European Union trucking companies met yesterday’s deadline to install new smart tachograph devices in heavy-duty vehicles that cross borders, completing a years-long transition that almost failed earlier this year, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) recently announced. All trucks registered in one EU country but operating in others must now have the G2V2 smart tachograph version 2 installed. The August 19 deadline marked the final step in upgrading from older analog, digital, and first-generation smart tachographs. Transport operators struggled with device shortages and technical problems that nearly derailed the rollout in December.
The smart tachograph rollout has been happening in stages over several years to give the trucking industry time to adapt. New vehicles have needed G2V2 devices since 2023, while existing trucks doing international runs got until December 2024 to upgrade from older systems. But supply chain problems, workshop delays, and technical glitches left many operators scrambling. The International Road Transport Union had to lobby for extensions to prevent massive disruptions to cross-border freight.
The new G2V2 devices do more than just track driving hours like older tachographs. They automatically register when trucks cross borders and let enforcement officers access data remotely without stopping vehicles. This helps authorities monitor whether drivers follow EU rules about rest periods, cabotage operations, and worker posting requirements. IRU’s Raluca Marian said operators made “extraordinary financial and planning efforts” to catch up after the initial delays. She praised the European Commission and member states for listening to industry concerns and granting the needed extensions.
The technology represents a big step toward digitizing European road transport, though Marian noted they’re “still far from the European Commission’s self-set target of paperless cabins by 2030.” The next major deadline hits July 1, 2026, when smaller freight vehicles weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes will need smart tachographs for international work. These light commercial vehicles will also have to follow the same driving time limits and worker posting rules that already apply to big trucks.
For transport policy experts and logistics professionals, this successful rollout shows how industry lobbying can prevent regulatory disasters when implementation timelines prove unrealistic. The grace periods probably saved thousands of small trucking companies from going out of business or abandoning international routes. The staged approach also demonstrates how complex it can be to digitize traditional industries, even with years of preparation. The upcoming requirements for smaller vehicles suggest the EU is serious about applying the same standards across all commercial transport, regardless of truck size.
