RHA — 2023-08-23
Land transportation
Firms looking to conduct business in the EU could face penalties if their tachographs aren’t up to date.
As of Monday 21 August 2023, newly registered commercial vehicles must be equipped with the Smart Tachograph Version Two (SMT2). Due to material delays in the availability of the SMT2 devices, a considerable number of new trucks and coaches will not be equipped with the newly required tachograph on time.
As a result, some EU Member States have brought in grace periods for the regulation to apply to new vehicles.
The following is a list of countries who are allowing this grace period and the length of time this extends to:
Austria until 31 May 2024 only for domestic use
France four months for new vehicles sold as complete and six months for vehicles sold as incomplete.
Germany until 31 December 2023
Ireland until 30 September 2023 only for domestic use.
Italy until 30 September 2023
Norway until 30 September 2023
Spain until 31 December 2023
Sweden until 31 January 2024
It is important to note that not all countries have listed whether they allow a grace period. International hauliers should be aware that member states can still enforce the requirement for a SM2 tacho on new vehicles going abroad, in line with local legislation. More information can be found HERE.
SMT2s are the new generation of on-board mandatory digital recorders for driving and resting times.