Guide
Approved tachograph centres: what they are and how to choose
Updated
This is not work you can shop for on price alone, because only approved centres may legally do it. Here is what approval covers and what separates one centre from another.
What an approved centre is
DVSA guidance is explicit that installing, calibrating and sealing a tachograph must be performed either by a vehicle manufacturer or an approved tachograph calibration centre (gov.uk). DVSA publishes the Approved Tachograph Centre manual, which it describes as guidance on becoming an ATC, setting out the conditions of approval and the requirements for their correct operation, along with a list of approved testing equipment; it is aimed at organisations seeking approval and at nominated technicians who install, inspect, calibrate and repair tachograph equipment (gov.uk).
What to check before booking
- That the centre is equipped for your tachograph generation, in particular smart 2 units.
- Whether they offer a mobile service and what radius it covers from your operating centre.
- The slot length per vehicle and how many vehicles they can take in one visit, because downtime usually outweighs the invoice.
- Whether they will download the vehicle unit and check seals while the vehicle is with them.
- What paperwork you get back: the certificate showing details of the inspection, and the plaque updated with the new dates.
- Whether they can handle unplanned recalibrations at short notice, which is what you will need after a repair or a tyre size change.
Centre or mobile: how to decide
- Count the vehicles due in the same window. Batching is where the saving is.
- Price the driver hours and mileage of taking each vehicle to a centre, then compare against the mobile premium.
- Consider whether the vehicles are all at one operating centre or spread across sites; mobile stops being efficient when the technician has to tour.
- Consider the timing: a mobile visit on a Saturday morning can cost less in lost running than three weekday trips to a centre.
Operators must ensure the calibration requirements are complied with before a new or used vehicle goes into service, so build the plaque check into your vehicle acquisition process rather than your annual planning.
Where the operator duty sits
DVSA guidance lists among operator responsibilities that they must ensure tachographs have been calibrated, inspected and re-calibrated in line with the rules. Buying the work from an approved centre is how you discharge that; it does not move the duty. Keep the certificates with your maintenance records, and check the plaque dates when a vehicle joins the fleet.