Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, ASELSAN Board President Necmettin Baykul, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communication Talat Aydın and TürkTrust Board President Sabri Demirezen were present at ASELSAN for the signature ceremony of the “Digital Tachograph Device Project”.

In his speech at the signature ceremony, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that a new era is beginning in the field of transportation with the agreement they are signing. Stating that Turkey is no longer in a position in which technology is imported but one which exports technology to other countries, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that the contribution of the defense industry in reaching the point where we stand today is considerable and that a significant technological accumulation has been achieved in this field as a country.

Stating that the advanced technology, even though developed for other purposes, has been triggering developments which would address the needs of civilian life, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “In this regard, the digital tachograph devices, built through the cooperation of TOBB UND which is a subsidiary of our Union, ASELSAN and TürkTrust, will be an important first step in commercialization of defense industry technology for use in other sectors.”

Pointing out that a large portion of passenger and freight transportation is carried out via land transportation, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that Turkey has become the second largest country in the world in terms of international road transportation with its 60,000 vehicles fleet operation in Europe, however that the old tachographs are unbecoming of a country in its position.

Stating that the old model tachographs are very susceptible to tampering and that many people have lost their lives in traffic accidents because of this, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “When we look at the world to see how many countries digital tachographs are being manufactured in, we see that the process is bound to only 4 countries worldwide. In this regard we will be achieving a first for Turkey. 50,000 cards produced for digital tachographs will be put to use in digital tachographs we produce, beginning at the start of 2014. This project will ensure that 1 billion Euros stays in the country through savings. This will also help lowering the current deficit. We will export digital tachographs to neighboring countries.”

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu also received information regarding the practical training in ASELSAN from TOBB ETU Industrial Design Department graduate Yiğit Saraçöz.

- “We will achieve this as a team”

ASELSAN Board of Directors President Necmettin Baykul pointed out the importance of the Digital Tachograph Device Project, “Realizing this project in the short term will prevent a significant loss of currency. We will achieve this as a team together with TürkTrust and International Transporters Association.”

Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communication, Talat Aydın reminded that it has been made mandatory to be carrying a digital tachograph on vehicles conducting international transportation and that they have adopted the Digital Tachograph Device Project to address this obligation. Stating that they have chosen TOBB as a partner for themselves, Aydın stated that they have completed the project regarding the tachograph cards on time and that they have produced 50,000 cards to date.

Stating that the digital tachograph device is a part of the system, Aydın said that this device, supplied from abroad would be produced domestically.

- Turkish made digital tachographs will be ready next year

The start of the production digital tachographs as per the agreement signed between TOBB UND Logistics Investment Inc. and ASELSAN is planned for the next year. According to AETR, digital tachographs were made mandatory for all vehicles produced after 2010 which participate in international transportation.
The Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Nihat Ergün stated at an earlier occasion that if the digital tachographs were to be produced in Turkey, the Ministry would provided the necessary support.

- Produced with the highest technology

In addition to complying with EU standards, the Turkish made tachographs will be have such features as GPS tracking, audio warning module, tracking driver behavior. The device will be user-friendly as well as allowing authorities to remotely print out reports. The remote access and data download features will not be necessary for companies which are obligated to keep driver information confidential.

- The device will be exported to 46 countries

The Turkish made tachograph device will be exported to 46 member countries of the AETR, mainly EU countries on a sale and service network established by the TOBB UND Logistics Investment INC.

- Digital tachograph

The tachograph is a device which records the speed of a vehicle as well as the working hours of the driver. Tachograph data is considered crucial especially in checkpoints set up by police. It is also mandatory for the tachograph data to be kept confidential by companies in the EU in addition to road checkpoints. The EU has been using the digital tachograph system since 2006. This has reduced tampering with tachograph devices which have been instrumental in preventing traffic accidents.
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