Legislation

EU Background

Changes to Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3821/85 on Recording Equipment in Road Transport, which support the introduction of digital tachographs, are contained in Council Regulation (EC) 2135/98 and Council Regulation 1360/2002 (Annex 1B).

Regulation (EC) no. 561/2006 on "the Harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport and amending Council Regulations (EEC) no. 3821/85 and (EC) no. 2135/98 and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) no. 3820/85" was published on 11th April 2006 in the Official Journal of the European Union.  According to Article 27 of Regulation (EC) no. 561/2006 the introduction of digital tachographs will  be mandatory in vehicles put into service for the first time in the European Union as from 1st May 2006, namely 20 days after its publication. 

You can download the Regulation in various languages here

UK Background

In March 2005, DfT released a statement confirming that the UK would support the introduction and use of digital tachographs from August 2005.  The Passenger and Goods Vehicles (Recording Equipment) Regulations 2005 (No. 1904) was introduced on 5th August 2005 amending the provisions of Part VI of the Transport Act 1968 to take account of the digital tachograph and to changes of the enforcement regime, which applies to both analogue and digital tachographs.  New sections 99ZA to 99ZF provide more detailed enforcement provisions which apply where tachographs, whether analogue or digital are used or documents are required under Community Rules.  The enforcement powers are conferred on VOSA examiners and the Police.  The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) started to issue Tachograph Cards incrementally from June 2005, and the card fees are as follows:

The Passenger and Goods Vehicles (Recording Equipment)

(Downloading and Retention of Data) Regulations 2008 came into force February 2008.  This regulation requires transport undertakings to download data held electronically on a vehicle unit and a driver card whenever that is necessary to ensure that the data is not overwritten or otherwise lost to the undertaking and in any event before the expiration of specific periods accordinging to the data concerned:

In the case of the data stored on the vehicle unit other than detailed speed data a period of 56 days and in the case of data stored on a driver card, a period of 28 days.