On 1 July 2026 the roll-out of the second-generation smart tachograph (smart tachograph version 2, or G2V2) reached its final date: since then, vans and light commercial vehicles of between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes maximum permissible mass engaged in international goods transport or cabotage have had to carry a G2V2 smart tachograph, just like lorries. It is the last of the dates in Mobility Package I (Regulation (EU) 2020/1054), which had already required the old analogue and digital tachographs and the first-generation smart tachographs to be replaced in heavy vehicles that cross borders. For many Spanish parcel, courier and distribution companies with vans that run to Portugal or France, it is the first time they have had to manage tachographs, driving times and data downloads. This guide explains, as at 16 September 2026, which vehicles are affected, what the G2V2 records that nothing recorded before, what download and retention obligations the company has and, above all, how to integrate that data with fleet management and time tracking so that it is good for something more than getting through an inspection.

Which vehicles are affected, and from when

Regulation (EU) 2020/1054 amended Regulation (EU) 165/2014 on tachographs and Regulation (EC) 561/2006 on driving times, with this timetable:

Vehicles	Obligation	Date
Vehicles registered for the first time	Factory-fitted G2V2 tachograph	From 21 Aug 2023
Heavy vehicles in international transport with an analogue or non-smart digital tachograph	Replacement with a G2V2	31 Dec 2024
Heavy vehicles in international transport with a first-generation smart tachograph (G2V1)	Replacement with a G2V2	18 Aug 2025
Vehicles of 2.5 to 3.5 t in international goods transport or cabotage	G2V2 tachograph and the rules on driving and rest times	1 Jul 2026

In domestic transport, light commercial vehicles under 3.5 tonnes are still not required to have a tachograph; the change affects those who cross borders, and the trailer counts where the combination exceeds 2.5 tonnes. The drivers of those vans become subject to the driving times, breaks and rest periods of Regulation 561/2006, and the company to the obligations on downloading, retention and monitoring.

What the G2V2 tachograph records

The G2V2, defined by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1228, adds to what the digital tachograph already recorded (driver activities, speed, distance, events and faults) a set of data that changes what the company can know about its fleet:

Automatic position of the vehicle at the start of the daily working period, every three hours of accumulated driving time and at the end of the daily working period, using GNSS with Galileo authentication (OSNMA) to prevent the signal being tampered with.
Border crossings recorded automatically, without the driver having to enter the country by hand, which removes the main source of fines for simple oversights and makes it possible to monitor cabotage and the posting of workers.
Loading and unloading operations: the driver enters the type of operation and the tachograph records the position and the time.
DSRC remote communication, so that enforcement authorities can read remotely, while the vehicle is moving, a set of data that lets them decide whether to stop it for inspection.
ITS interface (Bluetooth), so that the company’s authorised applications can access tachograph data in real time, with the driver’s consent where personal data is concerned.
More memory and the recording of more events, including tampering attempts.

The company’s obligations

Download the data from the driver card at least every 28 days and from the vehicle unit at least every 90 days (Regulation (EU) 581/2010), and always before a vehicle or a driver leaves the company.
Keep the downloaded data for at least one year, in a format that guarantees its integrity and its availability to the inspectorate, and give the driver a copy on request.
Analyse the data to detect infringements of driving and rest times and correct them: the company is liable for its drivers’ infringements unless it can show that it organised the work so that they were able to comply.
Check that the tachograph is used correctly (cards, activity selectors, manual entries) and have it calibrated every two years and after any repair.
Train the drivers of light commercial vehicles who have never used a tachograph.

In Spain, failure to meet these obligations is penalised under Law 16/1987 on the Regulation of Land Transport (Ley 16/1987 de Ordenación de los Transportes Terrestres), as a serious or very serious infringement depending on the case, in addition to the fines for excess driving or insufficient rest that the inspectorate detects in the data.

How to integrate tachograph data with fleet management

Automated downloading: remote download of the vehicle unit and the driver card through the vehicle’s telematics unit or the ITS interface, on a schedule that guarantees the 28 and 90 days without depending on someone remembering.
Legal archive: the original files (.DDD or equivalent), signed and kept for at least one year, with integrity checking and access for the inspectorate.
Infringement analysis: automatic calculation of excess daily, weekly and fortnightly driving and of insufficient breaks and rest periods, with alerts to the traffic manager and the driver before they turn into a fine.
Cross-checking against the route: the three-hourly positions, the loading and unloading positions and the border crossings from the tachograph are cross-checked against the route plan and the fleet’s GPS to detect detours, unscheduled stops and actual times per customer.
Cabotage and posting: the automatic border crossings make it possible to monitor cabotage limits and to generate the documentation for the posting of drivers (IMI) with data from the tachograph itself.
Time tracking for drivers: the tachograph activities (driving, other work, availability, rest) are carried over into the working time record required by Article 34.9 of the Workers’ Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores) and into the presence time (tiempo de presencia) governed by Royal Decree 1561/1995 (Real Decreto 1561/1995), along with night hours and overtime, as we explain in fleet management and time tracking for transport companies.
Planning: the route planner knows each driver’s available driving hours and avoids allocating jobs that cannot be completed within the limits of Regulation 561/2006.
Reports: compliance by driver and by vehicle, infringements detected and corrected, kilometres and times by country, for senior management and for the inspectorate.
Data protection: tachograph data is the driver’s personal data; that means informing drivers beforehand, limiting the purpose to monitoring transport and working time, restricting access and defining the retention period.

What the company gains

The obligation is the tachograph; the value is in the data: actual positions and times per customer without installing anything else, cabotage monitoring without manual reports, infringements detected before the fine, planning based on real driving hours and a working time record for drivers that comes out of the tachograph itself. For a company that fitted tachographs for the first time in July 2026, integrating from the start avoids ending up with an archive of downloads that nobody looks at.

How CEDESA does it

CEDESA develops transport and mobility solutions with real-time positioning, such as the passenger information system for Metro Bilbao that we describe in the Metro Bilbao case, and custom management systems that integrate fleet, working time and operations. Integrating the G2V2 tachograph follows that pattern: automated downloading, legal archive, infringement analysis, cross-checking against route and GPS, and the drivers’ working time record in a single system, with the traceability and data protection that ISO 27001 requires. The sustainable commuting plan that many of these companies must have in place in Spain before 5 December 2026 draws on the same data, as we explain in the sustainable commuting plan (Law 9/2025).

Frequently asked questions about the G2V2 tachograph in vans

Which vans have needed a tachograph since 1 July 2026?

Vehicles of between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes maximum permissible mass, including any trailer, that are engaged in international goods transport or cabotage, under Regulation (EU) 2020/1054. They must carry a smart tachograph version 2 (G2V2), and their drivers are subject to the driving and rest times of Regulation 561/2006. In domestic transport, light commercial vehicles remain exempt.

What new data does the smart tachograph version 2 record?

The vehicle’s position at the start of the daily working period, every three hours of accumulated driving time and at the end, with Galileo authentication; border crossings, automatically; and loading and unloading operations with their position. It also has DSRC remote communication for the authorities and an ITS interface so that the company’s applications can access the data.

How often does tachograph data have to be downloaded?

The driver card at least every 28 days and the vehicle unit at least every 90 days, and always before the driver or the vehicle leaves the company, under Regulation (EU) 581/2010. The data must be kept for at least one year, available to the inspectorate.

Does the tachograph count as the drivers’ working time record?

Its activities (driving, other work, availability and rest) are the basis of the working time record, but they have to be completed with the presence time governed by Royal Decree 1561/1995 and with the hours worked away from the vehicle, and carried over into the record required by Article 34.9 of the Workers’ Statute, along with overtime and night hours.

Can tachograph data be used to manage the fleet?

Yes, and that is the main advantage of the G2V2: the positions, border crossings and loading and unloading operations make it possible to monitor cabotage, compare the actual route with the planned one, measure times per customer and plan on the basis of the driving hours available, always with drivers informed beforehand and with a purpose limited to monitoring transport and working time.

Conclusion

On 1 July 2026 the smart tachograph version 2 reached vans on international work, bringing with it downloads every 28 and 90 days, the analysis of driving times and one year’s retention. What separates a company that merely complies from one that makes the most of the change is integration: positions, border crossings, loading operations and driver activities feeding planning, time tracking and reports from a single system. If your vans have carried a tachograph since July, tell us how you download and use that data today.