Time tracking in logistics and transport
what the tachograph does not record
Drivers, warehouse and last mile. The tachograph covers the vehicle; the working-time record covers the whole working day, and they are separate obligations. Geolocation at clock-in, offline mode and 24/7 shifts.
Quick answer: the most expensive myth in transport is "my drivers already have a tachograph, I don't need a working-time record". False, and the confusion is costly. The tachograph records driving and rest times of the vehicle under European regulation; the working-time record (art. 34.9 ET) is a separate obligation that covers the whole day: loading, unloading, waiting, management, warehouse. And for warehouse staff, handlers, forklift operators and the last mile, the tachograph simply does not exist.
The 4 challenges of logistics clock-in
Four groups, four different problems, and one undocumented van that produces the perfect lawsuit.
The driver does not pass by the depot
Goes from home to the truck or clocks in at a client 400 km away. Mobile app with geolocation at the moment of clock-in: the record says where and when the working day started, which is not the same as starting to drive.
The last mile without a tachograph
Delivery vans without a tachograph and with elastic days, the group with the highest claim risk in the sector. App clock-in with a certain time and automatic overtime, the only documentary defence that exists.
The three-shift warehouse
Handlers and forklift operators just like in a factory: PIN kiosk at the entrances (a normal tablet, included in every plan), night shifts crossing midnight and squared-off handovers.
Campaign peaks
November-January reinforcements: onboarding in a minute, offboarding the same, pay per active worker. And the peak overtime, computed daily, not settled in February when it is already a conflict.
Tachograph vs working-time record: the difference that gets you fined
The right combination in 2026: tachograph for its own scope, plus a digital working-time record for everything else. An inspector can ask you for both and compare them.
| Tachograph | Working-time record | |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Driving, rest periods and vehicle availability | The worker's full working day |
| Who it applies to | Drivers of covered vehicles (over 3.5 t, passengers) | All employees: drivers, warehouse, office, delivery staff |
| Regulation | Regulation (EU) 165/2014 and driving times | Art. 34.9 ET (RDL 8/2019) + new digital RD |
| Loading, unloading, waiting and other tasks | Does not reflect them as full working time | Must be recorded |
| Do they replace each other? | NO | NO |
Transport also has its own regulation on working time (RD 1561/1995 on special working days: presence time vs effective work), your record must be able to tell them apart.
How Cleverfy works in a logistics operator
A specific, simple and traceable working-time record, and let your TMS keep optimising routes. Two obligations, separate tools.
Mobile app (iOS/Android)
Drivers and delivery staff clock in with 2 taps and the location of the moment. It also works without coverage: the clock-in is saved with its real time and syncs once the signal returns.
PIN kiosk
In warehouses and docks, on a normal tablet, included in every plan. No proprietary hardware.
24/7 shifts
Night shifts and handovers with a schedule per team. The shift that crosses midnight counts as a single working day.
Configurable breaks and time states
To reflect presence vs effective work according to your collective agreement and RD 1561/1995.
Official app in ChatGPT
Check your working-time data and clock in from the chat itself, with controlled access. No other Spanish time-tracking tool has it.
Reports by site
Warehouse, branch or route, with a 4-year history and traceability. What the new RD will require and what inspectors already ask for.
The maths for a fleet of 15 drivers plus 10 warehouse staff: €30/month on the annual plan. A single serious record penalty (€751-7,500) equals between 2 and 20 years of service.
Record systems for logistics, compared
"The tachograph is enough"
They are separate obligations and the Labour Inspectorate asks for both: it does not cover loading, waiting or management
TMS or route software
They optimise deliveries, they do not meet art. 34.9
A system that "integrates the tachograph"
Legally they are separate records and mixing them raises more doubts than it resolves
Weekly sheets from the delivery driver
No certain timestamp, handed in "when they pass by the warehouse", indefensible
Cleverfy (app + PIN kiosk + web)
Offline, geolocation only at clock-in, serious GDPR, from €1.20/user
What the record must contain (and what the Labour Inspectorate looks at)
In transport the Labour Inspectorate can ask for the tachograph and the working-time record at the same time, and compare them. The systematic unexplained mismatch is the case.
Worker identification
Drivers, handlers, forklift operators, delivery staff, traffic
Start and end of the working day
The WHOLE day: loading, unloading, waiting, management, not just driving
Presence time
Separated from effective work in line with RD 1561/1995
Night work
Warehouse shifts and night routes identified
Overtime
With the annual count visible, campaign peaks drive it up
Workplace
Warehouse, branch or base route
How to roll it out in 5 steps
Separate the groups (1 meeting)
Drivers with a tachograph, last-mile delivery staff, warehouse personnel, traffic/office. Each with their own clock-in path and schedule, do not force everyone through the same funnel.
Define the working-time states
Effective work vs presence time (waiting, availability) in line with RD 1561/1995 and your collective agreement. Configure them as breaks/states: the uniform criterion is your defence.
Paths per group (1 hour)
Drivers and delivery staff: app with geolocation at clock-in and offline mode for docks and regional routes. Warehouse: PIN tablet linked with a single-use QR code. Office: web or Chrome extension.
A one-week trial run
The traffic manager reviews route clock-ins every morning; the warehouse lead, the shift ones. Correction with a trace of the missed entries, which on routes will be several in the first week.
Cross-check routine
Monthly: overtime per worker (alert before the limit), record-vs-payroll reconciliation and, for drivers, reasonable record-vs-tachograph consistency. That cross-check done by you before the inspector is worth gold.
Regional operator with 28 employees
The situation: a regional parcel operator, 12 van drivers (last mile, no tachograph), 10 warehouse staff on two shifts, 6 in traffic/administration. Record: weekly sheets that the delivery drivers hand in "when they pass by the warehouse".
The risk: the delivery drivers leave at 7:30 and return the van "between 17:00 and 19:00, depending on the day". Nothing recorded with a certain time. Two disputed departures claim regular 10-hour days: without a record, the presumption favours them, the exposure exceeds €15,000 in differences and overtime, plus the penalty.
The result with Cleverfy: €33.60/month on the annual plan. First finding from the report: the coastal route consumes 90 minutes more than the rest, the zone split is rebalanced and the 10-hour days disappear in three weeks, documented. The two pending claims are negotiated down: since the rollout, there is data.
Frequently asked questions about time tracking in transport and logistics
Other sectors
The tachograph looks after the truck. Cleverfy, after the working day
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