successfully registered, the tachograph may ask whether you want to log the company out. This can be confusing because it is easy to assume that selecting "YES" confirms the procedure.
In fact, selecting "YES" logs the company out again.
The company lock-in and company logout are two separate actions. By the time the logout question appears, the company has already been registered.
If you want the company lock-in to remain active, select NO when the tachograph asks whether you want to log the company out.
The procedure described above corresponds to the VDO tachograph procedure. Other tachograph manufacturers may use different wording or screen layouts, so always check the instructions for your specific tachograph model if the displayed options differ.
If you accidentally select "YES", repeat the company lock-in procedure using your company card.
When Do You Need to Repeat a Company Lock-in?
A company lock-in is not a setting that you perform once for your entire fleet. It applies to an individual vehicle and its tachograph.
You should therefore check or complete the company lock-in when:
- a new or used vehicle joins your fleet,
- your company starts operating a leased or rented vehicle,
- the vehicle unit has been replaced,
- a vehicle returns after being operated by another company.
If you are unsure whether a vehicle has been correctly locked to your company, an unexpectedly empty download for a period when you know the vehicle was in use can be a sign that the company lock-in was missed.
Company Lock-in and Regular Tachograph Downloads
Company lock-in should not be confused with regular tachograph data downloads.
Company lock-in registers the company with a particular tachograph and is generally performed when the company starts operating the vehicle.
Tachograph downloads are an ongoing task throughout the time the vehicle is in operation.
Driver card data generally needs to be downloaded at least every 28 days, while vehicle unit data needs to be downloaded at least every 90 days.
For a detailed explanation of the vehicle download process, read our guide on how to download tachograph data.
You can also read our complete tachograph data download guide for fleet managers for a broader overview of driver card and vehicle downloads.
How to Download Data After Company Lock-in
Once the tachograph has been correctly locked to your company, you can start regularly downloading data from driver cards and the digital tachograph.
The myTacho Download Kit is designed for this process.
Using an Android phone together with the myTacho app and the appropriate reader or tachograph connector, you can download:
- driver card data,
- digital tachograph data,
- DDD files for further storage, sharing and analysis.
You can see the complete process in our myTacho How It Works guides.
Downloaded DDD files can also be transferred automatically to TAHOPRO, the web application used for managing and analysing tachograph data and generating reports.
The two solutions therefore cover different parts of the workflow: myTacho handles the data download, while TAHOPRO handles further data management, analysis and reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to repeat the company lock-in every time a different driver uses the vehicle?
No. Company lock-in is linked to the company and the vehicle, not to an individual driver.
Drivers continue using their own driver cards during their daily work. If you need to download their data, follow our guide on how to download driver card data with myTacho.
What happens if I select "YES" at the logout prompt by mistake?
The company is logged out of the tachograph again. Repeat the company lock-in procedure using your company card.
Does the logout prompt look the same on every tachograph?
The procedure described in this guide corresponds to VDO tachographs. Other manufacturers may use different wording or screen layouts.
If you are using another model, check the manufacturer's instructions for the specific tachograph.
Is company lock-in a legal requirement?
Company lock-in provides your company with the appropriate access rights to the vehicle's tachograph data. It should therefore be treated as a standard step when your company starts operating a vehicle, rather than something to check only after problems with data downloads occur.
Ready to Download Your Tachograph Data?
Once your tachograph is correctly locked to your company, the next step is making sure your driver card and vehicle data is downloaded regularly.
With the myTacho Download Kit, you can download driver card and digital tachograph data directly using an Android phone and the appropriate reader or connector.
Your downloaded DDD files can then be shared or transferred for further analysis and reporting.