On July 1, 2026, one of the most talked-about points of the Mobility Package came into force. Since that day, vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) from 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes performing international transport of goods must be equipped with a tachograph. For carriers operating “vans,” this is a major change in how routes are planned, drivers are hired, and documentation is managed.
The rules already apply, and BALM (formerly BAG) and ITD inspections cover vans too. A missing tachograph or missing DDD files means a risk of high fines and downtime in your orders. In this article, we cover what you need to know about the obligations in force since July 1, 2026.
Who exactly is affected by the tachograph obligation in vans?
The new rules do not cover every delivery vehicle on the road. Three parameters are key here: vehicle mass, type of transport, and its territorial scope.
Since July 1, 2026, a tachograph has been mandatory for vehicles that collectively meet the following conditions:
- Their GVW is between 2.5 t and 3.5 t (including the mass of any trailer/semi-trailer).
- They perform international road transport of goods or cabotage.
- They provide commercial transport services.
If your vehicles operate exclusively on domestic routes within one country, these regulations do not apply to you at this time.
Important exceptions - who does not have to install a tachograph?
EU law provides for specific exemptions. The following are exempt from the installation obligation:
- Transport for own account (non-commercial): If you are a furniture manufacturer and transport your own products to a customer abroad in your own van, the tachograph does not apply.
- Craft transport: This includes vehicles carrying materials, equipment, or machinery for the driver’s use in the course of their work, provided that driving the vehicle is not the driver’s main activity and the route is within a 100 km radius of the enterprise’s base.
Van driver working time: limits since July 1, 2026
A tachograph in a van means that van drivers follow exactly the same norms for driving time, breaks, and rest periods that have applied to heavy transport (above 3.5 t) for years.
Since July 1, 2026, van drivers have been subject to the following rules:
- Daily driving time: Maximum 9 hours (can be extended to 10 hours twice a week).
- Driving breaks: After 4.5 hours of driving, the driver must take at least a 45-minute absolute break (this can be split into 15 minutes and 30 minutes, in that specific order).
- Weekly driving time: Maximum 56 hours, and in any two consecutive weeks - no more than 90 hours.
- Rest periods: A regular daily rest of 11 hours is required, as well as weekly rests (minimum 45 hours).
This completely changes the game in dispatching. Route planning, which used to rely on maximizing van throughput, must now account for rigid pauses.
Technology: Which tachographs need to be installed?
It is not enough to install just any device. Regulations require the installation of Smart Tachographs Version 2 (G2V2). These devices automatically record, among other things, border crossings and the vehicle’s position during loading and unloading.
The market leader and the standard preferred by most European carriers are VDO devices. They guarantee reliability and full compatibility with EU inspection systems.
DDD files - bureaucratic burden or digital assistant?
The installation of the device is only half the battle. Owning a tachograph imposes an obligation on the company to regularly download, archive, and analyze so-called DDD files (data from the tachograph itself and from the driver card). According to the law:
- Data from the driver card must be downloaded at least every 28 days.
- Data from the tachograph (from the vehicle’s mass memory) at least every 90 days.
In the event of a company inspection, the absence of these files results in very severe financial penalties and, in extreme cases, the loss of the transport license. Manually downloading this data by running around the yard with a reader for every van returning to base is a logistical nightmare.
That is why the integration of the tachograph with telematics systems, which download DDD files fully remotely and automatically to the company server while the vehicle is on the road, is becoming the standard today.
Penalties for a missing tachograph
Since July 1, 2026, penalties for lacking a tachograph in international transport have been severe. According to the current tariffs of European inspection services, driving without the required recording equipment is a Most Serious Infringement (MSI). Fines reach thousands of euros and often end with a ban on further driving until the violation is rectified - which means grounded cargo and an avalanche of costs.
Van without a tachograph? How to retrofit your fleet now
If some of your vans run abroad without a tachograph, do not put the installation off. Every such trip risks a fine and a vehicle stopped on the road.
Telematics experts from Onyx work with the DBK service network. The rollout looks like this:
- Check your fleet. Identify the 2.5-3.5 t vans that run abroad or perform cabotage, and those that use an exemption. Document the exemptions.
- Book the installation. At a selected DBK point, at a time convenient for you, technicians install and calibrate a G2V2 tachograph.
- Connect telematics. Onyx telematics in a Plug-and-Play model shows where the vehicle is and downloads DDD files remotely to your office.
- Set procedures. Plan routes and schedules within the working time limits. Keep to the download intervals: driver card every 28 days, tachograph every 90 days.
This way your fleet runs within the rules, and DDD files reach your archive without manual downloads in the yard.
Contact Onyx experts and plan the installation of VDO tachographs at the nearest authorized DBK point.
