Tachograph monitor (Bluetooth)
With the Tachograph monitor you can see, over Bluetooth on your phone, what the tachograph is currently showing: who is logged in with their card, what their current activity is, how long they have been driving, and when they must take a rest at the latest — without having to page through the tachograph's menu.
Important: the driving and rest times shown in the monitor are the tachograph's own calculations and are for information only. They do not constitute a legal interpretation of the rules, and they do not release you from the obligation to comply with the rules on driving and rest times and to check your own times yourself. You can read this notice in the app at any time: tap the orange info icon next to the title of the blue card showing the vehicle's name (see below).
Preparation
The monitor reaches the tachograph over the same Bluetooth connection as the Downloading the tachograph (Bluetooth) feature, so the same requirements apply:
- you need a latest-generation (G2v2), Bluetooth-capable tachograph (see What you need);
- Bluetooth must be enabled on the tachograph, and your phone must be paired with it;
- to display the drivers' names and data, the tachograph must be set to share the data of the given card (see The tachograph doesn't share this driver's data).
Pairing applies to the cards that were in the tachograph at the time of pairing — after a card change you have to pair again. On VDO, accept the pairing on the tachograph under the menu branch of the card slot. In detail: Downloading the tachograph (Bluetooth).
Opening the monitor
On the main screen, in the bottom right corner of the Download tachograph card, you will find the monitor icon (the front of a tachograph):
Tapping the icon opens the Tachograph monitor window, which searches for a Bluetooth-capable tachograph nearby. You do not have to choose from a list: the app automatically selects the already paired tachograph with the strongest signal (if there is none, the one with the strongest signal). The name of a paired tachograph is shown in green, an unpaired one in blue. The button in the window depends on the state:
| Button | When it appears |
|---|---|
| Enable | Bluetooth or location is turned off on the phone. |
| Grant | One of the app's required permissions is missing. |
| Pair | The tachograph is not paired yet — you can pair it the same way as for a download. |
| Open | The tachograph is paired: it opens the monitor. |
Refreshing the data
When opened, the monitor connects to the tachograph immediately and reads the data. The status bar at the top of the screen shows its progress (Connecting to the tachograph…, Reading data…), and after a successful read, when the snapshot was taken: Updated at 14:32.
The monitor shows a snapshot: after reading, the connection is closed, and the displayed values do not change on their own. If you want to see fresh data, tap the Refresh icon in the top bar. Always check in the status bar when the last update was.
If you leave the screen while reading, the status bar briefly shows Closing connection…: the app first closes the connection with the tachograph properly, and only then closes the monitor.
The Help item in the top bar menu opens this page.
What you see on the screen
The vehicle
The topmost, blue card shows the vehicle. Before reading, its title is the tachograph's Bluetooth name; after a successful read, it is the vehicle's registration number; below it are the tachograph's Bluetooth name and — if the tachograph provides it — its software version (Software: …). The orange info icon next to the title opens the notice.
Below it, a card shows the vehicle's current conditions:
| Row | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Out of scope (OUT) | Whether the OUT state is turned on on the tachograph. |
| Ferry / train | Whether the ferry/train state is turned on. |
| Remote control (Remote HMI) | Remote control of the tachograph — see Remote control. |
The value of OUT and Ferry / train can be Available – On, Available – Off or Not available. VDO tachographs do not provide the ferry/train state, so this row shows Not available there.
The drivers
Below the vehicle, a separate block shows the Driver in card slot 1 and the Co-driver in card slot 2. The block header shows the driver's name and card number; if the card in the tachograph is not a driver card (e.g. a workshop card), the card type is shown too. For an empty card slot, only this is shown: No card.
Below the header is the current activity (Driving, Work, Availability, Break/rest) and, on the right, the Duration: how long it has lasted. The colour of the activity is the same as the one you set for the event list on the Settings page.
If the tachograph signals a warning for the given driver, it appears on a red card — for example Continuous driving pre-warning (4:15), Daily driving warning or Card expiry warning.
Three groups follow. A row appears only if the tachograph provides the data for it, and if a group has no data at all, the whole group is omitted.
Driving time
| Row | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Continuous (max 4.5 hours) | The driving time elapsed since the last break. Next to it, after the rest icon, is the accumulated break, i.e. the break time taken so far. |
| Daily (max 10 hours) | The daily driving time. If you have no more 10-hour days left this week, the label is Daily (max 9 hours). |
| Extended Day (max 2) | How many of the two extended (10-hour) driving days per week are left — shown with stars. |
| Weekly (max 56 hours) | The weekly driving time. |
| Fortnightly (max 90 hours) | The combined driving time of the current and the previous week. |
Daily rest
| Row | What it shows |
|---|---|
| End of last daily rest | When the last daily rest ended. |
| Daily rest still needed (on Stoneridge: Daily rest length) | How long a daily rest still has to be taken. |
| No later than | By when the daily rest has to be started at the latest, and how much time is left until then (e.g. 18:40 · in 2:15). |
| Reduced daily rest (max 3) | How many of the three reduced daily rests allowed between two weekly rests are left — shown with stars. VDO tachographs do not provide this; it usually shows Not provided there. |
If a daily rest is currently in progress (for at least 3 hours), these are shown instead of the Daily rest still needed and No later than rows: Began (when the rest began), Can end (reduced, 9 hours) — as long as a reduced daily rest is still available — and Can end (regular, 11 hours), both with the time and the time remaining until then.
Weekly rest
| Row | What it shows |
|---|---|
| End of last weekly rest | When the last weekly rest ended. |
| Weekly rest still needed | How long a weekly rest still has to be taken (not shown on Stoneridge). |
| No later than | By when the weekly rest has to be started at the latest. |
If a weekly rest is currently in progress (for at least 24 hours), the Can end (reduced, 24 hours) and Can end (regular, 45 hours) rows show when it can end.
How to read the values
- Bold text: the value is provided directly by the tachograph.
- Normal text: the app derives the value from the tachograph's counters — the same way the tachograph does.
- Red value: the driving time has exceeded the limit in the row's label, or the No later than time has already passed.
- Stars: the filled stars on the right are the occasions still available, the empty stars on the left are the ones already used.
The monitor deliberately does not show how much longer you can drive. To plan your working time more precisely, download your card data and use the Rest planning feature.
The tachograph doesn't share this driver's data
If, instead of a driver's name and activity, you see The tachograph doesn't share this driver's data, the tachograph is not set to share the data of the given card over Bluetooth. The driver has to enable this on the tachograph — the app also shows the steps for the given manufacturer:
| Tachograph | Enabling on the tachograph |
|---|---|
| VDO | Entry → Driver 1 → Settings → Output ITS data → Yes (for the codriver, in the Driver 2 menu) |
| Stoneridge | Settings → Drivers consent → OK to export personal data? → Yes |
The exact names of the tachograph's menu items may differ slightly by software version and language. If you cannot find it, look for the setting about releasing ITS data or personal data.
Notice about driving and rest times
When you tap the orange info icon next to the title of the blue vehicle card, the app shows the following notice (About driving and rest times):
The values shown here are the tachograph's own calculations; the app does not calculate them. They are the same as the ones the tachograph shows on its display. Values in bold are provided directly by the tachograph. Values in normal text are assembled by us from the tachograph's counters, in the same way as the tachograph does. We do not apply any interpretation of the rules of our own here.
The values are for information only. The law states that the tachograph's calculation does not constitute a legal interpretation of the rules on driving and rest times. And according to the tachograph manufacturers' operating instructions, the display does not release you from the obligation to comply with the rules and to check your own times.
To plan your working time more precisely, download your card data and look at it in the "Rest planning" feature.
In short: the monitor is for quickly seeing what the tachograph shows too, without paging through the tachograph's menu. Do not rely on it alone when making decisions — especially when you are close to a limit.
Remote control
With Remote control (Remote HMI) you can perform some operations from your phone that you would otherwise do with the tachograph's buttons. The value of the row shows whether remote control is available and in what state (e.g. Available – Off, Available – On, Not available); if it is not available, the reason can be read below it.
For remote control, there must be a driver card or workshop card in card slot 1, and the tachograph must release the data of this card (see above).
Stoneridge tachographs currently do not support remote control: the feature cannot be used with these tachographs.
Enabling
- Tap the Turn on button.
- The first time, an 8-digit code appears on the tachograph's display; enter it in the app's Pair remote control window. If the code is wrong, the app asks for it again.
- The tachograph may ask you to approve the remote control on it — with two cards, both drivers have to approve it.
The app remembers the pairing for the given vehicle and card, so the next time you open the monitor, it turns on again by itself. You can delete the pairing with the Forget remote control pairing item in the top bar menu.
With remote control on, the connection stays open, and the monitor refreshes the states, cards and activities by itself about every 30 seconds. During this time no other device can connect to the tachograph. If you put the app in the background, the connection is dropped and is re-established when you return.
What can you do with remote control on?
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Activity | You can choose for each driver: Break/rest, Work, Availability. After you choose, you can undo it for 5 seconds with the Cancel button; only then does the app send it. It cannot be set while driving (While driving, the tachograph sets the activity). |
| Shift | Recording Start of shift or End of shift by selecting the country (for Spain, the region), after confirmation. |
| Withdraw card (end of shift) | After selecting the country, the card is ejected without printing or with printing (with UTC or local time). Ejecting the card in card slot 1 ends the remote control. |
| OUT, Ferry / train | Starting and ending the OUT and ferry/train state, after confirmation. With OUT on, ferry/train cannot be turned on. With two cards, it is entered in the data of both drivers. |
| Loading / unloading | Recording Loading, Unloading or Unloading and loading. |
| Printout | Requesting a printout from the tachograph (daily printout from the card or from the vehicle unit, events and faults, technical data, overspeeding, inserted cards); for the daily types, by selecting the day. |
The buttons have icons only; you can see their names by long-pressing them. A short message informs you of the result of every action (e.g. Sent to the tachograph, or if the tachograph rejected the request).
Before the start of a ferry/train section — according to the tachograph's operating instructions — first set break/rest. If you forget this, the app offers: Rest + ferry or Ferry only.
If it does not work
If reading fails, the status bar shows the reason, and the previously read data disappear from the screen:
| Status bar | What to do? |
|---|---|
| Bluetooth is off | Turn on Bluetooth on the phone. |
| Bluetooth permission missing | Allow the app to access Bluetooth devices. |
| The tachograph did not accept the connection | Check the pairing (after a card change you have to pair again). |
| The tachograph does not answer | Try again with the Refresh icon. |
| Connection lost, data may be incomplete | Try again with the Refresh icon. |
If the connection cannot be established at all (Could not connect to the tachograph), the same error window appears as for a Bluetooth download: under the error code are the possible causes (e.g. weak signal, the tachograph is busy, the ignition is not in the ON position) and the Troubleshooting (Bluetooth) link. The OK button closes the monitor and starts searching for the tachograph again; for some errors, the Re-pair button takes you to the phone's Bluetooth settings. Detailed help: Troubleshooting (Bluetooth).
The minimum tachograph software versions required for stable operation: VDO DTCO 4.1b v4141 (04.01.41), Stoneridge SE5000-8.1 v1619.