Good news for anyone who missed the original December 31, 2024, deadline for retrofitting their tachograph: The EU Commission has decided on an information and educational phase, so that affected vehicles still have until February 28, 2025, to replace their old analog or digital tachographs of the first generation with the new intelligent tachograph of the second generation (DTCO® 4.1). However, after this date, the following will apply: All commercial vehicles over 3.5 tons that are used in international transport may only drive with the DTCO® 4.1 if they have been using an older model.
But the next retrofit deadline is already lurking: Vehicles in this weight class that are already equipped with a smart tachograph of the first version (e.g. DTCO® 4.0 or 4.0e) must be converted to the latest version by August 19, 2025, at the latest, provided that they operate across borders.
Those who ignore the deadlines risk heavy fines. In Germany, fines of up to € 1,500 can be imposed after the respective retrofitting deadline has expired – in the Netherlands, the penalty can be as high as € 4,400. Thanks to modern DSRC-RP technology, violations can also be detected remotely by the control authorities without vehicles having to be stopped.
So don't wait too long! With 3.5 million trucks in Germany alone, workshop appointments could become scarce the closer you get to the deadline. Incidentally, retrofitting is particularly efficient as part of the regular tachograph inspection.
Make an appointment now at a VDO partner workshop and avoid unnecessary costs, unpleasant fines and long downtimes!
Here you can see at a glance which tachograph version must be replaced by the smart tachograph of the second version by which deadline, including an explanation on how you can determine the respective model:
All information on the new cabotage regulations, the associated facilitations for driving personnel and the professional access requirements are available in our whitepaper on EU Mobility Package I:
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