The clock is ticking. July 1, 2026, is fast approaching, and with it comes one of the most talked-about points of the Mobility Package. After years of discussion and transitional periods, vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) from 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes performing international transport of goods must be equipped with tachographs. For thousands of carriers operating “vans,” this represents a massive revolution in how routes are planned, drivers are hired, and documentation is managed.
We are at a critical moment. There are less than two months left to adapt your fleet to the new reality. Lack of knowledge about the new regulations is not only a risk of massive fines during BALM (formerly BAG) or ITD inspections but also a direct path to losing the continuity of your orders. In this article, we break down what you really need to know about the upcoming changes.
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.
As of July 1, 2026, a tachograph becomes 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 - new limits
The implementation of tachographs is, in fact, an enforcement of exactly the same norms for driving time, breaks, and rest periods that have applied to heavy transport (above 3.5 t) for years.
As a reminder, from July 1, van drivers will be subject to the following ironclad 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 until now relied 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 and the risk of delay
Penalties for lacking a tachograph in international transport after July 1 will be 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.
The June paralysis at service centers. How to prepare your fleet wisely?
This brings us to the biggest challenge facing carriers. There are tens of thousands of vans up to 3.5t performing international transport. The processing capacity of authorized tachograph service centers is limited.
Leaving installation for mid-June is a huge risk that you simply won’t find an available slot, and your vehicle won’t be able to go abroad in July. Additionally, market forces are ruthless - the closer to the deadline and the higher the workshop occupancy, the more expensive the services will be. On the other hand, many business owners fear early installation - they argue that if they install the tachograph in May, their drivers will immediately have to drive according to the limits, losing a competitive advantage before July 1.
The Solution: A “Smart Implementation” Strategy
To solve this logistical stalemate, telematics experts from Onyx, in cooperation with the DBK service network, have developed a two-stage vehicle preparation model:
- Stage I (Now): Infrastructure preparation and telematics start. At a selected DBK point, at a time convenient for you, technicians install the wiring. They lay the cables, mount the sensors, and prepare the space in the vehicle’s cockpit. Already at this stage, you can connect Onyx telematics (in a convenient Plug-and-Play model), so you immediately know exactly where your vehicle is. The process is non-invasive for your current operational work. Most importantly - the tachograph itself is not yet plugged in and activated, so until July 1, your driver is not subject to the limits imposed by the device.
- Stage II (Just before July 1): System activation. A few days before the regulations enter into force, the tachograph itself is plugged in and a quick calibration is performed. At that point, the system automatically integrates with the already functioning telematics, which immediately begins to remotely and automatically download DDD files to your office.
Thanks to this approach, you skip the June queues at workshops, avoid service price hikes, maintain operational flexibility until the last moment, and start July 1 with a ready, fully legal fleet and modern GPS monitoring.
It is not worth waiting to see what June brings. Secure the continuity of your orders now. Contact Onyx experts and plan the installation of VDO tachographs at the nearest authorized DBK point. You will do it without stress, downtime, and on partner terms.
How many vehicles in your current fleet will require retrofitting with G2V2 tachographs before the July deadline?
