Read your driver card yourself, without going through your company
Updated on 31 July 2026 · by Yann, working truck driver
Your driver card is your working memory. You don't need to wait for your company to give you access: with a simple reader, you can read it yourself, understand what it contains, and keep a history of your working days.
The driver card records, day after day, your activity: driving, work, availability, rest, as well as the vehicles used and events. It is the reference document for checking your hours and expenses. Good news: reading it requires no professional equipment.
1. It is your right (GDPR)
The data on your card relates directly to you. Under the GDPR, you have a right of access to your own data. Reading your card for your personal information is entirely legitimate: you do not need your employer's consent to view your driving and working days.
2. Which driver card reader should you buy?
It's the question that comes up most, and the answer is a surprise: there is no such thing as a dedicated “driver card reader”. Your card is an ordinary smart card, the same size as a bank card. Any standard smart card reader can read it — there is no need to buy a device sold as tachograph equipment, the kind companies pay several hundred euros for.
The only three things that matter:
✔CCID / PC/SC standard — the universal standard for smart card readers. It's listed on the product page. Without it, neither your phone nor your computer will recognise the reader.
✔Full-size card slot (ISO 7816, known as “ID-1”) — your driver card is the size of a bank card. Readers made for SIM or micro-SD cards won't work.
✔The right connector — USB-C for a recent phone, or USB-A with an OTG adapter. On a computer, any USB port will do.
Readers sold for ID cards in any computer shop meet all three criteria. A model with an Alcor Micro chip costs under €10 and is sold under various brands — it is the chip that counts, not the label. The one used day to day to develop TruckerMaster is a Cherry ST-1044U. The full list of tested readers and recognised brands is on the compatibility page.
3. On Android: a USB reader is enough
The simplest method on an Android smartphone: a small smart card reader connected via USB, through a USB-C / OTG adapter. Insert your driver card, the app reads it, and you get your history directly. No computer or company software required.
1.Plug the smart card reader into the phone's USB-C port (OTG adapter if needed).
2.Insert your driver card, chip facing the reader.
3.Start reading: the app retrieves your working days and displays them.
4. On iPhone and iPad: it depends on the port
On an Apple device with a USB-C port — a recent iPad, iPhone 15 and later — you plug the reader straight in and read the card on the device itself, just like on Android. Direct reading was developed and tested on iPad.
On an iPhone with a Lightning connector (iPhone 14 and earlier), the reader can't be used: you read your card on a computer, then transfer the resulting file to your phone. You then find your full history in the app.
Two ways to transfer the file from computer to smartphone:
-
📄
Import / export a
.jsonfile: a lightweight format containing your pre-formatted data. -
💾
Import the raw card file (
.DDDor.C1B) or an encrypted backup: the original file as produced at reading.
5. What you find on the card
- Daily activities: driving, work, availability, rest, minute by minute.
- Vehicles used and periods of use.
- Events and anomalies recorded by the tachograph.
- Everything needed to reconstruct your working time and compare it with your payslip.
🛠 Read and analyse your card with TruckerMaster
TruckerMaster reads your card (USB reader on Android, or file import from computer for iOS), reconstructs your history, and cross-references it with your payslip. Everything stays stored on your device: your data stays yours.
Read my card for free →🚛 Free during the beta
Download free on AndroidAndroid smartphone · No company account · Free during the beta