Convert Tachograph Files to PDF

Digital tachograph files (.ddd, .tgd, .v1b, .c1b) are encrypted binary documents designed for machine reading, not for human consultation. To review your records without specialized hardware, you need to convert your tachograph file to PDF—the industry standard for clear data visualization.

Whether you are a driver preparing for a labor dispute or a fleet manager organizing an internal audit, converting your data to PDF ensures that your driving times and rest periods are readable on any device.

What’s Included in Your PDF Report?

Our conversion engine doesn't just "show" text; it decodes the tachograph binary stream into a structured summary:

• Activity Timelines: A chronological view of driving sessions, work, and availability.
• Rest Compliance: Clear highlighting of insufficient daily or weekly rests.
• Technical Events: Logs of speeding, power interruptions, and sensor faults.
• Verification Metadata: Driver ID, vehicle VRN, and card expiration dates.

How the Conversion Process Works

To convert a tachograph file correctly, you must use a tool that decodes the Tacho-specific encryption.

Convert it for people — keep the original for authorities

A PDF is genuinely useful. It is readable, it can be emailed, a driver can check their own week without software, and a manager can discuss it without opening a binary file. None of that is in dispute.

What a PDF is not is the evidence. It is an interpretation of the data produced by whichever tool made it — and two tools can present the same file differently without either being wrong.

What carries evidential weight is the original file and its digital signature, which is the only thing proving the contents were never altered. An archive made only of PDFs fails at the exact job it exists to do.

The practical arrangement

• Keep the original as it came off the card or the vehicle unit, named so you can find it, for as long as the retention period requires.
• Generate PDFs freely for drivers, managers and meetings. They are working documents — they can be regenerated any time.
• Never let the conversion be the archive. If the original is discarded once the PDF exists, the record has been thrown away and something that looks like it has been kept.

Where a PDF is exactly the right answer

One case where the printed version is not a convenience but a requirement: when the card is damaged, lost, stolen or simply not with the driver. Then the day has to be recorded on printouts, annotated by hand with the driver's name and licence or card number, and signed.

Those sheets are the record for that period. Unsigned, they are just paper — the signature is what turns a printout into a statement.

Professional Fleet Management Solutions

For transport companies, converting one file at a time is not enough. TachoTools provides an advanced ecosystem designed for large-scale fleet compliance:

• Bulk PDF Generation: Convert entire folders of files in a single click.
• API Connectivity: Integrate PDF generation directly into your company’s internal ERP.
• Secure Archiving: Store your converted reports for the legally required period of 1 to 5 years (depending on local regulations).

Discover which solution fits your volume on our Plans and Features page.