The deadline for mandatory upgrading of commercial vehicles with new second-generation smart tachographs is set for 31 December 2024, but Romanian hauliers are struggling to meet this requirement. On 25 November 2024, Untrr stated that authorised workshops in Romania are unable to complete the installation of these devices due to technical problems with Rar servers, a situation that has persisted for more than four days.
Rar's servers, which are crucial for the operation of the tachograph registration and approval system, have been down, preventing workshops from installing and registering the new devices. This has led to an operational standstill for the workshops, directly impacting hauliers who cannot put their trucks back on the road until the software is restored. Vehicles stuck in workshops are also unable to undergo periodic inspections, which are a prerequisite for roadworthiness, even within national borders.
The association, along with authorised workshops and stations, has asked Rar to develop a procedure for managing such situations, drawing inspiration from the RO e-Transport system managed by the National Tax Administration Agency. Workshops have complained of frequent Rar server failures, with outages occurring at least once a week for about an hour. Despite repeated requests, no permanent solution has been found to prevent these disruptions, putting both hauliers and station clients at a disadvantage.
Since 21 November 2024, trucks awaiting the installation of new smart tachographs have been stranded in workshops due to the inability to register the devices and complete technical inspections. This impasse is expected to continue until Rar's IT system is back online. Without the tachograph seal and related technical inspection, vehicles are not allowed to operate. According to Rar officials, such server issues are rare; however, authorised workshops argue that the frequency of disruptions is higher than reported. If Rar genuinely considers these instances isolated, it should consider legislative changes that allow workshops to handle such extraordinary situations without the risk of penalties or accusations of misconduct.
On 25 November 2024, Rar issued an official communication addressing the ongoing server outage. While awaiting the restoration of the Sirar IT system, which manages online registration of periodic inspections, authorised stations will be allowed to proceed with inspections through manual registration, following Rar's instructions. Once the system is reactivated, the inspections carried out will be logged in the Sirar application in chronological order.
However, inspection stations will not be able to issue verification documents at the end of the inspection. Vehicle owners will be informed of the need to return at a later date to collect the technical inspection certificate. This measure has been taken to allow drivers to travel within Romanian territory without facing penalties for lacking a valid inspection.
