On 16 January 2025, the Romanian National Union of Road Hauliers (UNTRR) updated its list of European countries participating in the "grace period" for the installation of the second-generation smart tachograph. While the requirement to equip all commercial vehicles engaged in international transport (excluding those already fitted with the first-generation smart tachograph, which has a compliance deadline of August 2025) remains in force, participating countries are instructing enforcement authorities to refrain from imposing penalties until 28 February 2025. This temporary measure addresses installation delays in certain parts of the European Union, where the deadline was initially set for 31 December 2024.
Compared to the list published by UNTRR at the beginning of January 2025, today's update sees the inclusion of Germany. The German Ministry of Transport has directed police authorities not to fine hauliers during the grace period. Drivers stopped during checks will instead receive information about the compliance requirement and the associated timelines. Italy has also confirmed its participation, with the Ministry of the Interior issuing two communications: the first formally suspends penalties until 28 February 2025, while the second provides guidance on managing activity logs in cases where the tachograph's memory capacity is insufficient, due to the obligation to retain records for 56 days. In such cases, daily printouts of activities are recommended as a precautionary measure.
Other countries adopting the grace period include Romania (one of the most active advocates for the measure at the European Commission), Spain (which refers to it as a "consciousness period"), Poland (which initially requested a longer grace period), France, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Luxembourg. Additionally, two non-EU countries have joined the initiative: the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
