When do vehicles over 2.5 tonnes need a tachograph?

From 1 July 2026, vehicles exceeding 2.5 tonnes performing international freight transport in the EU must use a smart tachograph, as required by EU Regulation 2020/1054.

Which vehicles are affected by the 2.5 tonne tachograph rule?

All vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes (vans, light trucks, flatbeds) used for international freight transport in the EU are affected. This includes Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, Volkswagen Crafter, Renault Master, and similar vehicles.

What app can I use to read my tachograph driver card?

TachoData is a mobile app for Android and iOS that reads your driver card via USB card reader, Bluetooth, or front download device. It provides infringement reports based on EU 561/2006, attendance sheets, and deadline tracking.

Do I need a tachograph for my van from July 2026?

Yes, if your van exceeds 2.5 tonnes gross mass and you perform international freight transport in the EU, you will need a smart tachograph installed and a valid driver card from 1 July 2026.

TachoData - Tachograph App for Drivers

My files on the web portal

After a successful sign-in the portal opens your files page — a table listing every .ddd driver-card file you have ever uploaded to your TachoData account, with the most recent at the top.

What you see in the table

Each row of the file list shows the following columns:

File name — the original filename generated by the mobile app at upload time (encodes date, time, card ID, device type, etc.)
Driver card — the driver card number, e.g. HUG00002396690. One file corresponds to one card.
Size — the file size in kilobytes
Uploaded — date and time of the upload, formatted in your current language convention
Actions — the Download button (see the next manual page)

Where do the files come from?

Every file that you ever uploaded to your TachoData account through the mobile app appears here. The web portal only displays and offers downloads — uploading is still done from the mobile app (USB card reader, Bluetooth, or direct tachograph download).

One account, one driver card

TachoData's business model binds one driver card per account. Within any given month the account accepts only that same driver card — managing multiple drivers in parallel under a single account is not supported. If you are a company that needs to handle several drivers, each driver must use their own TachoData account with its own subscription.

If you change country, or move to a member state whose driver-card re-issue process does not preserve the previous card's serial number — so the new card carries a different identifier — you can switch to the new card at the next monthly billing cycle. An active subscription is bound to one specific card, and the monthly turnover is the natural moment for the switch.

Need to manage multiple drivers as a company?

If you would like to manage several driver cards within one company, please let us know by email — a dedicated fleet workflow is in development and we are happy to take your needs into account.