First tachograph fines: what enforcement is finding in the first five weeks

Five weeks have passed since 1 July 2026, when the tachograph became mandatory on 2.5–3.5 t vans in international transport. No official data on van checks has been published yet, either by the Polizia Stradale or by the Italian Interior Ministry. What can be described is how checks work and which violations the new regime makes more likely. For fleets already upgraded this is material to refine operational procedures; for those still late, a picture of what to expect.

In this article we gather what is known after the first 35 days of application: the instructions given to the police, the official figures on heavy vehicles and the five violations to plan for, each with its penalty. For the general framework see the operational guide to the tachograph for 2.5–3.5 t vans; for specific penalty detail see the article on tachograph penalties and FAQ for vans. Many of these violations trace back to the 5 myths about the G2V2 smart tachograph still tripping up Italian fleet managers: worth re-reading before the next shift.

Checks: instructions and methods

The instructions to the police are those of Italian Interior Ministry circular no. 11672 of 24 April 2026, which forwards MIT circular no. 9674 of 16 April on the obligation from 1 July. Among the Interior Ministry and MIT circulars of May, June and July 2026 there is no other one on checking the new regime: the only tachograph circular, dated 28 July, concerns the mandatory software update of G2V2 units for a security vulnerability. Checks can take two forms:

• On the road: the G2V2 can communicate with the officer’s equipment while the vehicle is moving (remote early detection, Regulation (EU) 165/2014, Art. 9). It flags anomalies such as driving without a valid card or exceeding the maximum driving period, and helps choose which vehicle to stop
• At the company: the records and data kept by the company must be produced to the traffic police, Transport Ministry officials and labour inspectors (Art. 174(2) of the Italian Highway Code)

On numbers, there is a benchmark for heavy vehicles, and it is high. During the ROADPOL control week of February 2024, across 29 countries, one violation was found for every three trucks checked, and in Italy the Polizia Stradale recorded 490,972 infringements on 334,439 heavy vehicles checked in 2025. Vans add the transition on top: new regime, recent driver training, company procedures still being run-in.

Five violations to plan for

The list does not measure frequency: no data on fines issued to vans has been published. These are the violations the new regime makes more likely for companies entering it now, each with the rule that penalises it.

1. Missed G2V2 installation on “occasionally international” vehicles

This is the risk for companies that underestimate the obligation’s extension to occasional cases and find themselves uncovered on vehicles doing 2-3 foreign trips per year. A possible contestation: patrol at the Brenner intercepts an Italian vehicle unloaded at Innsbruck, checks vehicle records (absence of first calibration certificate), applies the missed-installation penalty (€866-3,464).

To avoid falling into this scenario: structured review of the trip mix of the last 12 months and activation of the G2V2 also on “marginal” vehicles that occasionally do foreign trips. For operational assessment see the deep dive on cabotage, own account and occasional trips.

2. Missed data download by deadline

The G2V2 is installed but vehicle memory data has not been downloaded within the 90-day window (or driver card data within 28). An inspection at the company reveals that the internal download procedure was never started. Downloading and keeping the data is the operator’s obligation (Regulation (EC) 561/2006, Art. 10(5)), and breaching it falls under Art. 174(14) of the Italian Highway Code: €333-1,331 for each employee the breach relates to. There is also an indirect cost: without regular downloads the company does not see its drivers’ breaches, for which it is jointly liable (Art. 174(13)).

This is the pattern most underestimated by fleet managers. The device is there, the company believes itself compliant, but the operational download procedure is not structured. Best practice: automate downloads via ITS interface (Bluetooth) with a dedicated fleet management system, eliminating dependence on “remembering to do it”.

3. Incorrect categorisation of non-driving activities

Drivers leave the card on “availability” or “break” symbols during loading/unloading, when they should select “other activities”. The mandatory 45-minute break is not validly recorded and the patrol contests the missed break (fine €168-672 and 2 licence points, Art. 174(8)). Aggregated, categorisation errors over multiple days generate “uninterrupted driving” scenarios triggering more serious violations.

Targeted training + software alerts on the VU = effective mitigation. Handing the card to drivers without taking them through the procedure is not enough: driver training is the company’s obligation (Regulation (EU) 165/2014, Art. 33(1)).

4. Missed IMI posting declaration

The driver does cabotage or cross-trade abroad without the company having submitted the posting declaration to the IMI system (a bilateral trip from Italy does not need one). The host country’s patrol requests evidence, discovers the omission and applies the penalty in force there (in Germany up to €30,000).

Of the five, it carries the highest penalty. Posting is often perceived as “HR bureaucracy” and not integrated into fleet manager operational processes. The structural solution is to automate the declaration: modern fleet management systems generate it directly from the delivery plan before departure.

5. Daily rest reduction below 9 hours

The patrol downloads VU data, checks the driver’s daily rest over the current day and the previous 56 days (the period to be produced at a check, Regulation (EU) 165/2014, Art. 36) and identifies days with rest below 9 consecutive hours (the minimum reduction allowed). The fine depends on how far the rest falls short of the minimum (Art. 174(4)-(6)): €218-868 within 10%, €379-1,519 and 5 licence points beyond 10%, €433-1,735 and 10 points beyond 20%.

The risk grows in companies that plan trips “at the limit” without considering buffer for operational unforeseen events (traffic, customer waits, extended loads). The error margin must be built ex-ante into planning, not managed ex-post on the driver card.

Where international vans travel

No data on checks by area has been published. These, however, are the points where international van traffic concentrates:

• Alpine crossings: Brenner, Tarvisio (Slovenia frontier), Ventimiglia (France), Frejus and Mont Blanc
• Industrial logistics hubs: North-East parking areas (Verona, Padua, Bologna), Milan metropolitan area, North-West hubs (Turin, Novara)
• Commercial ports: Genoa, La Spezia, Venice, Trieste—where vans intercept international cargoes for capillary distribution

International van transport is concentrated in the North, and so is the likelihood of meeting a check on the new obligation.

Lessons for the coming weeks

Three operational indications:

1. Data download procedures are not optional. Even vehicles installed in June have already accumulated 1 month of data: start the download routine now if you haven’t already.
2. Driver training must be continuous, not a one-off pre-1 July event. Update briefings based on the errors you find in the downloads.
3. The IMI posting declaration must be integrated into the planning workflow. If you still manage it manually, the next forgetfulness costs as much as two or three months of automated fleet management software.

Related resources

• General framework: Tachograph mandatory on vans from 1 July 2026
• What to do if you are late: Missed the G2V2 installation deadline? What you risk
• Detailed penalties: Tachograph penalties and FAQ for vans
• Edge cases: Cabotage, own account and occasional trips

In summary

• No official statistics on van checks so far; for heavy vehicles ROADPOL found one violation for every three trucks checked (February 2024).
• The 5 violations to plan for: missed installation on occasionally-international vehicles, data download not executed, incorrect activity categorisation, missed IMI declaration, daily rest reduced below 9 hours.
• Instructions to the police: the Interior Ministry circular of 24 April 2026, which forwards MIT circular 9674; there is no data on checks by area.
• Operational lessons: data download not optional, continuous training, automated IMI.

Frequently asked questions

The next step

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