New driving laws being introduced today could have a major impact on thousands of motorists across the UK.
From today, Tuesday, August 19, 2025, drivers of "in-scope" vehicles must ensure they have the correct requirements to stay on the road.
These vehicles are generally defined as being a goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes, or a passenger vehicle designed to carry more than nine people.
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They must now be retrofitted with a "full" smart tachograph 2 or "transitional" smart tachograph 2 if they are currently fitted with a smart tachograph 1.
The new tachograph rules launching today are expected to boost safety among professional drivers
|GETTY
This applies to any in-scope vehicles that are undertaking international journeys in a bid to boost road safety.
If the vehicle only operates in the UK, the vehicle can still use the smart tachograph 1 that was originally fitted.
The rules form part of the Drivers' Hours, Tachographs, International Road Haulage and Licensing of Operators (Amendment) Regulations 2022.
An element of the smart techograph 2 was not readily available by August 21, 2023, meaning the measures had to be delayed in vehicles used internationally.
Motorists are required to record their hours on a tachograph, with drivers fined for failing to follow the rules | GETTYTachographs are crucial to road safety by monitoring the number of hours professional drivers can stay behind the wheel.
European Union rules state that people cannot drive for more than nine hours in one day. They are also restricted from exceeding 56 hours in a week or 90 hours in any consecutive weeks.
The smart tachograph 2 makes it easier for drivers and haulage companies to keep track of how long they have been on the road.
The European Commission highlighted how the changes to the tachograph will make it easier to use other services, including smart parking or pay-as-you-drive.
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These laws follow on from rules launched on December 31, 2024, which noted that a "full" smart tachograph 2 or "transitional" smart tachograph 2 must be retrofitted into in-scope vehicles with an analogue or digital tachograph undertaking international journeys.
Similar other rules were introduced in February 2024 that said a "full" smart tachograph 2 or "transitional" smart tachograph 2 must be fitted into all newly registered in-scope vehicles.
These rules applied to haulage vehicles, regardless of the type of journey that they were to be used for.
Further rules will be updated on July 1 next year, which will require a "full" smart tachograph 2 or "transitional" smart tachograph 2 must be fitted into newly registered vehicles.
This will include newly registered goods vehicles over 2.5 tonnes in weight, as well as those undertaking international journeys for hire and reward.
In the event that a vehicle is undertaking an international journey for the driver of the company's own account and driving does not constitute the main activity of the driver, a tachograph does not need to be fitted.
Vehicles that weigh between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes and only operate in the UK also don't need to fit a tachograph in their vehicle.