Company cars or vehicle combinations of 3,500 kilograms or more are required to be equipped with a tachograph. BE combinations of this weight are usually also subject to this requirement unless there is an exemption. What are the regulations? And how can you comply with them? You can read about them below.
Tachograph requirement
Heavy vehicles, buses and light company cars for the transport of goods are required to have a tachograph. This requirement applies to all vehicles with certain characteristics within the EU. This requirement aims to improve working conditions for professional drivers, enhance safety on the road and ensure fair competition between transporters. The tachograph requirement applies to:
- lorries with a Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) of more than 3,500 kilo;
- delivery vans with a MAM of over 3,500 kilo (own weight plus maximum permitted trailer load);
- buses which transport more than eight people (excluding the driver);
There are national and European exemptions to the tachograph requirement.
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BE combinations and the tachograph requirement
A lorry with one or more trailers is also known as an ‘articulated lorry.’ There are many types of trailers, such as double-deckers, tautliners and tippers. Delivery vans can also be combined with trailers. The tachograph requirement applies to all combinations where the total weight (own weight plus maximum permitted load) is 3,500 kilograms or more. Anyone with a tachograph exemption will need to record the journeys and the work and rest times.
Note: many employers are unaware of the tachograph requirement for BE combinations.
Obtaining an exemption
There are exceptions to the tachograph requirement. For example, if a vehicle including load capacity weighs up to 7,500 kilograms but the driver requires the material, equipment or machines for their own work, then the driver can obtain an exemption. This does, however, involve a number of conditions. Driving may not be the primary activity and the driver may not drive this vehicle for more than twelve hours per week. A comprehensive record of journey, driving and rest times must be able to be shown (digitally or by hand). This exemption is also only applicable to journeys that take place within a radius of one hundred kilometres from the location of the business. If the destination is abroad, but still within a radius of one hundred kilometres from where the business is based, then the exemption still applies. Note: the law regarding journey and driving times may well be different, as is the case in Germany. These regulations must also be adhered to!
To summarise:
- Maximum load capacity is 7,500 kilograms;
- The load, equipment or machines are for carrying out one’s own job;
- The driver may not drive for more than 12 hours;
- A comprehensive record of the journeys and driving times must be kept;
- The journeys must take place within a radius of 100 km from where the business is based.
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