When is the smart tachograph mandatory and on which vehicles?

What the law says (in brief)

• The tachograph is governed by Regulation (EU) 165/2014, amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/1054 in the Mobility Package.
• Retrofit deadlines apply to vehicles engaged in international transport, not to those running purely domestically.
• The device automatically records border crossings, so inspections easily verify cabotage and posting.
• Data is downloaded periodically: the driver card and the unit memory, at the intervals set by law.
• Tampering with or disconnecting the tachograph is heavily sanctioned, including loss of good repute.

Practical example

Example: a courier company with 8 vans of 3.5 tonnes delivering to Hungary and Austria falls under the obligation from 1 July 2026. It must book installation in an authorised workshop for all 8 vehicles, apply for driver tachograph cards and start downloading data periodically.

Common mistakes

• Postponing the installation to the last month, when authorised workshops are full.
• Fitting the device but not applying for driver tachograph cards, so the vehicle still cannot leave legally.
• Downloading data too rarely and losing records, which is sanctioned at inspections.
• Assuming vehicles under 3.5 tonnes will never be covered; the obligation extends to over 2.5 tonnes in international traffic.

How 4transports helps

• You can record tachograph calibration and check dates in the vehicle's maintenance or notes.
• 4transports does not read or download tachograph data and does not compute driving hours.
• The driver record holds the licence and professional certificate expiry.