Until now, only the start and ending point of a trip has to be stated, but that will change with the Mobility Package from February 2022. The smart tachographs of the first generation are not so smart, because they are not capable of automatic registration of a border crossing. “Because the smart tachographs of the second generation are not yet available, truck drivers who carry out international journeys are given the additional task of manually registering border crossings,” explains Isabelle De Maegt, spokesperson for the professional federation Febetra.

It is not yet entirely clear where this manual registration should take place. European regulations state that this must be done at the first stop at or just after the border crossing. “We urge Europe to clarify this even further,” says De Maegt.

The second-generation smart tachographs that automatically register border crossings are expected by the summer of 2023. At that time, vehicles registered for the first time will be equipped with the second-generation devices. “A year later, in the summer of 2024, trucks that were first put into service before 15 June 2019 and deployed abroad, must also be equipped with a second-generation smart tachograph.”

For the first time in history, Europe is making the retrofit mandatory. That is adapting the truck to new requirements. Vehicles that came into service for the first time from 15 June 2019 and which already have a smart tachograph of the first generation, will only have to be equipped with a smart tachograph of the second generation by the summer of 2025 if they are used for international journeys.

Source: Flow