Terms around drivers and fleet

Pre-departure check

Check of the vehicle by the driver before the start of every shift under § 36 DGUV Regulation 70: controls and safety equipment such as lights, brakes and tyres; defects are reported.

More: Pre-departure check by app

ADR certificate

Training certificate for drivers of dangerous goods transports, valid for five years. It is renewed with a refresher course and an exam in the last year before expiry.

More: Checking the ADR certificate

Working time recording (drivers)

Employers must record the start and end of daily working time (Federal Labour Court, BAG, 13.09.2022, 1 ABR 22/21). In road transport, working time must be recorded, kept for at least two years and handed to the driver as a copy on request (§ 21a (paragraph 7) ArbZG, German Working Hours Act). Rest breaks: 30 minutes for more than 6 hours, 45 minutes for more than 9 hours, in blocks of at least 15 minutes (§ 4 ArbZG).

More: Time recording by app

DATANORM

File format in which manufacturers and wholesalers supply article data with texts, prices and discount groups to trade businesses, commonly in version 4.0.

More: Jobs and job reports

DDD file

Download file from a digital tachograph, from the driver card or from the mass memory of the vehicle unit. The data is signed by the card or vehicle unit; for inspections the original file counts.

More: Tachograph downloads

Downloading the driver card and mass memory

Copy driver card data to the company no later than 28 calendar days, mass memory data no later than 90 days after recording, with a backup copy (§ 2 (paragraph 5) FPersV); keep for one year from copying (§ 4 (paragraph 3) FPersG).

More: Tachograph downloads

E-invoice

Invoice in a structured electronic format under the European standard EN 16931 that allows electronic processing, such as XRechnung or ZUGFeRD from version 2.0.1 (except the MINIMUM and BASIC-WL profiles). Receiving them is mandatory between German companies since 1 January 2025; issuing them from 2027 (prior-year turnover over €800,000) or 2028.

More: Invoicing with e-invoices

Driver card

The driver's personal card for the digital tachograph, valid for five years. The driver applies for renewal no later than 15 working days before expiry.

More: Checking the driver card

Driver qualification card (FQN)

Proof of the qualification of professional drivers under the German Professional Drivers' Qualification Act (BKrFQG), as code 95 on the driving licence or as an FQN card. Training comprises 35 hours in five years.

More: Checking FQN and code 95

Driver safety briefing

Instruction of employees on safety and health protection under § 12 ArbSchG (German Occupational Safety and Health Act), on hiring, when things change and at least once a year after that, documented (§ 4 DGUV Regulation 1). Only persons who have been instructed and designated by the employer may drive vehicles on their own (§ 35 DGUV Regulation 70).

More: Driver safety briefing in the app

Logbook order

If the driver cannot be identified after a traffic offence, the authority can order the keeper to keep a logbook for one or more vehicles (§ 31a StVZO). For stopping and parking offences, the keeper then bears the costs of the proceedings (§ 25a StVG).

More: Answering keeper enquiries

Driving licence check

Check by the vehicle keeper, usually the employer, that a driver holds the required driving licence. Anyone who lets someone drive without a licence commits a criminal offence under § 21 StVG (German Road Traffic Act), even through negligence.

More: Electronic driving licence check

HU and SP (roadworthiness test and safety inspection)

Roadworthiness test (HU) and safety inspection (SP) under Annex VIII StVZO. Cars every 24 months for the HU, trucks over 3.5 t and buses every 12 months, heavy trucks, buses and trailers also for the SP.

More: Inspection deadlines for vehicles

Job report (Rapportzettel)

Work report of a trade business on a job at a customer's site with working time, materials and the customer's signature, the basis for billing by time and materials. If the VOB/B (German construction contract rules) applies, they are called hourly wage slips; if the client does not return them within six working days, they are deemed accepted (§ 15 (paragraph 3) VOB/B).

More: Digital job report

Rest period (drivers)

Daily rest period of at least 11 hours (§ 5 ArbZG, Art. 8 Regulation (EC) 561/2006), for drivers subject to driving time rules reducible to 9 hours no more than three times between two weekly rest periods; weekly rest period no later than after six 24-hour periods. Working time in road transport at most 60 hours per week, 48 on average (§ 21a ArbZG).

More: Duty roster with checks

UVV inspection

Inspection of company vehicles by a competent person under § 57 DGUV Regulation 70, as needed, at least once a year.

More: Inspection deadlines for vehicles

ZUGFeRD

Hybrid invoice format: a PDF/A-3 for reading with an embedded XML file (Cross Industry Invoice) for machine processing; the German name of the German-French standard Factur-X.

More: Invoicing with e-invoices

All guide articles