Starting 1 July 2026, new EU rules will apply to light commercial vehicles (LCVs) where the maximum permissible mass of the vehicle together with any trailer exceeds 2.5 tonnes and does not exceed 3.5 tonnes. 

These rules will impact companies and drivers operating across EU borders – especially those involved in international carriage or cabotage for hire or reward. 

The changes come with real consequences: non-compliance can lead to accumulating fines – in some cases, a single driver can rack up to €2,000 per month in penalties. For fleet operators, this means higher costs and unnecessary risk if preparation is delayed. 

Here’s a short summary of what’s changing and what companies should start preparing for.

All vehicles used for international commercial transport or cabotage operations that weigh from 2.5 tonnes to 3.5 tonnes will need to be equipped with smart tachographs to record driving, rest, and break times accurately.

Older vehicles may also require more time for tachograph installation. In many cases, these vehicles were not originally designed with a dedicated space for a tachograph, meaning additional modifications to the vehicle may be needed. This can increase both installation time and costs, especially closer to the deadline when workshops are already busy.

Tachograph records will become a key compliance element, so it’s important to ensure:

• Tachographs are installed and functioning correctly

• Drivers are trained in proper use

• Driver data is downloaded every 28 days, vehicle data every 90 days 

• Data is stored for at least 12 months

Mapon’s fleet management platform already supports remote tachograph data download, making it easier to monitor compliance, analyse driving hours, and plan schedules efficiently.

The same rules on driving and rest periods that apply to heavy vehicles will now also cover vans weighing 2.5t. 

Key points include:

• Daily driving limit: 9 hours (can be extended to 10 hours twice a week)
• Weekly driving limit: 56 hours
• Two-week driving limit: 90 hours
• Breaks: At least 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving (can be split into 15 + 30 minutes)
• Daily rest: Minimum 11 uninterrupted hours (can be reduced to 9h under certain conditions)
• Weekly rest: Minimum 45 uninterrupted hours (reduced to 24h under specific rules)

These limits are designed to improve driver safety and reduce fatigue on the road.

Although the new EU rules extend tachograph requirements to vehicles above 2.5 tonnes used in international commercial transport, there are specific exceptions

According to Regulation (EC) No. 561/2006, Article 3(ha), the drivers’ hours and tachograph rules do not apply to certain vehicles with a maximum permissible mass between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes (including any trailer or semi-trailer), if all of the following conditions are met:

• The transport is not for hire or reward – the company is not charging customers for transporting goods.
• The transport is carried out on the company’s own account – the vehicle is used to transport the company’s own tools, equipment, or materials needed for work.
• Driving is not the driver’s main job – the person driving the vehicle mainly works in another role, such as a technician, installer, or service specialist.

According to Directive (EU) 2022/2561, driving is generally considered not to be the driver’s main activity if it takes less than 30% of their monthly working time.

In practice, this exception often applies in situations where employees use light commercial vehicles only as part of their job, for example:

• Technicians transporting installation tools or equipment
• Maintenance teams carrying devices to customer sites
• Service staff delivering company equipment needed for their work

In these cases, the vehicle is used to support the main service being performed, rather than to provide commercial freight transport.

Even if EU trips are rare or temporary, the 2026 tachograph requirements still apply and must be followed in full. So, if a driver is temporarily sent to another EU country to perform certain operations, they may be considered a posted driver.

These drivers will also have to provide documentation during roadside checks:

• A copy (digital or paper) of the posting declaration submitted by the employer through the EU Road Transport Posting Declaration Portal (RTPD) 
• Transport documents (such as CMR)
• Data from the vehicle’s tachograph, including the driver card data

To stay compliant, transport companies must:

• Organise schedules so drivers can follow driving and rest time rules
• Provide clear training and instructions
• Monitor tachograph data and retain it for inspections
• Cover accommodation costs for 45-hour weekly rests, which cannot be taken in the vehicle
• Ensure drivers return home or to base every 3 – 4 weeks
• Ensure that all the necessary documents required for roadside checks are available in the vehicle
• Submit the posting declaration through the RTPD portal connected to the EU Internal Market Information System (IMI) on time.

✅ Review your fleet today. Check if your vehicles, together with any trailers, exceed the 2.5t threshold and how quickly installation can realistically be done.

✅ Upgrade and inform drivers early. Summer 2026 will bring installation and training backlogs, limited availability, and higher prices. Early movers avoid all three.

✅ Get your data systems in order. Tachograph data must be stored securely and be instantly available during inspections.

✅ Automate compliance where possible. Use digital fleet management tools such as Mapon or Tachogram to track driving time, rest periods, and tachograph data automatically


Mapon clients can already use features that simplify these tasks, from tachograph data downloads to automated driving time reports, helping fleets meet the new rules without extra workload. Reach out to our team via [email protected] to get your fleet ready before July 2026!