New 56 day tacho rules - an FAQ

HGV and coach drivers conducting international journeys will have to keep 56 days of driving records on board their vehicles from Tuesday 31 December.

Operators carrying out international journeys with analogue or original digital tachographs have until 31 December to upgrade to Gen II Smart Tachographs.

Firms using newer Gen I Smart Tacho have until 18 August 2025 to fit necessary upgrades to Gen II Smart Tacho.

We have put together the following frequently asked questions regarding the updated regulation to help operators make the change

Does this affect drivers that don’t travel to Europe?

No, the requirement is only applicable to drivers who travel to Europe. Currently the requirement does not apply to UK only drivers. DVSA have confirmed that the Department for Transport will conduct a consultation in 2025 as to whether the new requirement should apply to UK.

Will operators need to replace their tacho cards?

No, tacho cards will still be valid until its expiry date, but you must ensure you have 56 days of data available.

Does this apply to drivers of vehicles that have the first-generation smart tachos?

Yes, it will apply to all drivers on journeys into Europe from 31 December regardless of the type of tacho fitted to the vehicle. First generation Tachos will need to be replaced by 19 August 2025.

If operators have older generations of tacho cards, will they hold 56 days of journey data?

Yes, whilst it was thought that this might be an issue, it appears not to be the case. However, it might be prudent for drivers to do a data download, as it will depend on the data storage facilities of the card as to whether it will be able to retain 56 days of records.

SM2 cards will have no issues, SM1 may have capacity limits

Is there a grace period?

There’s been no indication that there will be any grace period. We fully expect that new rules will be rigidly enforced.

What is acceptable form for a manual record?

Manual records can be kept on the rear of an analogue tachograph card, on VU printout paper or by manual input on a digital or smart tachograph where possible.

Will drivers need previous analogue charts from older vehicles for any journeys they’ve driven in the past 56 days?

Yes, if the driver is travelling into Europe on a journey, they’ll need to produce analogue charts used prior to 1 January 2025 as evidence as part of the records for the previous 56 days, regardless of how those records are held. It would not be acceptable to use an analogue tachograph in the EU after 31 December.

Does the new regulation apply to light goods vehicles?

All light commercial vehicles whose maximum permissible mass is between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes and which are engaged in international transport or cabotage activities will have to be equipped with a GEN2 Smart tachograph from 1 July 2026

Will the need for 56 days of records only start when the driver enters Europe?

No, regardless of when the journey takes place, the driver will need to be able to produce records for the previous 56 days.

Has this changed the requirement to download the driver card every 28 days to every 56 days?

No. Operators must continue to download data from digital and smart tachographs (known as the Vehicle Unit or VU) every 90 days and from driver cards every 28 days and analyse the information to ensure that the rules have been complied with.

You can read more on the regulation changes on the European Commission website.

Something we missed? Email [email protected] with your question regarding the tacho changes.