In this article we will discuss how the mobility package affects the tachograph and what are the most notable changes from August 21, 2023.

Table of Contents

What is Mobility Pack 1?

In August 2020, a new set of rules for the road transport sector known as "Mobility Package I" became applicable throughout the European Union.

The package of measures aims to ensure proper implementation and enforcement of road transport legislation, thus providing a balance between the  social protection of drivers and the freedom of operators to provide international transport services.

The new provisions introduce amendments to existing rules affecting matters such as:

  • The tachograph device
  • Weekly rest periods
  • Rest facilities
  • Breaks in team driving
  • The return of drivers to their homes
  • Rules on admission to the occupation of road transport operator
  • Cabotage in freight transport
  • The displacement of conductors.

In this article we will discuss how the Mobility Package affects the Tachograph Regulation.

On what dates are tachographs changed?

The evolution of the different types of tachographs according to their date of entry into service has been as follows:

  • Vehicles entered into service for the first time before 1 May 2006 must be equipped with an analogue tachograph.
  • Vehicles entered into service for the first time between 1 May 2006 and 30 September 2011 should be equipped with the first version of the digital tachograph.
  • Vehicles entered into service for the first time between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2012 should be equipped with the second version of the digital tachograph.
  • Vehicles entered into service for the first time between 1 October 2012 and 14 June 2019 should be equipped with the third version of the digital tachograph.
  • Vehicles registered for the first time on or after 15 June 2019 shall install a smart tachograph.

The novelty of the Mobility Package I is the introduction of the second generation smart tachograph changes from 21 August 2023

1.- Automatic positioning of the vehicle

The changes for the tachograph device will be:

The automatic positioning of the vehicle each time the border of a Member State is crossed.

Drivers of vehicles fitted with a second-generation smart tachograph shall not be obliged to enter border crossing information by stopping the vehicle.

So far the position of the vehicle is only done at the beginning, end of the day, and every 3 hours of accumulated driving.

Smart tachographs shall be compatible with location services provided  by Galileo, by the European Geostationary Overlay Navigation System (EGNOS), or with other satellite navigation systems.

The interface with Intelligent Transport Systems, which is optional in the version of the smart tachograph deployed from 15 June 2019 (version 1), should be mandatory in the new version (version 2).

The automatic positioning of the vehicle every time loading or unloading operations are carried out.

To this end, the tachograph shall allow the driver to enter and confirm, in real time, information indicating that the vehicle is being loaded or unloaded or that a simultaneous loading/unloading operation is taking place.

The driver shall enter this information into the tachograph before the vehicle leaves the place where the loading/unloading operation takes place.

The smart tachograph shall also record whether the vehicle has been used for the carriage of goods or passengers.

2.- Tachograph manipulations

Early remote sensing of possible manipulation or misuse using dedicated short-range communications devices (DSRC).

Smart tachographs are designed to communicate with control authorities when the vehicle is in motion.

The aim is to make roadside checks more selective for vehicles whose tachograph may have been tampered with or misused.

The data provided to the supervisory authority relates to the following incidents or data recorded by the tachograph:

  • Most recent attempted security breach,
  • Longer power outage,
  • Sensor failure,
  • Error in motion data,
  • Vehicle movement conflict,
  • Driving without a valid card,
  • Inserting the card while driving,
  • Time adjustment data,
  • Calibration data, including dates of the two most recent calibrations,
  • Vehicle registration number,
  • Speed recorded by the tachograph.

As a novelty, the mobility package I has also provided information on the exceeding of the maximum driving time.

Transport undertakings using vehicles shall be responsible for informing drivers  of the possibility of distance communication for the purpose of early detection of possible tampering or misuse of tachographs.

Under no circumstances shall remote communication for early detection purposes of the kind described in this Article automatically lead to the imposition of fines or penalties on the driver or transport undertaking.

The  competent  control authority may, on the basis of the data exchanged, carry out a check on the vehicle and the tachograph.

3.- Tachograph seals

The novelty of the mobility package is that when seals have been removed or broken for control purposes,  they can be replaced without undue delay by a control officer who is in possession of sealing equipment and a unique special marking.

4.- Crossing borders with the tachograph

For vehicles not equipped with smart tachographs, the crossing of Member States' borders should be recorded in the tachograph at the stopping point as close as possible to the border or after crossing the border.

When crossing the border of a Member State by ferry or train, the driver shall enter the country symbol at the port or station of arrival.

To do this, the driver must enter the data of the country into or from which he leaves by means of an entry in the tachograph.

Drivers shall not be obliged to enter border-crossing information if the tachograph automatically records position data.

This will become a reality for the second generation, second version, smart tachographs, which will have to be installed in vehicles whose first registration takes place from 21 August 2023.

As long as a tachograph of second generation, second version (VDO DTCO 4.1), recording border crossings automatically, is not installed in the vehicle, the driver must act as follows to record border crossings:

How to register border crossings with my tachograph?

  • If I have an analogue Tachograph:

From 20 August 2020

The driver shall enter the symbol of the country  he enters after crossing a border of a  Member State at the beginning of the driver's first stop in that Member State.

This stop shall be made at the stopping place as close as possible to the border or once the border has been crossed.

When crossing the border of a Member State by ferry or train, the driver shall enter the country symbol at the port or station of arrival.

To do this, it shall remove the diagram disc from the tachograph and make the manual annotation.

  • Under the inner timeline of the record sheet (option 1).
  • Between the inner and outer timeline of the diagram disk (option 2, if option 1 is not possible).
  • On the back of it (option 3 if options 1 and 2 are not possible).
  • If I have a Digital Tachograph up to version 3.0 and smart digital, second generation, version 1, DTACO 4.0,

From February 2, 2022

This is a manual registry.

The driver shall enter the symbol of the country he enters after crossing a border of a Member State  at the beginning of the driver's first stop in that Member State.

This stop shall be made at the stopping place as close as possible to the border  or once the border has been crossed.

When crossing the border of a Member State by ferry or train, the driver shall enter the country symbol at the port or station of arrival.

  • If I have a Smart Digital Tachograph, 2nd generation, version 1, DTCO 4.0e

From February 2, 2022

This is a semi-automatic registration

The driver shall enter the symbol of the country he enters after crossing a border of a Member State  at the beginning of the driver's first stop in that Member State.

This stop shall be made at the stopping place as close as possible to the border  or once the border has been crossed.

When crossing the border of a Member State by ferry or train, the driver shall enter the country symbol at the port or station of arrival.

The driver will receive an alert in the DTCO when crossing a border, proposing the current country obtained from the GNSS.

The driver must confirm the entry.

This entry shall contain the position data of the vehicle.

  • If I have Smart Digital Tachographs second generation – Version 2

Automatic registration applicable from August 21, 2023

From 31 December 2024, every driver shall be able to produce, at the request of an authorised controller, any manual record or printed document made during the current day and the previous 56 days.

5.- New symbols in the tachograph

The new functions of the smart tachograph involve the creation of new pictograms,

They are as follows:

A.- Specific conditions, manual inputs:

  • Loading operation
  • Download operation
  • Simultaneous loading/unloading operation
  • Type of cargo: passengers
  • Type of cargo goods
  • Cargo type: Indefinite

B.- Miscellaneous:

  • Digital map / Border crossing
  • Position where the vehicle has crossed the country between 2 countries
  • Position where a loading operation has occurred
  • Position where a download operation occurred
  • Position where a simultaneous loading/unloading operation has occurred

C.- Incidents:

  • GNSS anomaly