Do I need a tachograph?
Find out in a minute
This four-step test is based on the logic of Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 and the European Labour Authority’s overview “Tachographs in light commercial vehicles from 2026” (see ELA full guide). It is provided for orientation only — always assess each case individually and consult national guidance where you operate.
Compliance action plan: five steps
Ordered by urgency rather than by logic. Steps 2 and 3 depend on third parties — national card issuing authorities and approved workshops — and can take weeks, so start both the same day.
Confirm which vans are in scope
Review registration documents, permissible mass and actual operations. The obligation covers vans of 2.5–3.5 t used for international carriage of goods or cabotage — and if you tow a trailer, the combination mass counts. Set aside genuine own-account or domestic-only cases only after checking the exemptions below.
Apply for driver and company cards
Issuance can take weeks. Every person who may drive a covered van needs a valid driver card from the national issuing authority; the operator needs a company card to authorise downloads, secure the data and pair vehicles with the enterprise. The company card is also needed before a workshop can lock the tachograph to your business — apply the same day and track expiry dates.
Book a G2v2 workshop slot
You need a smart tachograph version 2 under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1228 — G1 and G2v1 units are not sufficient. Tachographs are not self-installable: installation, activation, sealing and calibration must be performed by an approved tachograph workshop (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/799, Article 22). Workshop capacity is the physical bottleneck, so reserve a slot in parallel with your card applications.
Set up downloads, evaluation and archiving
Download driver cards at least every 28 days and vehicle units at least every 90 days. You need a driver-card reader and a vehicle download key (or remote download where supported), plus a named owner for each task. Use TAGRA for Fleet or our managed service to check infringements, produce reports and archive data for at least one year — often 2–3 years depending on national rules.
Prepare drivers for roadside checks
Brief every driver before their next cross-border assignment: card insertion, manual entries for periods away from the vehicle, and begin/end country entries. Train dispatchers to flag every cross-border van assignment so no covered trip leaves without a valid card and a working unit.
Who is affected — and who isn't
Affected by the new rules
- Operators of cross-border goods transport within the EU, EEA and Switzerland, using vans with a permissible maximum mass of 2.5–3.5 t.
- Operators conducting cabotage with such vans in a Member State other than that of establishment.
- Vehicles where the combination mass (vehicle + trailer) brings the gross weight to or above 2.5 t within the relevant definitions.
- Businesses carrying goods for hire or reward across borders, or own-account where the driver is professionally engaged in driving.
- For UK operators driving into the EU after Brexit, the EU rules apply on the EU leg of journeys; AETR rules apply on Swiss/EEA cross-border legs depending on registration.
NOT affected
- Purely domestic operations within one country (no cross-border leg and no cabotage), subject to national rules.
- Private, non-commercial use not connected with an economic activity.
- Own-account movements where driving is not the driver's main activity, within the exemption in Article 3(h) of Regulation 561/2006.
- Vehicles with permissible mass ≤ 2.5 t and combinations that remain below the threshold.
- Vehicles constructed to carry no more than nine persons including the driver when used for passenger transport outside goods carriage.
I cross a border to pick up materials for my own business
A tradesperson drives a 3.2 t van from Country A to Country B to collect tools and supplies for their own company. If this is own-account carriage of goods, and the driver's main activity is not driving, the exemption in Article 3(h) of Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 can apply. At a roadside check, enforcement will expect the purpose of the journey and the link between driver, business and goods to be clear. Keep documents handy and be ready to explain the trip succinctly.
Reference reading: European Labour Authority and the consolidated legal text on EUR-Lex (Reg 561/2006).
Own-account transport at a roadside check
If you rely on the own-account exemption, be ready to demonstrate it quickly. Officers are trained to ask who owns the goods, what the journey's purpose is, whether the carriage is ancillary to the enterprise, and whether the driver is employed in a role other than professional driving. Clarity and documentation usually decide the outcome.
Document for the goods
Invoice, delivery note, receipt or order confirmation that shows the goods are for your business — not for third-party carriage.
Journey purpose
A short internal note for the driver: where from, where to and why (e.g. "collecting parts for installation at client site").
Driver–company link
Employment contract or written authorisation by the company, plus vehicle paperwork (ownership / leasing / rental) that matches the enterprise.
In practice: the driver should be able to state briefly what they are carrying, where from, where to, and for whom. That usually decides.
Talk to a TAGRA specialist
Direct contact
Our specialists have guided hundreds of operators through tachograph roll-outs. We can help you assess vehicles, plan installations, configure downloads and train staff — whether you run two vans or two hundred.
Phone: +420 739 005 345 · +420 739 544 322
Email: sales@tagra.app
Don't want to do the evaluation yourself?
- Less admin — we download and evaluate data for you
- Deadline tracking — we watch the 28/90-day rules so you don't have to
- Audit-ready reports and secure archives, available on demand
- Compatible with DKV LIVE telematics for remote download
Phone: +420 739 005 345
Email: sales@tagra.app
Further reading
Digital tachograph: how to correctly download, evaluate and archive data
Deadlines 28/90 days, what you need, the correct process, and what inspectors actually check during roadside and company audits.
Read the full guide →Official sources
More from TAGRA
Frequently asked questions
Who is subject to the tachograph obligation since 1 July 2026?
Does a van need a tachograph if it only operates domestically?
Does the obligation apply if the van itself is below 2.5 t but the combination exceeds it?
What do I need beyond installing the tachograph?
How often must data be downloaded?
Which cards are needed?
I'm not a carrier — I occasionally cross a border for my own business. Do I need a tachograph?
How is own-account transport demonstrated in practice?
Is there an exemption for tradespeople / craftsmen?
What is cabotage?
What if I only have a rental van? Who handles the tachograph?
Can I install the tachograph myself, or do I need a workshop?
What penalties apply if I don't have a tachograph after 1 July 2026?
What changes for UK operators after Brexit?
Does it apply where you operate?
EU & EEA operators
Vans of 2.5–3.5 t used for international carriage of goods for hire or reward, or for cabotage, need a smart tachograph version 2 from 1 July 2026 under Regulation (EC) 561/2006 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/1054. Purely national transport within one member state stays outside the requirement. Enforcement and penalties are national.
UK operators
The same 2.5 t threshold applies to hire and reward journeys between the UK and the EU — confirmed by the DVSA under the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Vans that never cross a border stay under GB domestic drivers’ hours rules and need no tachograph. Own-account transport may be exempt where driving is not the driver’s main activity. On international runs drivers must produce 56 days of data. Full guide for UK operators →
In both markets the licence is the real exposure
Fines differ — an EU roadside deposit can reach €8,000 for tampering, UK graduated fixed penalties run from about £50 to over £300 per offence. What ends businesses in either case is the operating licence: repeated missing downloads and unexplained gaps are what regulators act on, which is why operators evaluate data rather than merely storing it.