Driver-Company Affiliation: How Drivers Get PRO Features for Free
Most professional drivers don't think about paying for tachograph analysis software — that feels like something the company handles. And they're right. TachoCard's affiliation system is built on exactly that principle: the company pays for fleet compliance, and every affiliated driver automatically gets full PRO access as part of the deal.
Here's exactly how it works and why it matters for both sides.
The Problem It Solves
Without affiliation, a driver has two options:
- Free plan — 1 upload per month, basic dashboard metrics, 90-day data retention. Good for occasional checks, but not enough for a working driver who uploads weekly.
- Pay for Driver PRO — €2.99/month or €24/year out of their own pocket.
Meanwhile, their employer has a company account that already covers unlimited uploads and all reports for that driver. Why should the driver pay twice for data that the company also processes?
The affiliation system eliminates this duplication.
How Affiliation Works
From the company's side: The fleet manager invites a driver by sending an affiliation invitation code from the TachoCard company dashboard. This takes about 30 seconds per driver.
From the driver's side: The driver receives the invitation (via email or a code shared directly), accepts it in their own driver account, and the affiliation is immediately active. No form-filling, no waiting.
What changes after affiliation:
- The driver's account automatically upgrades to PRO access — all reports, unlimited uploads, full AI risk analysis, 12-month data retention
- The driver's compliance data now appears in the company's fleet dashboard
- The company is billed for the driver as part of their per-driver subscription
- The driver retains their own login and can still manage their personal account independently
What Drivers Get With PRO (Free via Affiliation)
Once affiliated, a driver has access to the full Pro feature set:
| Feature | Free | PRO via Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Uploads per month | 1 | Unlimited |
| Data retention | 90 days | 12 months |
| Reports available | 3 basic | All 10 driver reports |
| AI Risk Rating | ❌ | ✅ |
| PDF / Excel / CSV export | ❌ | ✅ |
| Real-time EU limit tracking | ❌ | ✅ |
| Cost to driver | €0 | €0 (paid by company) |
The real-time EU limit tracking is particularly valuable for drivers on the road: after each data upload, the dashboard shows exactly how much driving time is left for the day and week, how many 10-hour extensions remain, and when the next compulsory weekly rest must start.
Privacy and Control
A common question from drivers: "If I'm affiliated, does my employer see everything?"
Yes — within the application, affiliated driver data is visible to the company's authorised users. This is inherent to how fleet compliance works: the company is legally responsible for driver compliance and needs to be able to see the data.
However:
- The driver retains their own login and can view their own data independently
- The driver can terminate the affiliation at any time from their account settings
- After termination, the company can no longer see new data, and the driver's account reverts to its standard plan (free or whatever the driver has paid for)
- TachoCard's Privacy Policy governs exactly what data is shared and how it can be used
For Companies: Why Affiliation Matters
From a fleet management perspective, affiliated drivers are significantly more valuable than unaffiliated ones:
- Complete data picture — you see every upload, not just what you processed yourself
- Driver-initiated uploads — drivers can upload their own cards from home or away from base, keeping your fleet data current between depot card readings
- Instant alerts — the driver's 28-day download countdown and compliance status update in real time
For compliance-critical situations — a roadside inspection, a driver hours dispute — having complete, up-to-date data for every driver is invaluable.
How to Get Started
Drivers: Create a free TachoCard account at app.tacho-card.com. If your employer has already sent you an invitation code, you'll be prompted to link accounts during registration.
Companies: Set up a company account (15-day free trial, no credit card required), then go to the Drivers section and use "Invite Driver" to send affiliation invitations. You can manage all pending and active affiliations from the Affiliations section.
The affiliation model is designed so that compliance benefits flow in both directions — companies get more complete data, drivers get PRO tools for free. If you're a driver whose employer uses TachoCard, ask your fleet manager for an invitation code.