Which tachograph software fits your business? A side-by-side look at the UK market

Why this comparison, and why now

DVSA's enforcement model has shifted decisively towards data and remote detection. The 2024-25 DVSA Annual Report and Accounts (page 23) shows the agency carried out 31,824 risk-based targeted checks against a target of 28,000, up from 30,307 in 2023-24. Those aren't blanket roadside stops; they're checks aimed at operators whose records suggest something is off.

DVSA describes the shift directly in the same report (page 24):

"We continued to build our remote enforcement capabilities, using digital information to identify non-compliance. This included expanding the trial of 'enforcement from the record' using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) data to identify and target non-compliance. This has enabled us to remotely identify speed limiter breaches and driver's hours offences."

On smart tachographs specifically, the report adds (page 24):

"We continued to work with manufacturers to increase the use of remote sensing equipment to read Second Generation Smart Tachograph data remotely, allowing non-intrusive checking as a targeting tool."

For transport operators, that has a practical consequence: the data you hold on your drivers and vehicles is no longer just an internal admin matter. It shapes how DVSA sees you. The choice of tachograph software therefore matters more than the analysis report it produces. It determines how cleanly you can demonstrate compliance, how quickly you spot issues, and how prepared you are when a desk-based assessment or operator visit lands.

This article looks at how the main UK tachograph software providers compare across what we see as the three pillars of compliant fleet operation, and where AI and automation are starting to change the picture.

The three pillars of tachograph compliance

Before comparing providers, it helps to be specific about what compliant tachograph operation actually requires. We see three pillars.

1. Data capture and retention. Driver cards downloaded every 28 days, vehicle units every 90 days, and records held for the full retained periods under Regulation (EU) 165/2014 and the Drivers' Hours regime (currently 56 days at the roadside for international work under recent amendments).
2. Infringement analysis and driver follow-up. Every breach of Regulation (EC) 561/2006 (driving time, breaks, daily and weekly rest) needs to be flagged, communicated to the driver, and recorded with a debrief or corrective action.
3. Audit-ready evidence. When DVSA requests records, whether at the roadside, by Desk-Based Assessment, or at a Public Inquiry, the operator must produce a clean, traceable trail of downloads, infringement notifications, sign-offs and follow-ups.

All credible UK tachograph platforms cover the basics of all three. Where they differ is depth, integration breadth, sector focus, and how much of the work the software does for you versus how much the transport manager still picks up manually.

How leading UK providers stack up

The list below is not exhaustive, but it covers the providers we hear about most often from UK transport managers. Order is alphabetical.

Aquarius IT

Aquarius IT has been delivering tachograph compliance software in the UK since 2004. The core product, ClockWatcher Elite, handles tachograph and Working Time Directive analysis: it ingests driver card and vehicle unit downloads, flags infringements against Regulation (EC) 561/2006, produces driver-level infringement reports and supports the formal debrief process. Around that sits a set of adjacent modules: Document Management for storing signed paperwork, eSIGN for digital signatures on driver debriefs, Time & Attendance for working hours tracking, Licence Check for ongoing driver licence verification, and the Aquarius App for daily walk-round vehicle checks. In their own words, Aquarius IT helps "clients all over the UK, ranging from major hauliers and well-known brands to owner-drivers."

Where Aquarius IT sits well: operators who want a focused tachograph compliance toolset from a UK-based specialist, without the breadth of a wider telematics suite.

Convey

Convey is a UK-based driver and vehicle compliance platform, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Swindon. At the end of 2025, they secured £25 million in funding from Tresmare Capital to fuel further growth. So we expect some changes in the near future, but right now the platform is modular and cloud-based, which means operators can start with one piece (typically tachograph analysis) and add other modules as the operation grows.

The tachograph module handles downloads, infringement detection and driver debrief workflows. Around it, operators can add Walkaround (daily vehicle inspection checks), Workshop (maintenance scheduling and defect management), Performance (driver scoring and debriefs via the Manager App), Remote Download (automatic tachograph data collection from the depot), Licence Check, Training, Handbook and Tracking. Everything sits within a single interface, so the transport manager doesn't switch between systems to see the full compliance picture. Convey is listed as a DVSA Earned Recognition Authorised IT supplier, and customer references include Bishopsgate Logistics, Menzies Distribution, SSO Logistics, Grange Travel and Turners (Soham).

Where Convey sits well: UK operators who want a modular compliance and fleet-management platform from a single supplier, with the option to add capability over time.

FleetGo (Tacho360)

FleetGo is a Dutch-origin telematics and tachograph compliance provider, with a UK operation based at Shrewsbury Business Park. Tacho360 is their tachograph analysis module. It runs on the same platform as their vehicle tracking, driver app and journey reporting. That means an infringement isn't just flagged as a row in a report. When it comes to tachograph compliance software specifically, their platform offers a basic solution and when fleets become bigger, and you want to avoid manual work, this will be a bit more tricky to use. What it can do: it can be cross-referenced against where the vehicle was, what the route looked like, and what the driver was doing in the journey app. For operators who run telematics and tachograph as separate systems today, the combined view often reveals issues (for example, a driving-time breach during a known traffic delay) that would otherwise need manual joining-up.

Where FleetGo sits well: operators who do not have a big fleet and are looking for a basic tachograph solution, and where having telematics and tachograph compliance combined under one supplier is a must.

IDHA Online

IDHA Online is the platform of Idha Sweden AB, founded in 2007 and serving large Nordic operators including PostNord and Transdev. The platform is built around automated tachograph download and analysis: driver card and vehicle unit data is collected on schedule, infringements are calculated against EU drivers' hours rules, and driver-level reports are generated for transport managers to action. The analysis depth reflects the platform's maturity in markets where tachograph enforcement has been strict for two decades. UK availability is via Tacho Data Ltd, the UK reseller, who acts as the local support and onboarding partner.

Where IDHA Online sits well: operators with cross-border Nordic operations, or those served well by Tacho Data Ltd as a UK partner.

Microlise

Microlise is a UK-headquartered telematics business based in Nottingham, with offices in France, India and Australia. Their core product is a full fleet-management telematics platform: vehicle tracking, journey planning, driver behaviour scoring, fuel and emissions analytics, and proof-of-delivery workflows. Tachograph compliance is one capability within that wider stack, and in 2022 Microlise acquired UK tachograph specialist TruTac to deepen that side of the offering. For Microlise customers, that means tachograph analysis (via TruTac) can be combined with route data, driver scoring and journey context inside the same supplier relationship.

Where Microlise sits well: larger operators whose primary need is integrated telematics and fleet performance, with tachograph compliance integrated alongside.

Nova Data

Nova Data (Novadata TAB Ltd) is a UK provider based in Braintree, Essex, with a notably broad offering. They are a reseller of existing software and do not build it themselves.

This includes the CT-TachoTEK, which is the tachograph analysis tool they offer: it processes driver card and vehicle unit data, identifies infringements and produces driver and vehicle reports. Operators who'd rather outsource the analysis entirely can use the Online Tachograph Analysis bureau service, where Nova Data's team does the analysis and returns the reports. On top of that, Nova Data offers Driver CPC and Transport Manager CPC training, a Daily Walkaround Check App, hardware (download tools, remote download devices, consumables), and a consultancy arm covering Operator Licence audits, DVSA Earned Recognition preparation, DGSA consultancy and Traffic Commissioner Public Inquiry representation.

Where Nova Data sits well: operators who want software combined with hands-on services, particularly Driver CPC and Transport Manager training, Operator Licence audits, DVSA Earned Recognition preparation, or Public Inquiry representation, from a single UK supplier.

Tachomaster (Road Tech)

Tachomaster, from Road Tech, is one of the longest-established UK tachograph platforms (Road Tech was founded in 1984). The platform handles the full tachograph compliance workflow: automatic data collection from driver cards and vehicle units, infringement analysis against Regulation (EC) 561/2006 and Working Time Directive rules, driver letter generation for the formal debrief, and reports for transport managers. For many years Tachomaster was the default choice across UK haulage, and it remains a familiar name in the sector. The competitive landscape has broadened considerably since, with a new generation of providers entering the market and operators increasingly weighing modern automation, integration depth and user experience alongside heritage.

Where Tachomaster sits well: operators who value a long-standing, UK-rooted tachograph specialist and prefer a platform with a long history in the sector.

TruTac

TruTac is a UK tachograph compliance specialist with 30+ years of history, holding DVSA Earned Recognition (ER) approval. TruTac describes its flagship TruControl product as a "web-based, fully automated digital tachograph analysis and compliance reporting system": it takes in tachograph downloads, automatically detects infringements, calculates working time, generates driver debrief documentation and produces the audit-ready reports DVSA expects to see during a Desk-Based Assessment. Around TruControl sits a wider product range: TruChecks for daily vehicle inspections, TruLicence for ongoing driver licence verification, TruLocation for tracking and remote download, TruFleet for fleet management, and TruAnalysis PSV for bus and coach operators. Following the 2022 acquisition by Microlise, TruTac continues as a focused tachograph compliance brand within the Microlise group.

Where TruTac sits well: operators who want a DVSA-recognised tachograph compliance specialist, particularly those already pursuing or holding Earned Recognition status.

Where Roadsoft fits

Roadsoft is the tachograph compliance platform that covers the full journey, from download to driver follow-up. Hardware collects the data, Task Manager turns it into analysis and audit-ready reporting, and the WhatsApp Assistant closes the loop with the driver. Most providers cover one or two of those layers; Roadsoft is built around all three as a single workflow.

Roadsoft has served European transport operators since 2007 and has over 4,000 transport companies on the platform today. That scale makes Roadsoft one of the leading tachograph compliance providers in continental Europe, and that same depth of capability is now available to UK operators.

The platform covers the full tachograph compliance workflow end-to-end. Automatic driver card and vehicle unit downloads run on schedule through Roadsoft's own hardware (DigiDL and Digifob Pro). Task Manager handles infringement analysis against Regulation (EC) 561/2006 and Working Time Directive rules, with audit-ready reporting for DVSA Desk-Based Assessments and a complete record of downloads, notifications, sign-offs and follow-ups. Where Roadsoft pulls ahead of much of the market is what happens next: rather than handing a list of issues back to the transport manager to chase signatures and document the debrief, Roadsoft automates the driver follow-up directly, using AI to draft the message and WhatsApp to deliver it to the driver in the messaging channel they already use on their phone.

The current product set includes:

• Download — DigiDL and Digifob Pro for automatic and manual tachograph data collection from driver cards and vehicle units
• Analysis — Task Manager for infringement detection, audit-ready reporting and the formal debrief workflow
• Driver follow-up — WhatsApp Assistant sends driver communication and infringement notifications via WhatsApp, the messaging app drivers already have
• Voice Assistant — gives transport managers voice-driven access to compliance data and tasks while on the move

Roadsoft integrates with 500+ OEMs and telematics solutions that UK operators already run, including Ruptela, FleetGo, Verizon Connect, Scania, ZF and DKV.

Where Roadsoft sits well: operators who want a single, end-to-end compliance platform that covers download, analysis and driver follow-up in one workflow, with AI-driven automation removing the manual chase work transport managers carry today.

How to choose: a 10-point checklist

When you're weighing up tachograph software for a UK operation, these are the questions that tend to matter most.

1. Does the platform handle automatic downloads (driver card plus vehicle unit) within DVSA-required intervals?
2. Are records retained for the full statutory periods, with the right format for DVSA requests?
3. How are infringements flagged, communicated to drivers, and signed off?
4. Is there a clear audit trail for a Desk-Based Assessment or operator visit?
5. How does the platform handle the 56-day record requirement for international journeys?
6. Does it integrate with your existing telematics, ERP, or driver app stack?
7. How much manual transport-manager time does the platform realistically save?
8. Does it support Second Generation Smart Tachograph data (DTCO 4.1a) and remote download?
9. What's the commercial model: per driver, per vehicle, per month, or hybrid?
10. How does the supplier handle support, training and onboarding for UK-based teams?

There is no single "best" platform. The right choice depends on fleet size, sector, integration needs, how much automation you want, and how your transport manager prefers to work.

Key takeaways

The UK tachograph software market has clear specialists (Aquarius IT, Convey, Tachomaster, TruTac, IDHA Online) and telematics-led platforms with tachograph modules (Microlise, FleetGo), and providers focused on tachograph software including driver follow-up automation (Roadsoft).

DVSA's enforcement direction, with more remote detection and more risk-based targeting, raises the importance of clean, well-documented compliance workflows. Operators should weigh up sector fit, integration depth, audit-readiness and how much manual time their transport manager is currently spending before locking in a provider.

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