European legal references
The digital tachograph, the format of its data and the obligations of those who use it are laid down in European Union regulations. Here are the official texts, with direct links to EUR-Lex. We do not interpret them: we list them, so you can read the source.
There are no deadlines, amounts or thresholds on this page. That is deliberate: those figures change over time and differ from country to country, and a page that quotes them goes stale without anyone noticing. The links below point to the consolidated versions on EUR-Lex, which update themselves.
Driving times and rest periods
Regulation (EC) No 561/2006
Governs driving periods, breaks and rest periods in the road transport of goods and passengers.
Regulation (EU) 2020/1054
Part of the Mobility Package: it amends Regulation 561/2006 and Regulation 165/2014 on several points, including the requirement to record border crossings and the timetable for adopting smart tachographs.
The equipment and its data
Regulation (EU) No 165/2014
The regulation on tachographs in road transport: it covers the equipment, tachograph cards, installation, checks and use.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/799
Lays down the technical requirements for the construction, testing, installation and operation of
tachographs. Its Annex 1C is the document that defines, block by block, the
structure of the recorded data — that is, the format a .ddd file follows and that
Tacho Converter reads.
Regulation (EU) No 581/2010
Concerns the maximum periods for downloading relevant data from vehicle units and driver cards.
Enforcement
Directive 2006/22/EC
Sets minimum conditions for checks on the application of the rules on driving times and rest periods, both at the roadside and at premises.
How to read these texts
On EUR-Lex every act exists in several versions. The one you almost always want is the consolidated version, which incorporates all later amendments: you will find it in the page menu under Consolidated text. The original text shows the law as published, which can differ considerably from what is in force today.
Every act is available in all official EU languages: change /EN/ to
/IT/ in the address for the Italian version, and so on.
Alongside European rules sit the national transposition and penalty provisions, which differ in every country. For those, the source to consult is your own country's legislation or a specialist adviser.
This page describes how Tacho Converter works. For legal obligations, refer to the official texts.