Tachograph and driver card requirements

Requirements applying to tachographs:

• The tachograph must be approved, activated and calibrated
• Both digital and analogue tachographs must be inspected every two years
• Only approved tachograph workshops may perform work on the tachograph

Analogue or digital tachograph?

Vehicles registered after 9 December 2006 must have a digital tachograph installed. For vehicles registered before this date, the driver may choose between an analogue or a digital tachograph.

If an analogue tachograph breaks down, it must be replaced with a digital one.

All drivers are required to operate the tachograph so that time periods and other necessary details of information are recorded separately and clearly.

The following time periods must be registered in the tachograph separately and clearly:

• Driving time
• Other work
• Availability time
• Interruptions in work time, breaks or rest periods

In addition, you must register the country where you start and end your working hours, and enter information about other work you have performed before you start driving.

Use of switches or buttons 

All drivers are required to operate the tachograph so that time periods and other necessary details of information are recorded separately and clearly.

Driving time

• Other work
• Availability time
• Interruptions in work time, breaks or rest periods
• In addition, you must register the country where you start and end your driving, and enter information about other work you have performed before you start driving.
• In cases of “multi-manning”, i. at least two drivers in the vehicle, the driver card of the active driver must always be in card slot number 1 in the tachograph, otherwise it will register the wrong type of activity. You will then have trouble documenting that you have followed the rules

  Important to register correctly

• Your employer will know how long you have been working, thus being able to ensure compliance with rules and obligations concerning working hours. Availability time is not considered working hours or rest.
• You must personally be able to document to an inspector that you have followed the rules. In many tachographs, the switch will automatically register other work when you stop. You must then set the tachograph to “rest” manually if you are finishing your work there and then.
• How long you have worked in one day determines when you have to take your daily rest period. The daily rest must be completed within the 24-hour period starting from the time when you started working (whether this was driving or other work).

Driver card

Anyone who carries out transport services that are subject to drivers’ hours regulations, and who operates a vehicle equipped with a digital tachograph, must hold a driver card. 

Read more about driver cards and how to apply for a driver card here:
Apply for a driver card