Key points:
- The driver covered 2,667 kilometres in just over 48 hours and spent more than 31 hours driving.
- He claimed the van had no tachograph, but officers found a taped-over device hidden inside the cab.
- Police ordered a 45-hour break and collected 1,000 euros as financial security. The carrier could still face additional penalties.
- From July 1, 2026, EU tachograph and driving-time rules also apply to certain international transport operations using vans with a gross vehicle weight above 2.5 tonnes.
The vehicle was stopped on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at around 2:45 p.m. Officers carried out the inspection on the A1 motorway near the Mahndorf interchange in Bremen. The Serbian-registered van was travelling from Portugal to Denmark, with a 32-year-old man at the wheel.
According to an official statement from Bremen police, the driving-time and rest-period check quickly raised concerns. The driver first told officers that the vehicle was not fitted with a tachograph. A closer inspection showed that a device was in fact installed in the cab, but had been covered with tape and concealed from view.
The driver said his manager ordered handwritten records
During the inspection, the driver claimed that his manager had instructed him to record his driving time by hand. Officers nevertheless searched the vehicle more thoroughly.
They located the installed tachograph and compared its data with the paperwork presented by the driver. The records differed significantly.
Police determined that the driver had covered 2,667 kilometres in just over 48 hours on the journey from Portugal to Bremen. The tachograph showed that he had spent more than 31 hours driving, including repeated stretches lasting several hours without a break.
Police did not say why the tachograph had been hidden or who had ordered it to be covered. Their statement also does not indicate that the stored data had been tampered with. The device’s records were nevertheless enough for officers to verify the handwritten logs and reconstruct the journey.
Mandatory stop and 1,000 euros in security
The inspection ended with a ban on further driving and an order to take a 45-hour break. Officers also collected 1,000 euros as financial security. That amount should not be confused with the final penalty for the infringements.
The case has been referred to Germany’s Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (BALM), which will handle the next stage of the proceedings. According to police, the operator could face further fines amounting to several thousand euros. The final figure has not yet been announced.
German officers stressed that driving-time and rest-period rules are designed not only to protect road safety, but also to prevent drivers from being pushed beyond safe limits.
Tachographs in vans: new requirements took effect in July
The Bremen stop comes amid increased scrutiny of light commercial transport. However, it should not automatically be presented as an enforcement action under the newer rules for vans weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes.
From July 1, 2026, EU regulations extended the requirement to use second-generation smart tachographs and comply with driving-time and rest-period limits to vehicles and vehicle combinations with a gross vehicle weight above 2.5 tonnes when they are used for covered international carriage of goods or cabotage. For vehicles weighing more than 2.5 but no more than 3.5 tonnes, however, the requirement does not apply to every type of transport operation.
German authorities showed within the first few days that the new rules would be enforced. As reported in July, during an operation on the A7 motorway near Kirchheim, inspectors found three vans without the required tachographs. Their drivers were penalised, and the vehicles were barred from continuing until the violations had been corrected.
Polish authorities also reported a van inspection toward the end of July. Data from a Romanian carrier’s tachograph showed 16 hours and 37 minutes of driving without properly completing the daily driving period. The longest uninterrupted stretch without the required break lasted 6 hours and 40 minutes.
It is important to note that Bremen police did not disclose the stopped van’s gross vehicle weight or the precise legal basis used to assess the violations. The vehicle was also from Serbia, meaning that AETR rules may also be relevant to transport involving non-EU countries. The September inspection therefore should not be described as a direct example of a carrier being penalised for failing to install a smart tachograph under the new EU requirement for 2.5- to 3.5-tonne vans.
Installing a tachograph is not enough—the data must reflect reality
For carriers, the most important lesson is clear: having a tachograph in the vehicle does not protect an operator from enforcement action if the driver breaches the limits and the documentation does not match the actual journey.
Under the EU system, the standard daily driving limit is 9 hours. It can be extended to 10 hours no more than twice a week. After 4.5 hours of driving, a break of at least 45 minutes is generally required. A regular daily rest period is at least 11 hours, subject to the exceptions and reductions provided for in the rules.
The requirement is therefore about more than buying and installing a device. A tachograph must make it possible to establish how long the driver actually drove, when they rested and whether their activities were recorded correctly.
The Bremen inspection also demonstrated that concealing the device does not necessarily prevent authorities from reconstructing a journey. Officers accessed the data, compared it with the handwritten records and stopped the van from travelling any farther.
For companies arranging international transport, the case is another reminder that compliance responsibility does not end when a driver receives the keys. Route plans and delivery schedules must allow for the required breaks and rest periods. Otherwise, the consequences may include not only a fine, but also a mandatory stop in the middle of a job.
