A tachograph is a device in the vehicle that records the driver's driving, other work, availability and rest time, along with speed and distance travelled. It is mandatory in most goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and in buses, and roadside and company inspections check not only that the vehicle has one, but that the data has been downloaded and stored regularly.
This page puts everything a haulier needs in one place: what the tachograph records, who must have one, the difference between analogue, digital and smart tachographs, the deadlines for downloading data and how PratiMe downloads that data remotely, processes it and turns it into working time records. The driver card is covered in how long a tachograph card takes, and the deadlines in tachograph data download deadlines.
What a tachograph records
- Driver activities: driving, other work, availability and rest, in minutes, for every day.
- Speed and distance travelled, with date and time.
- Events and faults: driving without a card, power interruptions, tampering attempts.
- In a digital tachograph the same data is written to two places: the vehicle unit memory and the driver card.
That data is the proof that the driver kept to the driving and rest time rules, and for the company it is the basis for working time records, payroll and defence in a dispute.
Who must have a tachograph
The obligation does not depend on whether you drive domestically or abroad, but on the weight and purpose of the vehicle:
- Goods vehicles with a maximum permissible mass over 3.5 tonnes, including vehicle combinations with a trailer.
- Passenger vehicles with more than nine seats, including the driver's seat.
- Exemptions exist for certain kinds of transport, for example municipal vehicles, agricultural vehicles in local transport or emergency vehicles, and depend on the regulations. Check the current rules for the exact status of your fleet.
For vans of 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes, the EU requires a smart tachograph in international transport from 1 July 2026, but according to the Ministry's confirmation this does not apply to vehicles registered in Serbia. Details are in tachographs in vans from 1 July 2026.
What is checked on the road and at the company
At the roadside, inspectors check the driver card, the activities for the current day and the previous 28 days (in the EU, since 2025, up to 56 days), the condition and seals of the tachograph and whether the calibration is in date. At the company they check that data from cards and vehicles has been downloaded and archived regularly, and the working time records for the prescribed period. So it is not enough to have a tachograph: the data has to be downloaded, stored and available on request.
Analogue, digital and smart tachographs
- An analogue tachograph records onto a tachograph chart, one per day. The charts are kept at the company and read with a scanner.
- A digital tachograph stores data in the vehicle unit memory and on the driver card. Data is downloaded with a reader in the vehicle or remotely.
- A second-generation smart tachograph (Smart 2) also records the vehicle's position by satellite, logs border crossings automatically and allows remote roadside checks. In the EU it has been mandatory in new vehicles since August 2023, and the transition deadlines for older vehicles in international transport expired during 2024 and 2025. For vehicles registered in Serbia the obligations come through the AETR agreement and do not always follow the EU timeline, so check what applies to your case before replacing a tachograph.
The PratiMe system processes data from all three types, so a mixed fleet is not a problem: analogue charts are scanned and processed in the same software as digital files.
Driver card and company card
- The driver card is personal, valid for five years, and the driver must use it in every vehicle with a digital tachograph. It is issued by the Road Traffic Safety Agency, and applications are submitted at equipped Dunav osiguranje and Dunav auto locations. The procedure, cost and waiting time are described in how long a tachograph card takes.
- The company card is issued to the company. It locks the tachograph so that another operator cannot access the company's data, and it is used to download data from the vehicle. An unlocked tachograph is a common oversight that is usually discovered only during an inspection.
- Workshop and control cards are for authorised installation and calibration workshops and for enforcement bodies.
Download deadlines: 28 and 90 days
The tachograph records data on its own, but does not keep it forever. The driver card holds about 28 days of activity, the vehicle unit about a year, and once the memory is full the oldest records are overwritten. That is why the rules require driver card data to be downloaded at least every 28 days and vehicle unit data at least every 90 days.
The deadline counts from the previous download, not by the calendar, so a "we download on the first of the month" schedule is not safe: if one download runs a few days late, the next cycle is already at risk. Missing a deadline is an offence, and lost data cannot be reconstructed afterwards. Details are in tachograph data download deadlines.
Remote download: the tachograph without returning to base
Manual download requires the vehicle and driver to be physically available, which is hard to organise for a fleet in the field or in international transport. With remote download, vehicle unit and driver card data is collected automatically, on a schedule you set, usually every 15 to 25 days so there is always a margin before the deadline. The driver does nothing, and the download works abroad as well.
The files are stored in the Taho Hotel archive in their original format, ready for inspection, and can be forwarded automatically by email or through integrations to payroll software. A device connected to the tachograph in the vehicle and a company card for data access are required.
A real example: how the carrier KOLOS DOO from Bačka Topola, with a fleet of over 20 trucks, moved from manual to automatic downloads, with an estimated 10 to 15 hours of administration saved each month, is described in the case study.
Driving and rest time live
At any moment the dispatcher sees what the driver sees on the tachograph in the cab: current and remaining driving time, daily and weekly rest status, hours used and remaining, and whether the card is inserted. Two-driver crews are supported too.
The system sends a warning when a driver approaches a limit, so the offence is prevented before it happens, and the route and the next run are planned on the driver's actual state, not an assumption. Less fatigue at the wheel also means fewer accidents and fines.
Driving and rest time rules in brief
- Continuous driving: at most 4.5 hours, then a break of at least 45 minutes, which may be split into 15 and then 30 minutes.
- Daily driving time: at most 9 hours, extendable to 10 twice a week.
- Weekly driving time: at most 56 hours, and at most 90 hours in any two consecutive weeks.
- Daily rest: at least 11 hours, reducible to 9 at most three times between two weekly rests.
- Weekly rest: at least 45 hours; a reduced rest of at least 24 hours must be compensated by the end of the third week.
The rules come from Regulation (EC) 561/2006 and the AETR agreement, and in Serbia they are transposed by the Law on Working Time of Vehicle Crews in Road Transport and Tachographs. Regulations change, so check the current version before relying on them. How the rules work in practice, with five worked examples, is explained in driving and rest time rules for drivers. The system checks these rules automatically and flags every deviation in the offence report.
What you get from processing tachograph data
- Offence overview: the system recognises excess driving time and insufficient rest on its own, instead of manual chart checks.
- Planning by driver availability: the dispatcher sees how much longer a driver may drive, so the route is planned on the real situation.
- Working time records: kept automatically from the downloaded data and sent periodically by email, as the basis for trip sheets and per-diem calculations.
- Inspection archive: tidy records without searching through folders for paper.
- Central tachograph overview: download status, driver card data, calibration deadlines and a check that every tachograph is locked with the company card, for the whole fleet in one place.
- Connection to other systems: data is passed through integrations to your existing software.
How to get started
Tell us how many vehicles you have and which tachographs they use: analogue, digital or smart. We choose the equipment accordingly, install it at your location and set the download schedule, and then you test the system for 15 days on your own vehicles, with no obligation. What the monthly subscription includes is described on the GPS tracking pricing page.
Frequently asked questions about tachographs
Does the vehicle have to come back to base for the data download?
No. With remote download the data is collected wirelessly, without the vehicle or driver being physically present at a particular location. For fleets working in the field or in international transport that is the biggest practical difference compared with manual download.
Does the system work with analogue tachographs?
Yes. The system processes data from both digital and analogue tachographs, so a mixed fleet can be managed in one place.
Does the system warn before working time is exceeded?
Yes. Remaining driving time and upcoming rests are displayed, and the system sends a notification when a driver approaches a limit. The offence is prevented in advance, instead of being discovered in later analysis or during an inspection.
What happens if the data is not downloaded in time?
Tachograph memory is overwritten over time, so older data can be lost for good. Besides the risk of a fine for incomplete records, the basis for working time calculations is lost too. That is why the download is automated, rather than depending on someone remembering.
How long is a driver card valid and where do you get one?
Five years. It is issued by the Road Traffic Safety Agency, and applications are submitted at equipped Dunav osiguranje and Dunav auto locations; in practice it takes up to 10 days. A replacement card is valid until the original expiry date, not for a new five years.
What is a second-generation smart tachograph (Smart 2)?
A digital tachograph that records the vehicle's position by satellite, logs border crossings automatically and allows remote roadside checks. In the EU it has been mandatory in new vehicles since August 2023. For vehicles registered in Serbia the obligations come through the AETR agreement, so check what applies to your case before replacing a tachograph.
Does processing work for vehicles driving across Europe?
Yes. The system works throughout Europe, so data is downloaded and analysed regardless of where the vehicle is. For international transport that means the records stay complete even when the vehicle does not return to base for weeks.
How much does the tachograph solution cost?
Tachograph modules are added to basic GPS tracking, which starts at 8 € per vehicle per month. You can test the system free for 15 days: see the pricing details or call us for a quote based on the number of vehicles.
Does the system track tachograph calibration deadlines?
Yes. The central tachograph overview shows the calibration deadline for every vehicle, along with the download status and driver card data, so the deadline is not missed.
How do I check whether the tachograph is locked with the company card?
The same overview shows for every vehicle whether the tachograph is properly locked with the operator's company card. An unlocked tachograph is a common oversight that is otherwise discovered only during an inspection.
Still downloading tachograph data by hand? Contact us by email at podrska@pratime.rs or call 065 9007380, tell us how many vehicles you have and which tachographs they use, and we will suggest how to stop the deadlines depending on someone remembering.
Cards, vehicles, deadlines and working time records in one place with the PratiMe system.
