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Driver card
Read your card with a USB card reader on Mac or Android, or import a .DDD file anywhere. Shifts, breaks, rests and distance fill in by themselves. Your diary is never touched.
Made in the UK by a working HGV driver
Your hours,
checked to the minute.
Driver card, EU drivers' hours, pay and timesheets — on iPhone, Mac, Android and the web.
Scroll to start the shift ↓
04:00 · Card in, checks done.
Tap Start my shift. The app logs your start and keeps an eye on the clock for you.
Every minute counted.
Driving left today counts down as you drive. No maths at five in the morning.
Break due in 15 minutes.
A heads-up before you go over, and the break counted the way the rules count it: 45, or 15 + 30.
Rules checked to the minute.
561/2006, split rest 3 + 9, double crew, WTD 60 h and the 48 h average — checked live, every shift.
Know when you can start tomorrow.
Earliest legal start, 10 h days and reduced rests left — before you leave the yard.
14:00 · Card out, into the reader.
A £10 USB reader on your phone or Mac. Every day on the card lands in your calendar in seconds.
And the paperwork does itself.
Infringements, pay and an A4 timesheet — PDF or CSV, on every device.
EU 561/2006 as retained in GBRoad Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005Gen1 & Gen2 driver cardsNo ads · no tracking
Everything a driver checks, in one place
The paper diary, the tacho printout and the pay calculator, finally talking to each other.
✓
Rules checked to the minute
Breaks incl. 15 + 30, daily and weekly driving, split rest 3 + 9, double crew, weekly rests and the two-week rule, night work, WTD 60 h and the 48 h average. Verified against a commercial analysis service on a real card.
⏱
Next shift
Earliest legal start, driving left today, this week and fortnight, 10 h days and reduced rests left, and a split-rest tip during the shift.
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Calendar like a tacho report
Month coloured by hours, week rows with duty first, the rest after every shift, a year of weekly rests, and a day view with activity lanes and driving blocks.
£
Pay and timesheets
Hourly or day rate, nights, weekends, bank holidays, overtime and guaranteed hours. A4 timesheet as PDF or CSV, the same on every device.
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One account, every device
An optional HGV account keeps iPhone, Mac and Android in sync. Without it, everything stays on your device. Export or delete it any time.
Driver card
Plug in the reader. Every day on your card, in seconds.
Put your tachograph driver card in a USB smart card reader and connect it to your Mac or Android phone. The app reads the card, saves the signed .DDD file and shows you, day by day, what it will change before you tap Apply.
iPhone: import the .DDD file from Files, Mail or AirDrop. Card reading over USB is on Mac and Android.
Which reader do I buy?
The reader we use every day
A small USB smart card reader for contact chip cards, about £10 on Amazon. No drivers, no app, no power supply.
Tested with HGV Driver Companion
See it on Amazon
Zoweetek ZW-12026-1 smart card reader, USB-C
| Plug | USB-C (our one). Also sold with USB-A. |
|---|---|
| Standard | ISO 7816, USB CCID (PC/SC), T=0 and T=1 |
| Cards | Contact chip cards 5 V, 3 V and 1.8 V (Class A, B, C), incl. Gen1 and Gen2 tachograph driver cards |
| Power | From the phone or computer (bus powered) |
| Size | 8.4 × 6.5 × 1 cm |
| Shows as | “EMV Smartcard Reader” on Android |
| Works on | Android phones and tablets with USB-C, Mac (USB-C or USB-A) |
Pick the USB-C version for a phone.
See all compatible readers (10)▾
All are USB contact smart card readers (ISO 7816 / CCID), the same type as ours. Only the Zoweetek is tested by us; the others should work the same way.
Zoweetek ZW-12026-1 Tested
The one in our photos. Reads Gen1 and Gen2 driver cards.
View on Amazon ↗
Xforevery Smart ID Card Reader
Sold for tachograph driver cards, works with phones
View on Amazon ↗
Trust Primo Smart Card Reader
Trusted brand, plain and simple · phone needs a USB-C adapter
View on Amazon ↗
Rocketek USB Smart Card Reader
Small CAC/ID reader · phone needs a USB-C adapter
View on Amazon ↗
USB Smart Card Reader for tachograph cards
Adapter in the box, contact chip slot
View on Amazon ↗
2-in-1 Smart ID Card Reader
Both plugs on one cable
View on Amazon ↗
HID Omnikey 3121
Desk reader used in many transport offices
View on Amazon ↗
ACS ACR39U-NF PocketMate II
Pocket reader, card goes in fully, great with a phone
View on Amazon ↗
ACS ACR39U-UF
Well-known brand, listed for tachograph cards
View on Amazon ↗
ACS ACR39U-N1 PocketMate II
Same reader with USB-A, for Mac or PC
View on Amazon ↗
Price bands are a guide; the price on Amazon is the one that counts. All links open Amazon.co.uk, which delivers to most of Europe.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra.
✓ Look for
“smart card reader”, “ID / CAC reader”, “EMV chip reader”, “ISO 7816”, “CCID”, “plug and play”. A slot you push the chip card into.
✗ Avoid
NFC or contactless readers, SD / memory card readers only, and bank card readers with a keypad and screen.
Quick check
On Android, plug it in. If the phone asks “Open HGV Driver Companion to handle … Reader?”, it works.
See every day, minute by minute
Driving blocks, breaks and the counter that resets them, exactly the way the rules count.
Mac
At home, on the big screen
The native Mac app reads your card, shows the whole month at a glance, lists every infringement with what would have avoided it, and prints timesheets. One purchase covers iPhone and Mac.
Web app · Windows
Any computer, same account
Open app.hgvapp.com on any laptop or PC, sign in with your HGV account and everything from your phone is there: calendar, limits, timesheets and pay. Changes sync both ways.
Reading the card on Windows
Browsers are not allowed to talk to card readers, so on Windows install our small free HGV Card Reader. Put the card in the reader and it goes straight to your account and the web app.
Download for WindowsWindows 10 and 11 · free · works with the readers above. Not signed yet: if Windows says “Windows protected your PC”, click More info → Run anyway. On Mac and Android the app reads the card itself.
Simple pricing
Free
£0
- Log shifts and breaks
- Live shift with break reminders
- Today's limits and Next shift
- Calendar
- Read and import your driver card
- Alerts, pay rates, emergency numbers
Premium
£2.99/month
or £19.99 a year
- Timesheets and pay, PDF and CSV
- Statistics and shift history
- Activity & Limits, weekly view, infringements report
- Documents wallet with expiry alerts
- Holiday planner
- One subscription on every device: iPhone, Mac, Android and the web app
Subscriptions renew automatically. Cancel any time in your App Store or Google Play account.
Questions drivers ask
Does it replace my tachograph?
No. Your digital tachograph and driver card stay your legal record. HGV Driver Companion helps you plan, check and keep track. Compliance disclaimer.
Which rules does it check?
EU Regulation 561/2006 as retained in GB law and the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005: breaks, daily and weekly driving, daily rest incl. reduced and split 3 + 9, double crew, weekly rest incl. the two-week rule and compensation, the 6-hour WTD break, night work, 60-hour weeks and the 48-hour average over your reference period.
Do I need an account?
No. Everything works on one device without signing in. Create an HGV account only if you want the same data on iPhone, Mac and Android.
What happens to my data?
No ads, no analytics, no tracking. Without an account your data stays on your device. With one, it is stored on our own sync server and you can export or delete it in Settings → Account. Privacy policy.
Will my diary be overwritten by the card?
Never. The card fills start, end, driving, other work, POA, breaks, truck and distance. Deliveries, collections, trailers, expenses, night out and notes stay exactly as you wrote them.
How do I cancel Premium?
iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions. Android: Google Play → Payments & subscriptions.