In a press release concerning the talking tachograph and other technical developments, Continental said its partnership with the ZeKju startup had allowed it develop a platform to help drivers comply with their legal obligations, supported by real-time tachograph data, available in the cloud via the company’s VDO Link service.
“When a driver has registered with the tachograph using his driver card, he can use his smartphone to register for the talking tachograph via a QR code. The driver will then receive a message on his preferred smartphone messenger when a situation arises where compliance is essential,” explains Continental.
Among other things, the technology can alert drivers via smartphone to remind them to change country codes after crossing a border. For those who need it, tachograph training videos can also be viewed via the service.
“Almost all drivers have a smartphone, but they usually don’t want to download yet another app,” says Thorsten Stuke, co-founder of ZeKju. “We believe that the talking tachograph messages delivered to them on their preferred messenger channel will make their day-to-day lives much easier.”
Last month, Trans.INFO spoke to Timo Ketterer, Head of Service Product Management at Continental, regarding the future of tachograph technology and what possibilities may come on stream when future tachograph generations arrive. You can read the interview here.