Digital tachograph

A digital tachograph is the mandatory recording device in commercial vehicles that electronically logs driving time, breaks, rest periods and vehicle activity. Its current generation, the G2V2 smart tachograph (second generation, version 2), adds satellite positioning and remote enforcement functions introduced under the EU Mobility Package.

What are the tachograph generations?

Four types of device are still found in vehicles on Europe’s roads, although only the last of them can be fitted to a new vehicle:

• Analogue tachograph: records onto a paper chart disc. Being phased out of international transport.
• Digital tachograph (G1): the first generation of electronic devices, without satellite positioning.
• First-generation smart tachograph (G2V1): adds GNSS and DSRC remote reading for roadside checks; fitted from 15 June 2019.
• Second-generation smart tachograph (G2V2): mandatory in vehicles registered from 21 August 2023, with automatic border-crossing records, a 56-day driver card and the ITS interface.

Retrofit deadlines for older devices in international transport are covered in the driver working time entry.

What does a G2V2 smart tachograph record automatically?

G2V2 units record the exact location and time of every EU member-state border crossing automatically, using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). This removes the earlier requirement for drivers to stop and enter country codes manually. Drivers can additionally log the start and end times of loading and unloading operations together with their geographic location. The entry itself is not strictly mandatory, but a complete activity record supports compliance and operational transparency.

How much data does a G2V2 tachograph store?

The extension to 56 days applies to the driver card, not to the vehicle unit. New-generation driver cards hold twice the previous 28 days, which matches the period a roadside check covers after the Mobility Package changes. The vehicle unit stores data for much longer, at least a year, and has done so since the first digital tachographs.

The practical consequence is that the driver card is the bottleneck: once a card is full, its oldest entries are overwritten, so card data has to be downloaded more often than vehicle unit data.

How do roadside checks work with a G2V2 tachograph?

Enforcement officers read a defined data set remotely over DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communication), expanded in G2V2 from 19 to 25 parameters. This covers real-time monitoring of continuous driving time, daily, weekly and two-weekly driving periods, and GNSS position. That data set enables preliminary checks without physically stopping the vehicle. G2V2 units also detect manipulation attempts such as magnets or external switches, detect motion-sensor faults, and use authenticated GNSS signals (OSNMA) to protect data integrity.

Is a G2V2 tachograph compatible with existing telematics hardware?

G2V2 introduces a mandatory Bluetooth interface for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), which connects the tachograph to fleet management systems, mobile applications and on-board computers. Devices built for earlier tachograph generations often do not work with G2V2 units, so replacing the tachograph without upgrading the connected hardware can break remote .ddd file downloads and live vehicle tracking. In frameLOGIC, remote tachograph download handles the data pull for G2V2 fleets. An integrated software-update capability lets G2V2 units adapt to future regulatory changes.

How often must a tachograph be downloaded and calibrated?

The operator’s obligations run on two independent cycles. Downloads: driver card data is downloaded at least every 28 days and vehicle unit data at least every 90 days; the downloaded DDD files are kept for at least a year. Calibration: the tachograph needs a periodic inspection at an authorised workshop every two years, and also after any repair, after a tyre change that alters the effective rolling circumference, and after a change of the vehicle’s registration number.

Both cycles tend to be treated as paperwork until the first check. In practice, a missed download is an infringement in itself, whether or not the driver kept to the limits: the inspector has no way of verifying a period whose data has been lost.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a digital and a smart tachograph?

Every smart tachograph is a digital tachograph; the “smart” designation refers to the newer generations with GNSS positioning, DSRC remote reading and the ITS Bluetooth interface. G2V2 is the second version of the second (smart) generation.

How long does a G2V2 tachograph store driver data?

A new-generation driver card holds 56 days of activity, up from 28 days in earlier versions, which is the period a roadside check covers after the Mobility Package changes. The vehicle unit is a different matter: it stores data for at least a year, and that limit has not changed.

What is a driver card and how long is it valid?

A driver card is a personal chip card that identifies the driver to the tachograph and stores a record of their activity. It is issued by the authority of the country where the driver normally resides and is valid for five years. It pays to apply for a replacement well before expiry: driving without a valid card is an infringement, and waiting for the new card is not a mitigating circumstance.

Can authorities read a tachograph without stopping the vehicle?

Yes. Over DSRC, enforcement services remotely read 25 data parameters from a G2V2 unit, including continuous driving time, daily, weekly and two-weekly driving periods, and GNSS position. This serves as a preliminary check to decide which vehicles to pull over.