<article class="article"> <!-- Header --> <header class="article-header"> <div class="article-meta"> <span class="article-category">Legislation</span> <span class="article-meta-dot">&bull;</span> <span class="article-read-time">5 min</span> </div> <h1 class="article-title">Smart tachograph mandatory from 1 July 2026: what does this mean for moving companies?</h1> <p class="article-intro">A new device in your dashboard, driver cards for your drivers and driving and rest times you need to track. In three months, more is changing than you think.</p> </header> <!-- Hero Image --> <img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/webflow-prod-assets/671a2b3d0c3830f284c6ac20/69b812483372c06a5f6b7168_slimme-tachograaf-verplicht-2026.jpeg" alt="Dashboard of a modern moving truck with digital tachograph" class="article-hero"> <!-- Content --> <div class="article-content"> <p class="lead-text">From 1 July 2026, the smart tachograph becomes mandatory for vans from 2,500 kg that cross borders. For moving companies that handle international relocations, this has significant consequences.</p> <p>Until now, the tachograph requirement only applied to vehicles over 3,500 kg. That is changing. As part of the EU Mobility Package, the threshold is being lowered to 2,500 kg - but only for international transport. Are you driving a Mercedes Sprinter or Iveco Daily to Belgium or Germany for a move? Then that vehicle will soon fall under the tachograph requirement.</p> <p>That may sound like a small detail, but the consequences are bigger than you think. Because with the tachograph come the driving and rest time rules. And those considerably change the way you structure your day.</p> <h2>What is this smart tachograph exactly?</h2> <p>The official name is the smart tachograph type 2, also known as G2V2. It is the latest generation and goes much further than the device you may already know from your trucks. The device automatically records when you cross a border via satellite navigation, stores 56 days of driving data instead of 28, and can even be read wirelessly by inspectors along the road. You do not even have to stop for it.</p> <p>In addition, the device has a Bluetooth connection that allows you to link it to fleet management systems. And it contains anti-fraud technology that makes manipulation of GPS signals virtually impossible. In short: it is considerably smarter than its predecessor, and enforcement becomes a lot easier as a result.</p> <h2>Does this apply to your company?</h2> <p>That depends on two simple questions. Do you have vehicles with a maximum permitted mass of 2,500 kg or more? And do you drive them across borders for moves? If you answer yes to both questions, you must have a tachograph on board from 1 July.</p> <p>Do you only do domestic moves with vans under 3,500 kg? Then nothing changes for you. And for your trucks over 3,500 kg the tachograph requirement already applied - that is also not new.</p> <div class="highlight-box"> <p>"Many moving companies cross the border more often than they think. A move to Antwerp, a return load from Dusseldorf - it all counts."</p> </div> <p>The grey area lies with companies that occasionally do an international job. A move to Belgium once a quarter - does that fall under it? Yes. Whether you cross the border weekly or once a year, as soon as you do so with a vehicle over 2,500 kg you are obliged. There is no minimum frequency.</p> <h2>What do you need to arrange - and what does it cost?</h2> <p>It starts with the tachograph itself. It must be installed by an officially recognised workshop. Expect EUR 1,000 to EUR 1,600 per vehicle, including the device and installation. That is not a small amount, especially if you have multiple vehicles that cross the border.</p> <p>In addition, each driver needs a personal driver card. You apply for this through the relevant authority for EUR 141.57 per card, and the delivery time is four weeks. You also need a company card to read out the data - that costs EUR 141.57. And then there is download software to store and analyse the tachograph data, which costs EUR 300 to EUR 600 per year.</p> <p>Add it up for a company with three international vehicles and five drivers, and you quickly reach EUR 4,600 to EUR 6,100 in the first year. Do you know exactly what your <a href="/blog/je-verhuizer-kost-geen-twintig-euro-per-uur">employees actually cost you</a>? Then you can better estimate and pass on this type of expense in your rates.</p> <h2>Driving and rest times: that is where the real change lies</h2> <p>The tachograph itself is an investment, but the real impact lies in what comes with it: the driving and rest time rules. For truck drivers that is daily routine, but for van drivers falling under the rules for the first time it is quite a transition.</p> <p>Your driver may drive a maximum of 9 hours per day, with two exceptions per week of up to 10 hours. Per week the maximum is 56 hours, and over two weeks it may not exceed 90 hours. After 4.5 hours of driving a break of at least 45 minutes is mandatory. And at the end of the day there must be at least 11 hours of rest - three times a week that may be 9 hours.</p> <p>For a moving company used to sending a driver to Germany early in the morning and having them return late at night, that can cause friction. The <a href="/features/planning">planning</a> must take this into account. And that is easier if you keep it <a href="/blog/7-voordelen-digitaal-werken-verhuisbranche">digitally</a> rather than on paper.</p> <div class="highlight-box"> <p>"The tachograph is not the hardest part. It is the driving and rest times that change your entire daily schedule - especially for international jobs."</p> </div> <h2>The fines are not minor</h2> <p>Enforcement lies with the transport inspection authority. In the Netherlands, fines range from EUR 95 for minor administrative errors to EUR 4,000 for serious violations. In Germany you pay EUR 500 to EUR 1,500 if you are stopped without a tachograph when it is required.</p> <p>And it is not just about the absence of the device. Violations of driving and rest times are also fined. A driver who drives too long, a break that is too short, a daily rest that is not achieved - it is all recorded. And it comes to light during an inspection. Combine this with the <a href="/blog/vrachtwagenheffing-2026-verhuizers">truck levy</a> also coming into effect on 1 July, and the regulatory burden for moving companies becomes considerably greater this year.</p> <h2>Starting now is not a luxury</h2> <p>The deadline is 1 July 2026. That sounds like there is still time, but workshops that install tachographs are expecting capacity problems approaching that date. Driver cards have a four-week delivery time. And your drivers also need to be trained in using the device and the driving and rest time rules.</p> <p>Start by inventorying which vehicles at your company travel internationally and therefore fall under the obligation. Schedule an installation appointment at a recognised workshop. Apply for the cards. And adjust your <a href="/features/planning">planning</a> so that driving and rest times are incorporated. The more of your business operations you keep <a href="/blog/sturen-op-data---hoe-verhuisbedrijven-hun-prestaties-kunnen-verbeteren">digitally</a>, the easier this type of change is to manage.</p> <p>Because this is not the last regulatory change coming your way. There will only be more. And the companies that have their affairs in order will feel it least.</p> <!-- CTA --> <div class="cta-section cta-coffee"> <div class="cta-coffee-icon"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" width="48" height="48" fill="currentColor"><path d="M80 0C71.2 0 64 7.2 64 16c0 24.7 9.8 48.5 27.3 65.9l18.7 18.7C121.5 112.2 128 127.8 128 144c0 8.8 7.2 16 16 16s16-7.2 16-16c0-24.7-9.8-48.5-27.3-65.9L113.9 59.3C102.5 47.8 96 32.2 96 16C96 7.2 88.8 0 80 0zM32 224l304 0 16 0 0 192c0 35.3-28.7 64-64 64L96 480c-35.3 0-64-28.7-64-64l0-192zm352 0l16 0c44.2 0 80 35.8 80 80s-35.8 80-80 80l-16 0 0-160zm0 192l16 0c61.9 0 112-50.1 112-112s-50.1-112-112-112l-48 0-16 0L32 192c-17.7 0-32 14.3-32 32L0 416c0 53 43 96 96 96l192 0c53 0 96-43 96-96zM224 16c0-8.8-7.2-16-16-16s-16 7.2-16 16c0 24.7 9.8 48.5 27.3 65.9l18.7 18.7C249.5 112.2 256 127.8 256 144c0 8.8 7.2 16 16 16s16-7.2 16-16c0-24.7-9.8-48.5-27.3-65.9L241.9 59.3C230.5 47.8 224 32.2 224 16z"/></svg> </div> <h2>Shall we grab a coffee?</h2> <p>Let's talk about how things can be smarter at your company.<br>Online or on location - you choose.</p> <a href="https://meetings.hubspot.com/casper-janssen/koffie_samen" class="cta-button">Plan a coffee</a> </div> <!-- Sources --> <div class="sources"> <strong>Sources:</strong> Rijksoverheid.nl, EU Regulation 2020/1054 (Mobility Package I), Kiwa Register, ILT (Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport), Ondernemersplein.nl. </div> </div> </article>