Lost, Stolen or Damaged Tachograph Driver Card: What to Do
Why this matters
Your digital driver card is the primary record of your activities. Without a usable card you still have duties — you do not get a free pass to leave blank days on in-scope vehicles.
This article is about lost, stolen or damaged cards for drivers. It is not a full card-application guide for every EU/UK issuing body.
First actions
- Report a lost or stolen card as required (issuer / police process where applicable)
- Apply for a replacement without delay
- Tell your operator the same day so planning and analysis stay honest
Temporary driving (in-scope vehicles)
Rules allow limited temporary operation while a replacement is arranged, with manual / printout recording of the day’s activities as required for digital units when a card cannot be used. Treat this as an emergency bridge, not a lifestyle.
- Keep the printouts / manual records with you for checks
- Do not invent “OUT OF SCOPE” just because the card is missing
- Stop the temporary pattern as soon as the new card arrives
Damaged card still in the slot
If the card is physically broken, dirty or repeatedly rejected by the VU, treat it as unusable: do not keep forcing it until the unit faults. Clean only if that is a known light-contact issue; otherwise replace.
Common mistakes
- Borrowing a colleague’s card
- “I’ll sort the paperwork next week” while continuing normal digital driving
- Throwing away temporary printouts before the replacement period is closed
Driver habit
Know where your card is at every break. A missing card is an operational incident — handle it like one.
