A company lock-in registers your company in a vehicle's tachograph with your company card. It protects your company's data and gives you access to download the vehicle unit. It takes a minute per vehicle, but one wrong answer on the screen undoes it.
Last updated: October 2026
In short
Insert the company card, let the tachograph register your company, and when you remove the card and it asks whether to log the company out, answer NO.
What a company lock-in does
The digital tachograph, also called the vehicle unit (VU), stores which company is currently using the vehicle. Your company card is how you tell it. Once the lock-in is done, your company is registered in that tachograph, regardless of which driver uses the vehicle.
| Card | Identifies | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Company card | Your company | Lock-in, lock-out, downloading the vehicle unit |
| Driver card | One driver | Recording that driver's activities in every vehicle they drive |
A driver card cannot replace the company card for a lock-in. More about driver cards: when to order, renew or replace a driver card.
What happens if you skip the lock-in
Without a company lock-in
❌ Your data is not protected. Activity data recorded while no company is locked in is not reserved for your company, so another company card, for example the next owner's, can access it.
❌ On a used or rented vehicle, the previous company's lock may still be active. Your drivers' data is then recorded under that lock, and you cannot download it with your own company card.
❌ Gaps at an inspection. Periods you cannot download look like missing data, even though the vehicle was in use.
That is why the first thing to do with every new, used or rented vehicle is to check the lock-in.
What you need before you start
- A valid company card, issued to your company by the national authority.
- Access to the vehicle and its tachograph.
How to lock a tachograph to your company (VDO)
- Insert the company card into a free card slot.
- Wait a few seconds while the tachograph reads your company details.
- The company is registered. Most units show a confirmation on the screen.
- Remove the card. The tachograph may ask whether you want to log the company out.
- Select NO to keep the lock-in active.
The tachograph is now locked to your company.
⚠️ The most common mistake: answering YES. By the time the logout question appears, your company is already registered. Answering YES logs it out again. If that happens, insert the company card and repeat the lock-in.
Other tachograph models
The steps above follow the VDO procedure. Older VDO units may ask whether to lock in when you insert the card. On Stoneridge units, you insert the company card and choose the company lock option from the menu (Stoneridge instructions). If your screen shows different options, follow the manufacturer's manual for your model.
When to lock in (and lock out) again
A lock-in applies to one vehicle, not to your whole fleet. Check or repeat it when:
- a new or used vehicle joins your fleet,
- you start using a leased or rented vehicle,
- the tachograph (vehicle unit) has been replaced,
- a vehicle comes back after another company used it.
When you sell a vehicle or return a rented one, lock out with your company card so the next company starts clean.
Warning sign: a vehicle unit download that is empty for a period when you know the vehicle was on the road can mean the lock-in was missed.
Lock-in is a one-off, downloads are not
The lock-in is done once per vehicle. Downloads continue for as long as you operate it: driver cards at least every 28 days, the vehicle unit at least every 90 days (Regulation (EU) 581/2010).
The vehicle unit download needs the same company card you used for the lock-in. For the full picture, read the tachograph data download guide for fleet managers.
Downloading after the lock-in with myTacho
With the myTacho Download Kit, your team downloads data with a company Android phone:
What you get
✅ Driver cards in under a minute, anywhere, without the vehicle.
✅ Vehicle unit in 5 to 10 minutes, connected in the vehicle with your company card.
✅ Reminders 7, 3 and 1 day before every deadline.
✅ DDD files sent by email, or straight to TAHOPRO if you use it for analysis and reports.
Step by step: how to download the tachograph with myTacho.
Questions about tachograph company lock-in
Is a company lock-in mandatory?
EU law has no separate article that says "you must lock in". But the transport company is responsible for using the tachograph correctly and for downloading and keeping its data (Regulation (EU) 165/2014, Article 33). Without a lock-in, you may not be able to download your own data, and in some countries a missing lock-in is fined as improper use of the tachograph. In practice, treat it as mandatory.
Do I need a new lock-in when a different driver uses the vehicle?
No. The lock-in is linked to your company and the vehicle, not to a driver. Drivers keep using their own driver cards.
I answered YES at the logout prompt. What now?
Your company was logged out. Insert the company card again and repeat the lock-in.
Does every tachograph ask the same question?
No. Wording and menus differ by manufacturer and generation. The steps here follow VDO; for other models, check the manufacturer's manual.
Can I do the lock-in with a driver card?
No. Only a company card can lock a tachograph to your company and download the vehicle unit.
Locked in? Now download on your own schedule
Use your company card and an Android phone to download the vehicle unit and driver cards yourself.
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