Get Ready for the Van Tachograph Deadline
From 1 July 2026, operators of light commercial vehicles with a Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) of more than 2.5 tonnes that undertake international journeys for hire and reward must have second-generation smart tachograph devices fitted. With the deadline just over two months away, Logistics UK is reminding operators to ensure they are compliant with the new requirements. Tim Hyde, Head of Retail Operations at Logistics UK said: "All operators that conduct international journeys should check to see if they fall under the regulations.
To avoid problems, they should conduct a review of journeys, vehicles and drivers to ensure compliance. "Those who delay could face long waiting times to get devices fitted and risk not being compliant, which could result in a penalty, fine or cancellation of journeys. This is why we are reminding operators to start preparing now, by looking into whether this change applies to their fleet and if so, what device works best for their operations."
Alongside this regulatory change, many operators are reviewing how they manage the rest of their fleet; those vehicles that do not legally require a tachograph but still form a crucial part of day-to-day operations. To support this, Logistics UK is working with Tachosys for the launch of vtach, a new solution for light commercial and mixed fleets, debuting at the CV Show on 21 April and available via the Logistics UK Shop. Joe Stevens, Marketing Manager at Tachosys, said: "We're looking forward to launching vtach at the CV Show and showing fleet managers how they can achieve greater visibility and safer operational oversight.
"The new international regulations are an important step for the industry and vtach has been designed to complement this change by assisting operators to manage the parts of their fleet that remain out of scope. It gives fleet managers a consistent way to monitor vehicles and drivers across both tachograph-equipped and non-tachograph vehicles, helping to extend visibility across the wider fleet and enabling operators to bring together tachograph and non-tachograph data within Logistics UK's Vision platform. "By combining live vehicle tracking with automated activity data in a single system, vtach provides a clear, practical way for operators to manage their vehicles and support the consistent application of working time and drivers' hours rules.
We encourage anyone attending the CV Show to visit us on stand 5F74 to see it in action." The Logistics UK Shop is the sector's one-stop shop for products to help keep logistics workers safe and comfortable and logistics operators efficient and compliant. Visit the Logistics UK shop here. Logistics UK is one of the UK's biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods.
With decarbonisation, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc.
Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, water and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods.
For more information about the organisation and its work, please visit logistics.org.uk
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