According to EU regulations, from 19 August 2024, all member states should carry out tachograph checks using devices for the remote download of RTM parameters via DSRC.
The second-generation smart tachographs allow for the download of 25 RTM parameters. It is worth noting that the first-generation devices allowed the download of 19 parameters.
In addition to errors indicative of manipulation, the new devices will download information from DSRC systems, such as whether the driver is currently exceeding their driving time: continuous, daily, weekly, or even bi-weekly.
Increasing the number of parameters read remotely is expected to significantly increase the detection of infringements across the European Union. However, not all countries currently have the appropriate equipment in place.
Remote controls in the EU
Poland was one of the first countries to launch remote tachograph inspections. Polish services received remote reading equipment in November 2021. A few months earlier, in July, the police in the German state of Saxony started testing equipment with DSRC (the implementation of remote checks in Germany took place in April 2022). The transport inspectorate ILT from the Netherlands, on the other hand, had been using it since August 2021.
The next countries where authorities have been given the tools to enable remote monitoring are:
- Denmark from May 2022,
- The UK, although outside the Union, from August 2022,
- Belgium as of February 2023,
- France as of May 2023,
- Italy as of June 2023,
- Austria, where implementation began in February 2024.
Since last month, equipment with DSRC technology has also been used by the police in the Spanish region of Catalonia. The services there have received eight such devices.
“Czech control units have equipment for remote downloading and control of smart tachographs; we have already recorded checks in the Czech Republic with their use,” said Jan Medveď, Deputy Secretary General and Head of Legislation and International Relations from the Czech transport association ČESMAD Bohemia, to the trans.iNFO editorial team.
The services in Finland also have devices that allow tachographs to be read remotely.
“We currently have about one device per [control] station,” confirmed the Ministry of Transport and Communications there.
In contrast, the Hungarian police do not currently have remote tachograph reading equipment, as the Trans.iNFO editorial team has learned.
Lithuanians also do not yet have the appropriate equipment to read RTM parameters remotely. However, the Lithuanian LTSA inspectorate informed us that it will have equipment using DSRC technology at the beginning of next year.
What data will the authorities check remotely?
According to Article 9(4) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on tachographs used in road transport, only data necessary for targeted roadside checks of vehicles whose tachograph has been manipulated or misused may be transmitted remotely. For first-generation smart tachographs, this applies to a total of 19 parameters.
They must refer to specific recorded events or data, such as:
- The last attempted security breach,
- The longest power interruption,
- Sensor fault,
- Speed or route data error,
- Data conflict related to vehicle movement,
- Driving without a valid card,
- Insertion of a card while driving,
- Time adjustment data,
- Calibration data (including dates of the last two calibrations),
- Vehicle registration number,
- Speed recorded by the tachograph.
The new version of the intelligent tachograph additionally provides information on:
- The time of the last authenticated position of the vehicle,
- Uninterrupted driving time,
- The longest daily driving time in the current and previous period,
- The longest daily driving time in the current week,
- Weekly driving time,
- Bi-weekly driving time.