By Graeme Wearden, 24 October 2003 10:15
NEWS Smart cards and digital signatures are to be introduced in heavy goods vehicles and buses by next summer, to comply with new EU rules designed to ensure that drivers are keeping within the law.
The UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will implement a high-tech tachograph system to monitor the speeds and distances of heavy goods vehicles and buses. All new commercial road haulage systems must be fitted with the system from the summer of 2004.
RSA Security, the IT firm supplying the digital certificate management software behind the system, claims it will be accurate and secure enough to be used in court action against drivers or firms whose vehicles exceed legal limits on speed or journey distance.
"Digital signatures will be used to sign data exchanges and guarantee the validity of the information - which includes details of the driver, hours driven, rest periods, distance and speed travelled - in the event that the electronic records are presented to courts for the prosecution of drivers' hours infringements," said RSA, in a statement.
The European Union has demanding that all member states implement high-tech tachographs by next summer, in an attempt to improve road safety, compliance with transport legislation and fair competition between haulage firms. The UK system will integrate motion sensors within the vehicle with the digital smartcard reader.
According to Jason Lewis, vice president of product management and marketing at RSA Security, the smart card system is a "real and practical application of public key infrastructure (PKI) technology."
Technology is being increasingly introduced across the commercial transport sector. Earlier this week, Orange and Metroline announced a deal that will see London bus drivers receiving text messages in the hope of keeping the service running to a timetable.
Graeme Wearden writes for ZDNet UK
Comments
There are 7 comments. Join the discussion
1. Ronald Poulston
As you should be aware and as the industry is aware the technology is not perfect by a long way at present and everyone concerned know IT WILL NOT WORK. It is another RUSHED BOTCH JOB as usual where road haulage is concerned.We should be making rules that would stop THE LAW breaking lorry drivers.This country will severly regret one day not having enough drivers as they are starting to find out already.When will you Ars----s in suits wake up to the fact that these are not criminals but working men trying to earn a living.Lock up some of the MPs if you want to find real fiddlers.
2. lee bennett
yawn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. Andrew Morgan
Well this speed monitoring idea sounds a good one in respect to safety, but when is someone going to do something about the 60 mph and 59mph overtaking? We all see it don't we? The HGV going at 59 is clearly holding up the one going at 60 and so he pulls out, blocks up the outside lane, takes 5 mins to pass or sometimes gives up. Then just when you think you can get where you are going, they do it the other way around and the previously slower one tries to overtake the previously faster one.
I am generalising of course and apologies to any courteous HGV drivers out there (yes they do exist, I have seen them) but could someone PLEASE think up some technology to help!
4. 56 mph @ all times
tacho's were meant to do just that... this wont work either
5. Ronald Poulston
For Andrew Bennett and any other car driver that is unaware as yet, all modern hgv,s are fitted with a speed restricter that limits them to 56 mph and an even lower speed is planned, that is why you are seeing large "convoys" of slow movers and being held up when one is trying to pass the other. What you should be asking is "what idiot decided to impose a 56 mph limit on vehicles on a 70 mph motorway". This does not apply to the older hgv,s and so now on the motorways we have, 70 for cars, 65 for coaches, 60 for older hgv,s and 56 for newer hgv,s. Thats the suits in brussels again. Try to find some sense in that one.Not forgetting the wonder boys (and girls) in cars that feel there aint a limit!!!!!!
6. Tootie
Reply to Ronald Poulston
Nice one mate I’ve been driving HGV`s for 20 years and I am about sick of the attitude to drivers from pen pushers with company cars who cut us up all day trying to get to the next meeting about how bad we drive
Keep up the stick
7. Rob McMahon
Keep cars out of lane one on a three lane motorway. How many times have you followed the hatchback doing 54 mph which accelerates to 57 mph when you try to pass.