What is a digital logbook, and does it replace paper?
In short
A digital logbook (in Hungarian: menetlevél) is a vehicle logbook generated automatically from the vehicle's telematics data: the route, the stops, the driver's identifier, the odometer reading and the fuel consumption are recorded by the system, not written by the driver. The FleetControl app, which also works offline, is suitable for presentation to the authorities, in 10+ languages, with 56 days of data — because under Article 36 of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, from 31 December 2024 drivers must be able to present the data for the current day and the previous 56 days at a roadside check.
How is it produced?
The logbook is not entered manually: the system automatically feeds in the route, fuel consumption, odometer reading, tachograph- or RFID-based driver identification and the status of the private-trip switch. A stop is also created when a door is opened or the tachograph card is changed. A note and a file (e.g. a photo) can be attached to each line from the app — and it appears immediately on the office interface as well.
Why 56 days? — the legal background
Article 36 of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 (as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/1054) requires that, from 31 December 2024, drivers present the data for the current day and the previous 56 days at a roadside check. This is exactly why the FleetControl app keeps 56 days of driver and vehicle data on the phone — even without internet access, and displayable in the inspector's language. During a check abroad, the driver does not leaf through stacks of paper but provides proof on a single screen.
And the mandatory paper journey forms? (international occasional services)
For international occasional passenger transport by coach and bus, a separate travel document is mandatory: within the EU, the journey form under Regulation (EC) No 1073/2009 (from a book of journey forms issued by the authority; it must be completed before the journey starts, and the original must be kept on board until the end of the journey and presented at the request of the authorities), and towards third countries, the book of journey forms under the INTERBUS Agreement. The digital logbook does not replace these paper documents — but the system provides the data needed to complete them (route, times, kilometres, driver), and their settlement and records can be tracked digitally.
What happens to the logbook data?
The trip records are a summary of the logbooks: daily and periodic breakdown, business and private kilometres separated, with opening and closing odometer readings. ESG-relevant data (fuel consumption, CO₂, distance) is also recorded in the logbook lines — so the ESG report is not a separate task.
Legal references
Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, Article 36 (consolidated version, 31.12.2024) · Regulation (EU) 2020/1054 · Regulation (EC) No 1073/2009 (journey form for international occasional services and cabotage) · INTERBUS Agreement, Articles 6 and 10
Frequently asked questions
What if there is no mobile signal?
The app works fully offline as well; the data is synchronised when the connection is restored. The 56 days of data are on the phone — no internet is needed to present them.
Can private trips be separated?
Yes, with the private-trip switch: private trips appear separately in the trip records, both in kilometres and in time.
Can it be used on domestic scheduled services?
Yes — and what is more, with tachograph-card-based driver identification, the logbook is automatically linked to the driver there too.