HGV Driver Companion Get the app

Made in the UK by a working HGV driver

Your hours,
checked to the minute.

Read your tachograph driver card, see every infringement before the office does, know exactly when you can start tomorrow, and print a proper timesheet. On iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac and Android.

Free to log shifts. Premium £2.99 a month or £19.99 a year. New versions are in store review now; links go live as soon as Apple and Google approve.

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.

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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.

✓

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.

▦

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.

⇄

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.

Which reader do I buy? →

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.

Zoweetek reader with a tachograph driver card, plugged into an Android phone running HGV Driver Companion Zoweetek USB-C smart card reader Zoweetek reader with its USB-C cable
Tested with HGV Driver Companion

Zoweetek ZW-12026-1 smart card reader, USB-C

PlugUSB-C (our one). Also sold with USB-A.
StandardISO 7816, USB CCID (PC/SC), T=0 and T=1
CardsContact chip cards 5 V, 3 V and 1.8 V (Class A, B, C), incl. Gen1 and Gen2 tachograph driver cards
PowerFrom the phone or computer (bus powered)
Size8.4 × 6.5 × 1 cm
Shows as“EMV Smartcard Reader” on Android
Works onAndroid phones and tablets with USB-C, Mac (USB-C or USB-A)
See it on Amazon

Pick the USB-C version for a phone. We earn nothing from this link.

Other readers of the same type

These are standard USB CCID contact readers like ours, so they should work the same way. We have only tested the Zoweetek above.

Xforevery Smart ID Card ReaderUSB-A and USB-C, sold for tachograph driver cards · about £10 Rocketek USB Smart Card Reader (CAC)USB-A, add a USB-C OTG adapter for a phone · about £9 USB Smart Card Reader for tachograph cardsUSB-A with a USB-C adapter in the box, contact chip slot · about £9
ACS ACR39UUSB-A, well-known brand, works with Mac and Android via OTG
HID Omnikey 3021 / 3121USB-A, common in transport offices
Identiv SCR3310 / uTrust 2700 RUSB-A, long-running standard readers
Axagon CRE-SMPC / CRE-SM3TCUSB-C pocket readers

✓ 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.

Day view with activity timeline Driving blocks and breaks Activity and limits with weekly rests Timesheet and pay
HGV Driver Companion for Mac: Activity and Limits

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 on app.hgvapp.com is coming soon, with the same account.

Simple pricing

Free

£0

  • Log shifts and breaks
  • Live shift with break reminders
  • Today's limits and next shift
  • Driver card import
  • Calendar and compliance checks

Premium

£2.99/month

or £19.99 a year

  • Timesheets and pay, PDF and CSV
  • Weekly view and infringements report
  • Documents wallet with expiry alerts
  • Holiday planner
  • Works on all your devices

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.