Road-rail vehicle and VGP glossary

AMM

Market authorisation (autorisation de mise sur le marché). Its role and scope must be kept separate from working conditions and network access rules.

Field app

Interface used during a job to view a mission and produce a report, with offline operation where the workflow has been designed for it.

Fitness for the mission

Operational conclusion reached for a given context based on the machine, its configuration, documents, competencies and applicable rules.

Driving authorisation

Authorisation issued by the employer to operate a piece of equipment within a defined scope, after the required checks.

Work authorisation

Element of the rail process described for certain works vehicles; it must not be confused with the employer's driving authorisation.

CACES

Certificat d'aptitude à la conduite en sécurité, the French operator competence certificate. It helps assess knowledge and skills but doesn't replace the driving authorisation.

Maintenance logbook

Structured history of operations, findings, parts and decisions relating to keeping a piece of equipment in working order.

Configuration

The actual combination of the machine, its equipment, accessories, settings and functions at the time of a mission.

Scheduling conflict

An overlap between two requests, an unavailability or a maintenance constraint that needs resolving.

Pre-departure check

Checks defined by the organisation before a mission. Their content depends on the equipment, the context and the procedures.

Individual competency record

Document required under the rail framework in force from April 2026 for the safety-critical tasks concerned.

Road-rail dumper

Load-carrying equipment adapted for off-track and on-track work, depending on its design and limits of use.

Road-rail vehicle

A machine able to operate off-track and on-track thanks to a rail fitting. This capability does not amount to a universal authorisation.

Rail equipment

A sub-assembly enabling or securing use on track: guidance, running gear, braking, shunting or another function depending on the design.

Machine record

Identification reference that links the machine to its configuration, documents, events, statuses and owners.

CMMS

Computerised maintenance management system: organising equipment, jobs, preventive plans, parts and history.

Offline

A mode in which the necessary data is available locally and actions are synced once the connection returns.

Unavailability

Status preventing or limiting the assignment of a machine, with a reason, an owner and a condition for reopening.

Shunter

Rail traction and shunting vehicle. It is only road-rail if its design also includes an off-track mode.

Corrective maintenance

Action carried out after a fault is detected to restore the expected function, under a controlled decision and procedure.

Preventive maintenance

Planned operations based on time, usage or condition rules to reduce the likelihood of failure.

Rolling stock

A railway term often associated with locomotives, wagons and trains; it must not be used as an automatic synonym for a road-rail vehicle.

Road-rail MEWP

An elevating work platform designed or adapted to operate on-track and off-track, within the configurations and limits set.

Road-rail excavator

An excavator fitted for travelling and working on track, whose tools, load charts, rail components and mission conditions must be identified.

Audit trail

A dated sequence of data, documents, actions and decisions that lets an event be reconstructed without overwriting the history.

QR code

A camera-readable identifier that can open a record. By itself it is not proof of compliance.

Field report

A report linked to a mission and a machine, including the answers, findings, attachments and identities required by the template.

Reservation

A finding or non-conformity to be qualified and dealt with. The term alone doesn't automatically determine the machine's fitness.

RFN

Réseau ferré national, the French national rail network. Its rules must not be applied without analysis to urban networks, private sites or other infrastructure.

Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230

The EU regulation whose current consolidated version provides for general application from 14 January 2027, to be factored into monitoring by stakeholders depending on their role and products.

Shunting

A function linked to track-occupancy detection in certain contexts; its requirements depend on the equipment and the operation.

Synchronisation

The controlled transfer of local data to the central system, with explicit statuses and conflict-resolution rules.

Safety-critical task

A rail task identified under the framework in force, associated with training, competency and tracking requirements.

Traceability

The ability to link a piece of information to its author, date, subject, version and the decisions that follow from it.

VGP

Periodic thorough inspection intended to detect deterioration likely to create a hazard. Its scope and frequency depend on the equipment and its use.

A glossary is not a set of regulations

The operational meaning of a term can vary depending on the equipment, the network, the manual, the contract or the safety management system. Keep to the exact terms used in the documents that apply to your case.