HGV operators who have yet to replace their analogue or digital non-smart tachograph on their vehicle, )typically first registered prior to 14th June 2019) have run out of road, CV Workshop Magazine can reveal.
Operators were given until the end of December 2024 to fit a Smart Tachograph Version 2 unit to their vehicle. This deadline was subsequently extended until the end of February, but CV Workshop Magazine can now confirm “since 01 March 2025, vehicles in scope of the retrofit requirements that have not yet complied are being dealt with at the roadside.”
A spokesperson for the Road Safety Authority added: “A prosecution is initiated against the operator of the vehicle and the vehicle is directed to a tachograph workshop to have the retrofit work carried out.”
As part of the EU Mobility Package I, the new Smart Tachograph Version 2 is required to be retrofitted to vehicles operating internationally.
Another deadline is looming for HGVs equipped with a Smart Tachograph Version 1 (vehicles typically first registered between 15th June 2019 and 20th August 2023). The deadline is 18th August 2025.
1 July 2026 is the deadline for vehicles where the maximum permissible mass of the vehicle, including any trailer, or semi-trailer, exceeds 2.5 tonnes (LCV’s).
Vehicles operating internationally within the EU, including those travelling to, through or from the United Kingdom are required to comply with the tachograph retrofit requirements from the specified dates above.
As there are significant numbers of vehicles in Ireland that will require a Smart Tachograph Version 2 to be retrofitted by the dates specified above,
The Road Safety Authority is encouraging all affected operators who have yet to have the retrofit carried out to book their vehicles into an Approved Tachograph Workshop as soon as possible to have the retrofit work carried out.
Visit www.rsa.ie for more information on these new requirements, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Visit www.nsai.ie to find your nearest Approved Tachograph Workshop in order to have your new Smart Tachograph Version 2 installed and calibrated.
