Time Tracking in Logistics & Transport: The Best Solution for Logistics Companies

Time Tracking in Logistics: Why the Industry Has Unique Requirements

Logistics and transport are the backbone of the economy – and at the same time one of the most challenging industries for recording working hours. Drivers often start before 6 a.m., heading out directly from home or from the depot. Their route takes them through several regions or countries. The vehicle is their workplace, and the smartphone is the only device they always have with them.

At the same time, the industry is subject to one of the most complex working-time regulatory frameworks in Europe: EU social regulations, driving and rest time rules, national working time laws and collective bargaining agreements all interlock – and must all be documented without gaps.

Anyone who relies on paper or unsuitable apps here produces errors every day – with direct consequences for wages, regulatory inspections and their own cost calculations.

The 5 Biggest Problems with Time Tracking in Logistics & Transport

• ✅ No fixed workplace: Drivers and delivery staff start and end their work at changing locations – the depot, a customer's premises, or the road. A stationary time clock does not solve this problem.
• ✅ Driving time vs. working time: In transport, a distinction must be made between driving time, other working time, standby time and rest time. Paper records are error-prone and difficult to prove during inspections.
• ✅ International drivers: Many logistics companies employ drivers from other countries – for example from Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary or Croatia. Single-language systems are operated incorrectly or ignored.
• ✅ Missing route documentation: Which driver completed which route in how much time? Without digital records, post-calculation is impossible – and customer complaints are nearly impossible to refute.
• ✅ Payroll with supplements: Night runs, weekend trips, on-call duties – all with different collective-agreement supplements. Without precise time tracking, payroll becomes a guessing game.

Legal Basis: What Applies to Logistics & Transport

Logistics companies must comply with several regulatory frameworks simultaneously:

Working time law for mobile road transport workers

Directive 2002/15/EC on the working time of mobile road transport workers and national working time law require employers to record working time – for every employee, regardless of whether they work in the warehouse or in the cab. Under the directive, drivers' working time records must be kept for at least two years. Following the CJEU ruling of 14 May 2019 (C-55/18), working time must be recorded with an objective, reliable and accessible system.

EU Social Regulations for Road Transport (Regulation (EC) No. 561/2006)

For journeys with vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, EU-wide driving and rest time rules apply. These are recorded primarily via the tachograph. Important: tachograph data does not replace the working time records required under national law – both systems must be maintained in parallel.

Professional driver qualification (Code 95)

Evidence of initial qualification and mandatory periodic training must be documented and available during inspections – digital records have a clear advantage here.

Important for fleet managers: Competent authorities carry out inspections both on the road and at the premises – and check not only tachograph data but also the company's working time records under national law. Those with gaps face fines under national law – in addition to penalties for driving and rest time violations.

Digital Time Tracking in Transport: A Comparison of 4 Methods

1. Tachograph alone – not sufficient

The digital tachograph records driving times and rest times – but not the full working time required under national law. Loading and unloading times, waiting times, office activities and other working time are not covered. Anyone who relies solely on the tachograph has a documentation gap.

2. Paper and Excel – too error-prone

Manual timesheets in transport are the primary source of payroll errors. Drivers fill in sheets from memory, cross-border trips are incorrectly assigned, and supplements are calculated by hand. The administrative burden in the office is enormous – and so is the error rate.

3. Generic time-tracking app – often incomplete

Many generic apps only record start and stop – without route logic, without project or customer assignment, without multilingual support. For logistics companies with complex routes and international drivers, that is not enough.

4. Multilingual app with GPS and route assignment – the complete solution

Jobilino records working time, routes and breaks on mobile devices via smartphone – in the language the driver chooses, with the GPS location at clock-in and clock-out and assignment to routes, customers or jobs. The data flows centrally into the back office – for dispatching, payroll and regulatory inspections.

GPS in Logistics: More Than Just Location Tracking

GPS data in the logistics context is far more than a monitoring tool. Used correctly, it delivers genuine operational value:

• ✅ Proof at clock-in: The location at clock-in and clock-out shows where a route or job started and ended
• ✅ Route analysis: How long did route A take on average? Where are time losses occurring?
• ✅ Customer evidence: If drivers clock in at the customer, arrival and departure times can be documented in delivery disputes
• ✅ Real-time dispatching: Who is currently clocked in? Which driver can still take on the additional route?

GDPR note: GPS tracking in logistics is permitted – but only during working hours, only for operational purposes and only with transparent notification to drivers. Where employee representatives exist, national law may require an agreement with them. Jobilino captures the location only at the moment of clocking in and out – there is no continuous tracking.

Multilingualism in Logistics: The Underestimated Factor

Many logistics companies employ drivers and warehouse staff from other countries – for example from Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary or Croatia. A time-tracking app that is only available in the local language leads to:

• Incorrectly clocked routes and breaks
• Safety instructions for hazardous goods transport that are not understood
• Mandatory further training documentation that is ignored
• Frustration and high turnover – especially among drivers who are in desperately short supply

Jobilino shows every driver the app in the language they choose – from clocking in to breaks and absences. So even drivers who don't speak the local language know what they are tapping. No detours, no misunderstandings.

Route Time Tracking: What Did Route A Really Cost?

For logistics companies, route time tracking is the most direct path to greater profitability. When every clock-in is assigned to the correct route or the correct customer, data is generated that enables decisions:

• ✅ Which routes are profitable – and which are not?
• ✅ Where does waiting time arise at the customer's premises – and who pays for it?
• ✅ Which driver takes significantly longer than average for the same route?
• ✅ How does the time spent per customer develop over months?

Jobilino for Logistics & Transport: What the App Delivers in Practice

• ✅ Mobile time tracking via smartphone: Drivers clock in at the start and end of a route – directly from the cab, without any additional device
• ✅ GPS location on clock-in: Proof of where drivers clocked in and out – no continuous tracking
• ✅ Route assignment: Clock-ins can be assigned to routes, customers or jobs
• ✅ Break recording: Breaks are documented and taken into account automatically
• ✅ Multilingual: Romanian, Polish, Slovak, Hungarian, Croatian, Serbian, Turkish, German, English
• ✅ NFC clock-in without a network: NFC clock-ins are stored without mobile coverage and sent automatically later
• ✅ Export: For regulatory inspections, time records can be exported as a PDF or Excel file
• ✅ Payroll export: Exports as the basis for payroll

Digital Time Tracking in Your Logistics Business in 3 Steps

• ✅ Step 1 – Set up routes and vehicles: Enter your routes, customers and vehicles in Jobilino once. If needed, attach NFC tags at the depot or at customers' premises.
• ✅ Step 2 – Invite drivers: Download the app, log in, select a language, done. Drivers don't need their own email address – or any IT knowledge.
• ✅ Step 3 – Analyse and export: Daily reports, route analyses, break records – all at the touch of a button. Payroll export instead of retyping.

Conclusion: In Transport, Documentation Determines Profitability and Legal Compliance

Logistics is a low-margin business – every hour that is recorded incorrectly costs real money. Incorrectly billed routes, undocumented overtime, missing break records and gaps during regulatory inspections quickly add up to amounts that wipe out an entire month's profit.

Digital time tracking is no longer optional in logistics. It is the basis for solid records during inspections, fair payroll and cost calculations you can trust.

Try Jobilino now for free – designed specifically for logistics and transport companies with mobile drivers and international teams. No credit card, no commitment, ready to use immediately.