Tachographs

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All buses and lorries used in Norway for transport to which drivers’ hours regulations apply must be equipped with a digital tachograph.

If an analogue tachograph breaks down, it must be replaced with a digital tachograph. Digital tachographs will be replacing analogue ones as the vehicle fleet is being renewed.

Drivers of vehicles fitted with digital tachographs, companies owning vehicles with digital tachographs, workshops repairing tachographs and inspectors from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and the police must be familiar with digital tachographs.

Many vehicles will need to replace their old tachographs with second-version SMART tachographs (G2V2) in 2024 and 2025. There are different deadlines depending on the type of tachograph you have, what type of transport you drive, and when the vehicle was registered.

In order to use a digital tachograph, you need a tachograph card.

There are four types of tachograph cards:

Driver cards
Company cards
Workshop cards
Control cards

The most important difference for tachograph users is that data on driving time and rest periods are registered in the tachograph and on a tachograph card (smart card) instead of on diagram charts. Tachograph cards are issued to drivers, transport companies, tachograph repair shops and inspectors.

The digital tachograph is a small computer that is installed in the vehicle. Information about the vehicle’s activities is stored continuously in the tachograph.

Driver cards

If you are going to drive a vehicle with a digital tachograph, you will need your own driver card. Insert the card in the tachograph head unit before you start driving. The driver card records information about your driving, and is thus personal.

Company cards

Transport enterprises must have a company card, which is used to lock data from the tachograph’s vehicle unit. This must be done at least once a month

Workshop cards

Mechanics working in an approved workshop for digital tachographs must hold a workshop card in order to perform work on the tachograph.

Control cards

Inspectors must hold a separate control card in order to check the driving time and rest periods recorded in the tachograph’s vehicle unit.

Vans required to have tachographs from 1 July 2026

Vehicles with or without a trailer with a maximum authorised mass of more than 2,500 kg that are used for the transport of goods will be required to have a tachograph as from 1 July 2026. It is under investigation whether the requirement should also apply to domestic transport within Norway. For more information, read Chapter 3 of the Government's action plan against social dumping in the road transport industry (PDF - Norwegian only).

This means that if you drive a van, you need have a tachograph installed if

The maximum authorised mass of the van with or without trailer exceeds 2,500 kg
You are driving international licensed transport

As a driver, you will then need to observe the rules for driving time and rest periods, and you need a driver card.

You do not need a tachograph if you drive a van carrying goods owned by your company. For example, a trade worker driving to and from jobs will not be required to have a tachograph. Nor will tachographs be required for private individuals transporting their own goods.