Transport Policy

Access to the market Admission to the occupation   Road haulage General rules Cabotage Driver attestation Hired vehicles   Passenger transport General rules Cabotage

Non-EU countries General Land transport agreement with Switzerland EEA Agreement Interbus agreement

Road charging Infrastructure charging Vehicle & fuel taxes Tolls & user charges for vehicles (including Eurovignette)

Social provisions Driving time & rest periods Tachograph [List of Workshops] Working time Enforcement Form of attestation of activities

Social provisions

The tachograph

Council Regulation (EEC) 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport provides the basis for the analogue tachograph, which records the driving time, breaks, rest periods as well as periods of other work undertaken by the driver.

Council Regulation (EC) 2135/98, which amends Regulation (EEC) 3821/85, provides the basis for the fully digital tachograph. The digital tachograph is a more secure and accurate recording and storage device than the analogue tachograph. This device records all the vehicle’s activities, for example distance, speed and driving times and rest periods of the driver. The system includes a printer for use in road side inspections and the driver has a card incorporating a microchip, which he must insert into the tachograph when he takes control of the vehicle. This personal driver card ensures that inspections remain simple. From 1 May 2006 it is obligatory to install the digital tachograph in new vehicles, having a mass of more than 3,5 tonnes (in goods transport) and carrying more than 9 persons (in passenger transport).

More detailed information on the digital tachograph can be found on: http://www.eu-digitaltachograph.org (Please note that this website is not part of the Europa domain).

On this website you can find full information about the introduction of the digital tachograph in the European Union and European Economic Area countries:

• A presentation of the digital tachograph key elements and
• A presentation of our independent experts.

The Points of Contact Section provides with a list of national organisations that are responsible for the different aspects of the implementation of the digital tachograph, according to their expertise. The Links Section shows additional interesting links that are not directly related to the introduction of the digital tachograph.

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Section brings additional information on various areas related to the digital tachograph:

• General Issues,
• Legal Requirements and
• Specific Questions depending if you are a Driver, a Road Transport Company, a Control Authority or an Approved Workshop.

However it may be that you do not find among FAQ an appropriate answer to your question. In that case you can contact the Help Desk. Independent experts will answer any of your questions within 3 working days, using English, French and/or German language.