This lorry drove 634 km while tachograph showed only 301

The inspection took place in Saint-Jean-d’Angély, in France’s Charente-Maritime department. During a review of data from the lorry, officers from the motorised unit in Saintes identified a significant discrepancy between the distance recorded by the tachograph and the vehicle’s actual distance travelled.

The discrepancy amounted to 333 kilometres. The driver eventually handed over the remote control and admitted that he had used it to conceal driving time.

301 km recorded, 634 km travelled

The tachograph indicated that the lorry had covered 301 kilometres. The inspection showed that the actual distance travelled was 634 kilometres. The driver admitted using a remote control that allowed him to interfere with the tachograph, meaning that part of the vehicle’s activity was not recorded correctly.

The tachograph infringement was not the only breach. The driver was also unable to provide the required Community transport licence during the inspection. In response to the violations, French authorities demanded a deposit of 3,750 euros.

France: up to 30,000 euros and one year in prison

The deposit demanded in this case is only one of the potential consequences of tachograph tampering in France.

Under the French Transport Code, falsifying electronic data or unlawfully modifying equipment used for monitoring can result in a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to 30,000 euros. A vehicle found to have been tampered with may also be immobilised until it has been returned to a compliant condition.

Separate penalties apply to the improper use of a driver card. Driving with another person’s card, using a card that does not meet legal requirements or operating without the required card in the tachograph can result in up to six months in prison and a fine of up to 3,750 euros.

The French case also shows that tampering does not necessarily involve the familiar use of a magnet. A remote control can serve the same purpose, allowing the driver to influence the system from inside the cab.

Sweden introduces prison terms for tachograph tampering

New Swedish rules on tachograph tampering and serious tachograph-related abuses have been in force since 1 August 2026. The Swedish parliament approved the changes in June.

Under the new rules, tachograph tampering can result in a fine or a prison sentence of up to one year. The offence covers falsifying, blocking or deleting data stored by the tachograph or driver card, as well as using a vehicle fitted with equipment that enables such interference.

The legislation also applies to anyone who manufactures, develops, owns, distributes or sells devices designed to manipulate tachographs. Those activities can likewise carry a prison sentence of up to one year.

Swedish police have also gained the power to conduct personal searches of drivers in strictly defined circumstances, for example where there are grounds to suspect serious abuse involving another person’s driver card. The rules further expand the ability to search vehicles for tampering devices.

Poland: up to five years in prison

In Poland, tachograph interference can also become a criminal matter if it affects the vehicle’s odometer reading. Article 306a of the Criminal Code states that anyone who changes the reading of a motor vehicle’s odometer or interferes with the accuracy of its measurement may face between three months and five years in prison.

The same liability may apply to anyone who commissions such interference. Separate transport regulations also provide for administrative penalties connected with breaches of tachograph operating rules.

Spain: tampering may constitute a criminal offence

In Spain, interfering with a tachograph can go beyond an administrative violation and may be treated as document falsification.

This approach was reinforced by a 2020 ruling from Spain’s Supreme Court involving a tachograph altered so that it recorded rest while the vehicle was moving.

Depending on the legal classification, the offence can carry a prison sentence of up to three years. An employer may also be held responsible if involvement in the scheme or pressure on the driver to bypass the rules is proven.

Italy: fines and possible criminal liability

Italy applies both administrative and criminal measures, depending on the circumstances. For a driver, the administrative fine for tachograph-related violations can range from 868 to 3,481 euros, and the driving licence may also be suspended.

Deliberate interference may additionally fall under criminal provisions concerning the removal or disabling of safety systems intended to protect workers from accidents. In such cases, the maximum prison sentence can reach five years.

The precise legal classification is therefore crucial. Not every tachograph operating error automatically triggers criminal proceedings, but deliberate manipulation can be treated far more seriously than an ordinary breach of driving-time rules.

Czechia: deposits of up to 200,000 Czech korunas

In Czechia, authorities can demand a substantial deposit during an inspection if they believe the carrier may evade the proceedings or that enforcing a later penalty could prove difficult. The deposit can range from 5,000 to 200,000 Czech korunas. Its amount depends on factors including the seriousness and duration of the violation and the scale of the resulting harm. It cannot exceed the maximum penalty set for the offence.

If tachograph tampering is detected, the vehicle may also be immobilised until the unauthorised device or modification has been removed and the equipment is working correctly again.

Serious or repeated tampering can also affect a carrier’s good repute, one of the requirements for operating as a road transport company.

Tachograph tampering is no longer merely a matter of fines

The French inspection illustrates the scale of the discrepancy. Although the lorry actually travelled 634 kilometres, the tachograph recorded just 301.

The rules in different European countries point to a broader shift in enforcement. The most serious cases are increasingly being treated not simply as transport infringements, but as potential criminal offences.

In France, tachograph tampering can lead to up to one year in prison and a fine of up to 30,000 euros. Sweden can impose up to one year in prison for the offence under rules in force since 1 August 2026, while interference affecting an odometer in Poland can lead to a sentence of up to five years. In Spain and Italy, deliberate falsification may also result in criminal liability.

A remote control, magnet, altered sensor or modified electronics may differ technically, but the objective is the same: concealing the vehicle’s real activity and creating a record that does not match the journey actually made.