Due to driver and road safety requirements, it is strongly advised that driver interaction with a Digital Tachograph Vehicle Unit (VU) is not
carried out whilst a vehicle is in motion (Note: the term ‘VU’ will be used to describe a Digital Tachograph from this point forward).
If a driver does not have a valid VU driver smartcard they must not drive a vehicle fitted with the VU described in this manual as it is
against EU law. If a card is lost, stolen or faulty, a temporary exemption to drive without a card may be granted by the national enforcement
agency of the country in which driving is to be done. Drivers should contact national enforcement agencies directly (as indicated in
Appendix 7 - National Enforcement Agencies) for clarification on this matter - drivers are responsible for ensuring that they obey driving
laws.
Driver smartcards contain a memory storage area that is used to hold driver activity data. Typically 28 days of driver activity can be stored
on a driver smartcard. It should be noted that once the data memory storage area on a driver smartcard becomes full then any new driver
activity data will still be stored but the oldest data on the smartcard will be overwritten and permanently lost. A description of the types of
driver activity data stored are given in Appendix 3 - Driver Card Insertion and Withdrawal and Driver Activity Data.
Driver card owners must take care of their personal driving card. Driver cards are not transferable and shall not be made available to any
other person.
– clean with a soft damp cloth if necessary.
Dirt ingress can lead to premature failure of a VU. Ensure that Smartcard drawers are closed at all times, except when inserting or
removing cards. Also ensure that the paper cassette is closed at all times except when changing the printer paper. When accessing the
printer paper do not use excessive force when removing the paper cassette from its compartment. It should also be noted that the printer
paper fitted must be a Stoneridge approved type and it must be stored in a cool, dark and dry environment.
The VU smartcard drawers are not capable of supporting weight in the open position.
Disconnect the electrical supply to the VU if:
• Electrical welding is carried out on the vehicle.
• Prolonged boost starting is anticipated.
Smartcards must be handled with care – do not flex or bend the cards. Ensure that the card contacts are kept free from dirt
High-level transient voltage can cause permanent damage to VU electronic circuits. Similarly, failure of other electrical components on the
vehicle, for example the alternator regulator, may result in damage to the VU, which is permanently connected to the battery. Any
permanent damage done to a VU in this way will result in the VU warranty being invalidated.
The EMC performance of the Stoneridge VU complies with the requirements of EU Commission Directive 95/54/EC.
A VU case must never be opened, tampered with or manipulated, even in a Tachograph Workshop – if it is then it will become invalid for
use. In the case of any exterior damage to a VU, it is recommended that the VU be presented to a Tachograph Workshop for evaluation. If
a VU does not pass an evaluation it will be decommissioned and will require replacing.
The Stoneridge VU has a normal operating temperature range of –25°C to +70°C. (Note: ADR version range is –25°C to +65°C).
If the VU UTC time is inaccurate by a magnitude of greater than ±20 minutes, then the system must be returned to a Tachograph
LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................................6
2 Description of the Digital Tachograph System...............................................................................................8
3 Description of the Controls...............................................................................................................................9
3.2 Enter Button ..............................................................................................................................................................10
3.4 Up / Down Buttons....................................................................................................................................................11
3.6 Paper Cassette..........................................................................................................................................................11
3.6.1 Printer Paper Insertion ................................................................................................................................................................12
4.1 Inserting a Card.........................................................................................................................................................15
4.2 Manual Entries for Duties and Locations................................................................................................................17
4.2.1 Manual Entry of Duties – Continuation of Current Daily Work Period....................................................................................18
4.2.1.1 Manual Entry of Duties – Modification of Entries ..................................................................................................................19
4.2.2 Manual Entry of Duties – New Daily Work Period.....................................................................................................................20
4.2.2.1 Manual Entry of Duties – New Daily Start Time to Card Insertion Time Only ....................................................................20
4.2.2.2 Manual Entry of Duties – Last Card Withdrawal to Daily Work Period End & New Daily Start to Card Insertion...........21
4.2.3 Manual Entry of Locations ..........................................................................................................................................................22
4.3 Standard ‘Driving’ Display .......................................................................................................................................22
4.5 Alternative Driving Displays ....................................................................................................................................24
4.5.1 Out of Scope Driving ...................................................................................................................................................................24
4.6 Ejecting a Card..........................................................................................................................................................25
4.7 Driving Without a Valid Smartcard..........................................................................................................................26
5.1 Types of Printout.......................................................................................................................................................28
5.2 How to Initiate a Printout and How to Stop a Printout...........................................................................................29
6 Settings Menu ..................................................................................................................................................31
6.1 UTC Time and Local Time........................................................................................................................................31
6.1.1 Adjusting VU UTC Time...............................................................................................................................................................32
6.1.2 Setting VU Local Time .................................................................................................................................................................32
6.2 Inverting the Display .................................................................................................................................................32
6.3 Built-In Test ...............................................................................................................................................................33
7 VU Warnings (Events and Faults Conditions) ..............................................................................................34
7.1 General Events Warning Messages.........................................................................................................................34
7.2 VU Related Security Breach Attempt Events Warning Messages ........................................................................36
7.3 Sensor Related Security Breach Attempt Events Warning Messages.................................................................37
7.6 Manufacturer Specific Events & Faults Warning Messages .................................................................................38
8 Care and Maintenance of a VU .......................................................................................................................42
8.2 Protecting the VU System from Damage ................................................................................................................42
Appendix 9 - VU Driving Display and Main Menu Navigation ........................................................................60
Appendix 10 - Glossary of Terms......................................................................................................................62
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Illustration of the Controls....................................................................................................................................9
Figure 2 Paper Cassette Removal...................................................................................................................................12
Figure 3 Printer Paper Orientation...................................................................................................................................13
Figure 4 Flow Chart of Normal Driving Operation .........................................................................................................14
Figure 5 Flow Chart of Smartcard Insertion Procedure................................................................................................16
Figure 6 Smartcard Insertion in Drawer..........................................................................................................................16
Figure 7 Smartcard Removal from Drawer.....................................................................................................................26
Figure 10 ADR VU Data Label .........................................................................................................................................44
Figure 11 Driving Displays and Main Menu Navigation................................................................................................62
This User Manual covers the normal operation of a Stoneridge VU i.e. with a valid driver smartcard inserted.
The VU detailed within this user manual comprises two smartcard drawer mechanisms, a printer, an LCD display and user controls located
in an ISO standard radio enclosure. The VU has been designed to comply with EU Regulations and thus displays and records speed and
distance in metric units (kilometres per hour and kilometres respectively). In addition to displaying and recording the speed of the vehicle
and the distance travelled, the VU incorporates an internal clock, which is used to indicate the current time on the VU display.
The driver smartcards, upon which driver duties, speed and distance travelled are recorded, are credit card style flexible plastic cards. The
VU drawers, when they contain smartcards, are locked in the closed position whilst the vehicle is being driven and can only be opened
when a vehicle is stationary. Note: if there is no smartcard inserted, a drawer can be opened at any time.
The VU is designed for use by up to two drivers, and thus two driver-specific buttons (‘1’ for driver and ‘2’ for crew) are provided adjacent to
the smartcard drawer slots. These buttons have the dual function of being able to set the current duty and to open a smartcard drawer.
Four further control buttons are provided on the VU, immediately below the display. The left-hand control is the ‘Cancel’ button, the middle
two are ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ buttons and the right hand control is the ‘Enter’ button.
The Stoneridge VU has full type approval for use in the European Union.
Note: The Approval Certificate number is e50002. This type approval number will be indicated on all Stoneridge VUs.
The Stoneridge Electronics VU is security certified in accordance with ITSEC E3 high as per the relevant EU Digital Tachograph legislation.
A Digital Tachograph vehicle system consists of a number of different parts as follows:-
•The Vehicle Unit (VU) – this is a radio sized device within which there is a printer, a display, user interface buttons and two
smartcard slots. Information stored in a VU consists of: certain vehicle related parameters; all driver related activity; events and
faults information; speed information (Note: for the last 24 hours of driving only) and distance information.
•Motion Sensor – this is used to provide a VU with the speed signal pulses from the vehicle gearbox and must be a Stoneridge
approved type. To ensure the integrity of the speed sensor signal, the speed signal is transferred between the sensor and the VU
in an encrypted form – thus the motion sensor is also known as an “Encrypted Sender”. Encrypting the speed signal ensures that
any tampering with the signal will be detected and recorded.
• Driver Smartcard – this is used to store driving data relating to the named driver on the card.
• Remote Display – this usually takes the form of an Instrument Cluster that can be used to display speed (speedometer) and
distance travelled (trip and odometer) using information passed from a VU. However it is possible that speed and distance will
only be available for display on the VU.
These buttons (one for driver and one for crew) have the dual functionality of being used firstly to change the currently selected duty and
secondly for ejecting the associated smartcard drawer.
3.1.1 Duty Change Function
Two individual buttons are provided, respectively for the driver and crew (if two drivers are present), for initiating a period of recorded duty.
The Driver and is allocated the left hand Duty-change button (“1”), while the Crew and is allocated the right hand Duty-change button
(“2”). The duty mode for the Driver or the Crew is selected by ‘short’ pressing the appropriate Duty-change button (see section4.4 Duty Setting, for a more extensive description). In order to change the mode of activity, the Driver or Crew will press their respective Dutychange button a number of times, until the correct mode of duty is displayed (Note: top line for Driver and bottom line for Crew).
It should be noted that when a vehicle begins to move, the VU automatically switches the Driver duty mode to ‘drive’ and the Crew duty
mode to ‘available’. When a vehicle stops moving, the Driver duty automatically changes to ‘work’ and the Crew duty will remain at
‘available’. Please note that ‘rest’ mode for both Driver and Crew, ‘available’ mode for the Driver and ‘w ork’ mode for the Crew all must be explicitly selected.
3.1.2 Smartcard Eject Function
The Driver Duty-Change buttons also have an alternative function in that they can be used to eject the smartcard drawers in order to insert
or remove a smartcard (Note: left hand ‘1’ button for Driver smartcard and right hand ‘2’ button for Crew smartcard). To eject a smartcard
drawer ‘long-press’ the appropriate button. After a short while the required drawer will latch open.
Notes:
1. If a smartcard is inserted in a VU, the associated Eject button is only active when the vehicle is stationary.
2. The Eject buttons are not active when the electrical supply to the VU is interrupted. If it is not possible to restore the power, the drawer
will require to be released by a Tachograph Workshop.
3.2 Enter Button
The Enter button is pressed to enter the Main Menu of sub-functions whilst the standard Driving Mode screen (or one of the page selection
alternatives) is displayed. The button also has the alternative function of being used to confirm selectable options as displayed in the
various main menu sub-function screens and Manual duty entry screens etc (as explained throughout the manual). Finally, the Enter button
can be used to acknowledge and clear warning messages.
The Cancel button is used for returning to the main menu and driving mode screens.
3.4 Up / Down Buttons
The Up / Down buttons are used to scroll through the various menu options or to increment or decrement displayed values e.g. hours.
3.5 Smartcard Drawers
The Driver (left hand side) and Crew (right hand side) smartcard drawers are used to insert (or remove) smartcards into a VU, as explained
in section3.1.2 Smartcard Eject Function.
3.6 Paper Cassette
The paper cassette is used to house the paper roll. The paper cassette should remain closed at all times except when fitting a new paper
roll. When taking a printout, the paper will emerge from the slot at the bottom of the cassette and consequently the slot must be kept free
from obstructions.
To replace the printer paper the entire paper cassette has to first be removed from its compartment. The cassette can be removed as
shown and described in Figure 2.
1. Gently press the fascia in the middle near the top of the VU. 2. This will result in the fascia tilting outwards at the bottom.
3. Hold the fascia at the bottom where it is tilting outwards. 4. Gently pull the fascia/mechanism forward out of the VU.
The printer paper roll can then be placed in the removed paper cassette. The paper should be fitted such that the paper comes up from the
cassette (nearest the front fascia) and then round the back of the cassette, over the paper roller at the rear of the paper cassette. Finally
the paper should be fed underneath the paper cassette as shown in Figure 3. The paper cassette should then be carefully re-inserted into
the VU compartment and gently pushed in the middle of the paper cassette fascia until it latches into the main unit.
Note: The printer paper used must only be a Stoneridge approved type (see Appendix 6 - Printer Spare Parts for details).
Figure 3 Printer Paper Orientation
3.7 Display
The display area of the fascia provides indication of all information that the operator will require during a trip. The individual screens are
described at relevant parts throughout the manual. A full listing of the display symbols and some display symbol combinations are listed in
Appendix 1 - VU Display Symbols.
This section describes the normal operation of the VU i.e., with a valid driver card inserted in the Driver (‘1’) drawer. For information on
what to do if driving is required but there is no valid smart card inserted see section 4.7 Driving Without a Valid Smartcard. Figure 4 shows
a flow chart of the stages involved in the normal driving operation of a VU.
Note: This includes entry of the start location.
Insert Smartcard
Note: This is for duties carried out prior to card insertion.
Note: Including setting the current duty and any out of scope
driving periods.
Manual Entries
Drive
Note: This includes entry of the end location.
Figure 4 Flow Chart of Normal Driving Operation
Note: The purpose of the manual entry of driver duties is to provide a driver with the opportunity to store a record of any duties that have
been carried since their smartcard was last withdrawn from a VU.
Before driving a Driver must initially insert their valid driver card into the Driver (‘1’) drawer and the Crew person must insert their valid driver
card into the Crew (‘2’) drawer.
When a driver smartcard is inserted into a VU the card will be authenticated by the VU. Authentication of a driver card by a VU is confirmed
on card insertion by the VU displaying the pictograms “1” along with the driver’s name, as read from the authenticated card. If a card is
not authenticated and thus rejected by a VU on card insertion, the VU will display the message “! Insertion of non-valid card” to
confirm the non-authentication of the card.
When a smartcard is inserted into a VU then a record of the card insertion will be stored. A description of the data stored is included in
Appendix 3 - Driver Card Insertion and Withdrawal and Driver Activity Data.
Figure 5 shows a flow chart of the stages involved in inserting a smartcard in a VU.
Note: Long-press the ‘1’ or ‘2’ drawer eject buttons for either the driver
Eject Required
Smartcard Drawe
or the crew drawer respectively.
Note: This will only be required if a driver or workshop card is currently
Complete Card
Withdrawal Procedure
inserted in the drawer (see section 4.6 Ejecting a Card for
details).
Insert Smartcard in
E
ected Drawer Slot
Note: The message “Ejecting Card 1” (‘2’ for crew) will be
displayed for a short period before the drawer opens. Insert a
card as shown in Figure 6.
Gently Close the
Smartcard Drawe
Note: The message “Busy Processing Card 1” (‘2’ for crew) will be
Note: If the message “1Unable to open slot“ is displayed then this means the drawer cannot be opened by the VU – acknowledge
and clear the warning (as described in section 7 VU Warnings (Events and Faults Conditions)) and retry opening the drawer. If a drawer
repeatedly fails to open the vehicle must be returned to a Tachograph Workshop for VU investigation.
With the card drawer open, place the card in the drawer with the smartcard chip towards the rear of the drawer and facing upwards as
shown in Figure 6.
Figure 5 Flow Chart of Smartcard Insertion Procedure
If a card is rejected by a VU the pictogram message “! Insertion of non-valid card” will be displayed to indicate that the card is
invalid and not authenticated. The warning should be acknowledged and cleared (as described in section 7 VU Warnings (Events and Faults Conditions)) and the smartcard should be ejected. The VU and driver card should be checked if necessary to determine which is
faulty. If the card is faulty, a new card must be applied for and the relevant authority contacted for advice (see Appendix 7 - National Enforcement Agencies). If the VU is faulty the vehicle must be returned to a Tachograph Workshop for investigation. If the card is
accepted and hence authenticated, the display will then be as shown opposite. The pictogram
message indicates that a valid driver card is inserted in slot 1 and the drivers name is also shown to
confirm the card has been validated. Next the VU will read the ‘time of last withdrawal’ from the
driver card just inserted and the display will show the pictogram message “ Last withdraw”
along with the last withdrawal date and time. Manual entries for duties and location will then be required as described in section 4.2 Manual Entries for Duties and Locations.
It should be noted that if the last ‘withdrawal time’ was not stored correctly on the inserted driver card (due to a VU or card error for
example) then the pictogram message “!1 Last sess. not closed ok” (Note: ‘2’ for crew card) will be shown to indicate that the
last card session was not closed properly. The warning should be acknowledged and cleared (as described in section 7 VU Warnings (Events and Faults Conditions)) before continuing. If the warning is regularly displayed the VU/Card system should be checked for faults,
with the required user action the same as described in the previous paragraph. The VU will then automatically make the card insertion time
to be the start of a new daily work period and there will be no requirement for manual duty entries only for the start location as described in
section4.2.3 Manual Entry of Locations.
4.2 Manual Entries for Duties and Locations
After a valid Driver card has been inserted correctly and it has been verified by the VU, with the ‘time of last withdrawal’ displayed the next
stage is to manually input any duties that have been carried out by the card owner since the card was last withdrawn. Press the up, down,
enter or cancel buttons to continue.
The display will then be similar to that shown opposite. The top line pictogram is asking the
question “is this a continuation of the current daily work period?”. There are three options to
continue: the first two are to press the ‘up’ or ‘down’ buttons to highlight either “
‘no’ and then press the ‘enter’ button to accept either the ‘yes’ option for a continuation of the
current daily work period (see section 4.2.1 Manual Entry of Duties – Continuation of Current Daily Work Period) or the ‘no’ option for a new
daily work period (see section 4.2.2 Manual Entry of Duties – New Daily Work Period). The third option is to short press the ‘cancel’ button
if no manual duty entries are required and then to proceed by entering the start location as described in section 4.2.3 Manual Entry of
Locations.
Please note that the manual duty entry procedure will be automatically terminated if any of the following conditions are met (Note: any
manual duty entries input up to the point of when the manual entry procedure is cancelled will be stored):
4.2.1 Manual Entry of Duties – Continuation of Current Daily Work Period
Note: All entries of time must be UTC time.
If the ‘continuation of daily work period’ option was accepted from the previous section, then the process for the manual entry of duties is
initiated. It should be noted however that if the last card withdrawal was more than 24 Hours ago, the VU display will show the warning
message “>24h last card withdrawal >24h”. When the warning is acknowledged (as described in section 7 VU Warnings (Events and Faults Conditions)), the VU will automatically register the card insertion as part of a new daily work period and the VU will continue as
described in section 4.2.2 Manual Entry of Duties – New Daily Work Period.
If the last card withdrawal time was less than 24 Hours previously, the cardholder must then
manually enter any duties done between the ‘last card withdrawal’ and ‘card insertion’ times.
Initially the display will be similar to that shown opposite - Manual Entry 1 (‘01M’ in top right corner)
for Driver ‘1’ is shown:- the current Duty is rest (i.e., ‘
shown (Note: initially the same time/date as when the card was last withdrawn). The duty symbol should be highlighted - press the ‘up’ or
‘down’ buttons to change the duty until the correct duty is displayed (i.e.
to confirm the displayed duty. The start time/date of the duty then has to be confirmed. Press the ‘enter’ button to select each of the digits
of the start time/date in turn. Use the ‘up’ and ‘down’ buttons to change the highlighted digit if it is required to be changed or press the
‘cancel’ button to move back to alter a previous value.
The manual entry of the duty end time must then be completed. The display will then be similar to
that shown opposite. The ‘duty end’ time is shown on line 2 and initially defaults to the card
insertion time. Again press the ‘enter’ button to select each of the digits of the duty end time/date
in turn, using the ‘up’ and ‘down’ buttons to change the highlighted digit if it is required to be
1. If the vehicle begins to move;
2. If a smartcard is inserted or removed;
3. If there is no user interaction with the VU for more than 1 minute;
4. If there is a long press of the cancel button.
1 01M
13:15 19.04.04
‘) and the start time/date of the duty is also
(work), (available) or (rest)) and then press the ‘enter’ button
changed or press the ‘cancel’ button to move back to re-edit a value. If the duty end ‘time/date’ is not the card insertion time, then when the
end time/date is accepted, the display will automatically update for the manual entry of the next duty. The Manual Duty Counter (top right
corner) will be incremented (i.e. ‘02M’ then ‘03M’ etc) and the start ‘time/date’ will be the same as the end time for the previous duty. The
next duty and the start and end time/date for the next manual duty entry have to be confirmed using the same method as above. Please
note that only up to a maximum of 16 manual duty entries is possible, attempting to enter more than this will result in the warning message
“M.....! Memory Full!” being displayed. The warning should be acknowledged and cleared (as described in section 7 VU Warnings
(Events and Faults Conditions)) before continuing.
This process of manually entering driver duties has to be repeated for all duties up to the card insertion time. When the last manual duty
entry has been confirmed (i.e., the end time of the duty is the card insertion time or the number of manual duties entered is 16) then the
opportunity to check or modify the manual entry of duties will be given as described in the next section.
4.2.1.1 Manual Entry of Duties – Modification of Entries
After completing the manual entry of duties, initially the display will be as shown opposite - which is
the VU asking “Modify Manual Duty Entries? Yes/no” - press the ‘up’ or ‘down’ buttons to toggle
between the “
press the ‘enter’ button with the “
will be displayed to indicate that the manually input activities have been validated and stored.
Similarly, to check or to modify the manual duty entries, press the ‘enter’ button with the “
highlighted. The display will change to one similar to that shown opposite with the start time/date of
the first stored duty displayed. The up/down arrowheads in the top right corner next to the manual
entry number indicate that the ‘duty edit mode’ is active. The ‘up’ and ‘down’ buttons can be
pressed to cycle through the stored manual duty entries (Note: the Manual Duty Counter in the top right corner will increment/decrement as
the ‘up’ or ‘down’ buttons are pressed). If the displayed Manual duty entry has to be changed, short press the ‘enter’ button and modify the
entry in the same manner as described in section 4.2.1 Manual Entry of Duties – Continuation of Current Daily Work Period. Please note
that any time overlaps will be automatically adjusted by the VU.
It is also possible to delete an unwanted manual duty entry or to add a previously missed manual
duty entry. With the duty to be deleted displayed or the position of the duty to be added displayed,
long press the ‘enter’ button. The display will then be similar to that shown opposite - in this case
the duty entry is number 2. To delete this entry press the ‘enter’ button with the ‘-‘ option
” (yes) and “” (no) options. In order to accept the current manually input duties,
” option highlighted. The message “Activities validated”