A digital tachograph card costs £32 for a first GB driver card and £19 to renew or replace one. Drivers in England, Scotland and Wales apply to the DVLA online or by post, and a first card or renewal normally arrives within 15 working days. Lost or stolen cards must be reported straight away and replaced within seven days.
Anyone who drives a lorry, bus or coach fitted with a digital or smart tachograph needs a driver card, and the card belongs to the driver rather than the employer. This guide covers how to apply, what each type of card costs, how long the DVLA takes, when to renew, and what the law allows if a card is lost, stolen or damaged. Drivers in Northern Ireland apply to the DVA instead, and the main differences are noted below.
Table of Contents
Who Needs a Digital Tachograph Card
A digital tachograph card is needed by anyone driving a vehicle that falls under the assimilated EU drivers’ hours rules and has a digital or smart tachograph fitted. In practice that covers most goods vehicles with a maximum permissible weight above 3.5 tonnes, including any trailer, and most passenger vehicles built to carry more than nine people including the driver. GOV.UK confirms that the same driver card is used in both older digital tachographs and the newer smart tachographs fitted to recently registered vehicles.
Some vehicles and types of work are exempt from the EU rules, and drivers doing that work often fall under the GB domestic rules instead, which usually require a written record rather than a tachograph card. A driver who moves between exempt and in-scope work still needs a card for the in-scope driving. The guide to drivers’ hours regulations explains which set of rules applies to which journeys, and anyone unsure should check with their transport manager before the first shift.
How to Apply for a Digital Tachograph Card
Drivers who live in England, Scotland or Wales can apply for a first card through the DVLA’s online service on GOV.UK. The online route needs a GB photocard driving licence, the driving licence number and a debit or credit card. The DVLA takes the photograph and signature for the tachograph card from the photocard licence, so there is no separate photo to send.
The card is posted to the address shown on the driving licence. If that address is out of date, the licence address has to be changed first, otherwise the card goes to the old address.
Some applications can only be made by post on form D777B. These include replacing a damaged or faulty card, changing the name or address on a card, applying while living outside Great Britain, and exchanging an EU, EEA or Northern Ireland card for a GB card, which also requires the driver to have lived in the UK for more than six months in the past year. Drivers who still hold a paper driving licence should call the DVLA on 0300 790 6109 and ask for form D777B (ST1A).
Drivers who live in Northern Ireland apply to the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) rather than the DVLA, using form D777 (NI). The fees match those in Great Britain, and exchanging a GB card for a first Northern Ireland card costs £32. Postal applications to the DVA are paid by cheque or postal order made payable to DVA Coleraine, with the applicant’s name, address and date of birth written on the back.
What a Tachograph Card Costs
The DVLA charges less to renew or replace a driver card than to issue a first one. The fees below apply to applications made online or by post in Great Britain.
| Application | Driver card fee |
|---|---|
| First GB driver card | £32 |
| Renewal of an expiring or expired card | £19 |
| Replacement for a lost or stolen card | £19 |
| Exchanging an EU, EEA or Northern Ireland card for a GB card | £32 |
There is no annual charge, and a driver card is valid for five years. In Northern Ireland the DVA charges the same £32 for a first card and £19 for a renewal or replacement, and a card that is malfunctioning is replaced free of charge.
How Long a Tacho Card Takes to Arrive
According to Logistics UK, a first digital tachograph card or a renewal should arrive within 15 working days of the DVLA receiving a valid application, and replacement cards should be issued within five working days. Working days exclude weekends and bank holidays, so 15 working days is roughly three calendar weeks. In Northern Ireland, the DVA aims to deliver a card within four weeks. A new driver cannot legally drive a vehicle in scope of the tachograph rules until the card arrives, so the application is best made as soon as a job offer or a change of licence category makes one necessary.
A driver whose digital tachograph card has not arrived within 15 working days should call the DVLA on 0300 790 6109 rather than submit a second application and pay twice. The card is sent to the address on the driving licence, so a delayed card can be the result of an out of date licence address, and that is worth checking before calling. Replacement cards are normally issued within five working days, so a driver using the printout procedure should usually have the new card well within the 15-day limit.
Renewing a Card Before It Expires
The DVLA sends a renewal reminder roughly 12 weeks before a card expires, according to Logistics UK. A digital tachograph card can be renewed online once it is within 90 days of its expiry date, and the law requires the renewal application to reach the DVLA at least 15 working days before the expiry date.
The old digital tachograph card can be used up to its expiry date. It should not be sent back with the application, and drivers are advised to keep it for 28 days afterwards in case it is needed at a roadside check. Driving in scope of the tachograph rules with an expired card is not allowed, and the 15-day concession for lost cards does not apply to a card that has simply run out.
Newer GB driver cards do not show an address, so a driver who moves house only needs to update the address on their driving licence. Older cards that do show an address have to be changed by post on form D777B. In Northern Ireland, the DVA sends form D786 (NI) as a renewal reminder, and a driver whose card has not arrived must tell the DVA within eight weeks of applying, or pay for a duplicate.
Lost, Stolen or Damaged Cards and Driving Without One
A lost, stolen, damaged or faulty digital tachograph card must be reported to the DVLA immediately on 0300 790 6109, and the driver must apply for a replacement within seven calendar days. Lost and stolen cards can be replaced online for £19; damaged and faulty cards are replaced by post.
While the replacement is on its way, the driver may keep driving for up to 15 calendar days, or longer if that is needed to bring the vehicle back to its base. During that time the driver must take a printout from the tachograph at the start and end of each day. Each printout needs the driver’s name and card or licence number, a signature, and manual entries for any other work, availability and rest that the tachograph did not record.
The concession covers cards that are lost, stolen, damaged or malfunctioning. A card left at home is not covered, and the driver has to collect it before starting work.
Using Your Card Each Shift
The card goes into slot 1 before the shift starts, and the driver then makes a manual entry for any time since the card was last removed. Driving is recorded automatically, while other work, periods of availability and breaks are recorded by switching the mode on the tachograph. The card comes out at the end of the shift so that time away from the vehicle is not logged against the driver. The Pocket Box guide to tacho symbols and their meanings explains each mode and printout symbol.
The manual entry covers the time between the card last coming out and going back in. After a weekend or a day off, that time is normally entered as rest. If the driver did other work in the meantime, such as warehouse shifts or driving a vehicle outside the tachograph rules, that time is entered as other work, because it counts towards working time and can affect the next rest period. Getting the manual entry right at the start of the week avoids most of the gaps that show up when a card is checked or downloaded.
Tachographs record time in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), not UK local time. During British Summer Time, from late March to late October, UTC runs one hour behind the clock on the wall, so a shift starting at 6am local time appears on the record as 5am. Drivers should allow for this when making manual entries and when checking printouts against their timesheets or pay slips.
When two drivers share a vehicle, the driver who is driving puts their card in slot 1 and the co-driver uses slot 2, so that each card records the right activity. A driver who changes vehicle during a shift takes the card out of the first vehicle and puts it into the next, because the card records the driver’s activity across every vehicle used. Lending a card to another driver, or driving on someone else’s card, is a serious offence.
A driver card holds at least 28 days of activity, after which the oldest records are overwritten. That is why operators must download every driver card at least every 28 days, and why drivers are asked to hand over their card for download on a set day.
The limits the card is checked against, including daily and weekly driving time, are set out in the guide to drivers’ hours regulations in the UK. Operators must download each driver card at least every 28 days and each vehicle unit at least every 90 days.
The Four Types of Tachograph Card
Most drivers only ever hold one digital tachograph card, the driver card, but the tachograph system uses four types of card. Each is issued to a different group and gives a different level of access to the vehicle unit.
| Card | Who holds it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Driver card | Individual drivers | Records driving, other work, availability and rest for the holder; valid for five years |
| Company card | Operators | Locks vehicle unit data to the company and allows it to be downloaded; valid for five years |
| Workshop card | Approved tachograph centres | Used to install, calibrate and repair tachograph units |
| Control card | Enforcement officers such as DVSA examiners and the police | Gives read-only access to driver card and vehicle unit data during checks |
The control card is the only card restricted to enforcement authorities, and drivers and operators never hold one. Company cards are applied for separately through the DVLA’s company card service, and operators often hold several so that more than one vehicle can be downloaded at a time.
The company card affects drivers in one practical way. When an operator first inserts its company card into a vehicle unit, it locks the data recorded from then on to that company, so each operator can only download the vehicle data from its own period of use.
Looking After Your Card
A driver card is a smart card with a chip, and it needs the same care as a bank card. nidirect advises drivers not to bend or flex the card, to clean it only with a soft, clean cloth and to keep it protected from loss and theft. Keeping it in a cardholder rather than loose in a pocket or on the dashboard reduces the risk of damage.
A card that stops working must be reported to the DVLA straight away, in the same way as a lost card, and the driver then follows the 15-day printout procedure while the replacement is made. In Great Britain a damaged or faulty card is replaced by post using form D777B, and in Northern Ireland the DVA replaces a malfunctioning card free of charge. Drivers should keep the faulty card until the DVLA says what to do with it.
Managing This Across a Fleet
Every driver card is tied to the holder’s driving licence, so a card is only as reliable as the licence behind it. Across a fleet, that means knowing which drivers hold valid licences in the right categories and whose Driver CPC is current, as well as whose card is due for renewal.
Pocket Box Licence Checking checks each driver’s licence directly with the DVLA, and with the DVA in Northern Ireland, on a monthly, quarterly or custom schedule. It alerts you to penalty points, expiries, category changes and Driver CPC status, and logs every check for your compliance records. Pocket Box Fleet stores driver documents alongside vehicle checks, defect reports and service reminders. Card expiry dates still need tracking for every driver, and the 28 day and 90 day download deadlines still apply. For the full list of operator obligations, download the free UK Fleet Compliance Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Is the Card Number on a Digital Tachograph Card?
The driver card number is printed on the front of the card in field 5b, and the expiry date is in field 4b. The card number is the reference the DVLA asks for when a card is renewed, replaced or reported lost.
Does a Tachograph Card Stay With Me If I Change Employer?
The driver card is issued to the individual driver and records activity across every vehicle and employer, so it moves with the driver to a new job and the new employer downloads it from then on. Some employers pay for a first card, but the card itself remains the driver’s.
Can a Driver Hold More Than One Driver Card?
A driver may hold only one valid driver card at a time, and it must be issued by the country where the driver normally lives. A driver moving to Great Britain from the EU or Northern Ireland exchanges the existing card for a GB card rather than adding a second one.
Is a Driver CPC Card the Same as a Tachograph Card?
The Driver Qualification Card is a separate card that shows a driver holds the Driver CPC, while the tachograph card records driving and working time. Professional drivers normally need both, and each has its own expiry date and renewal process.
This article is general information on GB rules at the time of writing. Drivers should check current requirements with the DVLA, the DVA in Northern Ireland or the DVSA before acting on them.
