The year 2025 is already in full swing – and that means that a large proportion of the commercial vehicle fleet in Europe should now be using the new, smart second-version tachograph in cross-border traffic. However, the reality is quite different: many market participants were still hesitant at the end of the year and now face heavy penalties. But there is still time to upgrade, as there is a two-month educational learning period.
In principle, the legal requirement to replace old analog or digital tachographs of the first generation in all vehicles with a permissible total weight of more than 3.5 tons in cross-border traffic with a new smart tachograph of the second version by December 31, 2024, has not been changed. Nevertheless, shortly before the holidays, the European Commission and the member states (Comitology Register) jointly decided to grant the market a two-month educational learning period. This is to help fleets to catch up on any missing retrofits. From January 1 to February 28, 2025, the European control authorities will show grace and refrain from imposing penalties and sanctions.
High penalties from March 1st
But after March 1, 2025, there will be no excuse. If a check is carried out and it is found that a truck is on the road with an outdated tachograph, the same fine will be imposed as if there were no tachograph at all on board. In this case, the fine in Germany, for example, is 1,500 euros, and in the Netherlands it is as much as 4,400 euros for each violation. In other European countries, such as Greece, there is even the threat of vehicle immobilization. In Cyprus, prison sentences are also possible.
Who needs to take action now?
Fleets that still use vehicles over 3.5 tons in international transport and that use an old analog or first-generation digital tachograph must take action now and upgrade to the VDO DTCO 4.1, for example.
Find a VDO partner workshop near you here and make an appointment for the mandatory retrofit to the second version of the smart tachograph!
