Express transports since July 2026: how new tachograph obligations and driving time rules are changing delivery planning
A van collects spare parts in Germany in the afternoon and is supposed to deliver them to a customer abroad the next morning. Until now, such a request was often answered mainly on the basis of distance: check the kilometres, calculate the driving time, find a vehicle, name a price.
Since 1 July 2026, this calculation is no longer sufficient for many international express transports.
For light commercial vehicles with a maximum permissible mass of more than 2.5 and up to and including 3.5 tonnes, EU rules on driving times, breaks and rest periods now apply in cross-border freight transport and cabotage. In addition, the vehicles concerned must be fitted with a second-version smart tachograph, the Smart Tachograph G2V2.
For customers, this does not mean that express transports by van are no longer possible. The delivery time, however, has to be planned more realistically. A theoretical driving time from the route planner is not yet a reliable commitment.
Which vehicles are covered by the new rules?
The change affects light commercial vehicles if their maximum permissible mass including trailer exceeds 2.5 tonnes and they are used for international freight transport or cabotage. What counts is the permissible total mass of the vehicle combination, not the actual weight of the individual shipment.
A van can therefore fall under the rules even though it is carrying only two pallets on a particular run.
Purely domestic transports with these vehicles are not covered by this extension. There are also exceptions. These can include certain own-account transports with vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes if the transport is carried out on the company’s own account and driving is not the main activity of the person concerned. Whether an exception actually applies has to be checked on the basis of the specific use. The label “own-account transport” or a light load alone is not enough.
The European Labour Authority summarises the scope as follows: light commercial vehicles with a permissible total weight of 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes in international freight transport or cabotage are affected. The rules apply both to newly registered and to existing vehicles.
What does the smart tachograph record?
Among other things, the smart tachograph records driving times, breaks, rest periods and other working times. The driver has to insert their driver card before starting the journey and set the respective activity correctly.
This makes work processes visible that are easily overlooked when only the road kilometres are calculated. After all, the journey does not always begin at the moment the goods leave the sender’s yard. The driver may have taken over a vehicle beforehand, delivered another shipment or helped with loading.
For delivery planning, one question is therefore particularly important: how much permissible driving time does the driver actually have left on arrival at the loading point?
A vehicle can be available while the driver has already used up part of their available driving time. For a time-critical order, that makes a considerable difference.
Nine hours do not automatically mean nine hours of delivery time
The daily driving time is generally limited to 9 hours. It may be extended to a maximum of 10 hours twice a week. After no more than 4.5 hours of driving, a break of at least 45 minutes is required. Under the conditions provided for, it can be split into 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes.
On top of this come the daily and weekly rest periods. Weekly driving time is limited to 56 hours; over two consecutive weeks, a total of no more than 90 hours may be reached. The European Labour Authority has compiled the most important time limits and instructions for operating the tachograph. Source: ELA – Light Commercial Vehicles.
What does this mean in everyday practice?
Let us take an express transport with a driving time of ten hours shown in the route planner. A transit time of ten hours must not automatically be derived from this. The mandatory break alone extends the actual journey time. Loading, traffic, refuelling, looking for parking and access to the consignee are added on top.
Moreover, the extended daily driving time of ten hours is not available without limit. It may only be used twice a week. If the planned driver has already used up this option, the tour may not be able to go ahead with them as planned.
This is exactly where the biggest change for customers lies: it is not only the route that determines feasibility. The driver’s week so far is also part of the planning.
An express transport stays fast – if the request is complete
Time-critical transports are often requested under time pressure. Production is waiting, a machine has come to a standstill or a customer urgently needs a spare part. The first question is then understandably: “How quickly can you load?”
Just as important, however, is the second question: “By when do the goods really have to arrive?”
An example with freely chosen data: a shipment is ready for collection in Cologne from 3 p.m. on Tuesday. The consignee abroad opens their warehouse at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. On paper, there is a whole night between “collect in the evening” and “deliver in the morning”. Whether this time window is sufficient, however, depends on the route, the available driving time, the required breaks and when the goods are actually ready for loading.
If the goods are only ready at 5 p.m. although 3 p.m. had been agreed, two hours are missing from the schedule. The driver cannot simply make up this time later by driving faster or skipping a break.
That is why I consider a precise statement on when the goods are ready for loading more important than phrases like “The goods are expected to be ready in the afternoon”. For a normal transport, such a time window may still be manageable. For an express run, the entire planning can change.
A second driver can help, but does not solve every problem
For very urgent and long routes, a double crew can make sense. Under certain conditions, one driver can take a break while the other is driving. This allows the vehicle to keep moving for longer.
However, this does not mean that any route can be driven without interruption. Rules on driving and rest times also apply to double crews. In addition, two suitable drivers have to be available at short notice. The staffing effort affects the price.
A double crew should therefore be used selectively. If a delivery date can also be met lawfully with one driver, the additional effort might be unnecessary. If the date is not realistic with one driver, this must be addressed openly before the order is confirmed.
Why costs can change too
The new requirements can affect the cost of an express transport in various ways. Vehicles had to be fitted with the prescribed smart tachograph. Drivers and dispatchers need the right cards, knowledge and clean processes. On longer tours, additional breaks, overnight stays or a second driver may be necessary.
This does not mean that every express transport has automatically become more expensive since July. A 350-kilometre direct run can still be carried out without any fundamental change to the process, provided the other conditions are right. On long routes with tight delivery windows, however, costing becomes more demanding.
A serious quote should therefore not just state a price. It should also be based on a feasible schedule.
What customers should state now
For a reliable check, we need the loading and unloading location, the number of packages, the dimensions, the weight and the type of goods. For express transports, three time details are added: the earliest binding loading time, the consignee’s opening hours and the latest acceptable delivery date.
Small details can be decisive too. Is loading possible around the clock? Does the driver need a reference number? Does the consignee use fixed time-slot booking? Does a pallet truck have to be carried? Does entry to the factory premises usually take longer?
The earlier this information is available, the more precisely it can be assessed whether a single driver is sufficient, a double crew is needed or a different transport process would make more sense.
Since July 2026, international express runs with light commercial vehicles have to be costed more precisely. This is not a rejection of fast deliveries. It is a different form of planning.
My yardstick remains simple: a promised delivery date should not only work in the route planner. It must be achievable under real traffic conditions, with the planned vehicle and within the permitted driving and rest times.
If you are planning a time-critical transport, send MARTIN Internationale Spedition GmbH the complete shipment data and the actual delivery window as early as possible. We can then check which solution suits your goods and your deadline.
FAQ on express transports
Since 1 July 2026, the tachograph obligation has applied to light commercial vehicles with a maximum permissible mass of more than 2.5 and up to and including 3.5 tonnes when they are used in cross-border freight transport or cabotage. No, the extension to light commercial vehicles in force since July 2026 does not cover purely national journeys within an EU country. Yes, the obligation generally also applies to light commercial vehicles that are already registered if they have been used for the international transports or cabotage concerned since 1 July 2026. The daily driving time is generally limited to nine hours and may be extended to ten hours twice a week. No, loading and unloading generally do not count as driving time, but they must be taken into account as other work and recorded correctly. Yes, certain transports with vehicles over 2.5 and up to and including 3.5 tonnes can be exempt from the new rules. Express transports can take longer because statutory breaks and rest periods now also have to be planned for many international runs with light commercial vehicles. Yes, two drivers can enable faster delivery on long routes because they can take turns at the wheel. However, a double crew does not suspend the rules on driving and rest times. Both drivers must record their activities correctly and comply with the time limits that apply to multi-manned crews. In addition, two suitable drivers and a suitably equipped vehicle must be available.
For vehicle combinations, the maximum permissible mass including the trailer counts. What matters is not how heavy the current load actually is. A van can therefore fall under the rules even if it is carrying only a single pallet. The vehicles must be fitted with a second-version smart tachograph, the Smart Tachograph G2V2.
It covers cross-border freight transport and cabotage. Cabotage is when a foreign transport company temporarily carries out a domestic transport in another country.
An example: a German van’s run from Berlin to Munich does not fall under this extension merely because of the new 2.5-tonne limit. A run from Berlin to Prague, on the other hand, can be covered unless an exception applies. For vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, the existing rules apply regardless.
The vehicle must be fitted with a Smart Tachograph G2V2. It is therefore not enough to equip only newly purchased vans accordingly. Before a cross-border run, companies have to check whether the existing vehicle is technically and legally suitable.
The obligation depends on how the vehicle is used and on its maximum permissible mass. The year of manufacture alone does not decide whether a tachograph is needed.
After no more than 4.5 hours of driving, a break of at least 45 minutes is required. Under the prescribed conditions, the break can be split into two parts: first at least 15 and then at least 30 minutes.
In addition, there are maximum limits of 56 driving hours per week and 90 driving hours within two consecutive weeks. For a delivery commitment, it is therefore not enough to look only at the driving time shown in the route planner. The driving time the planned driver has already completed must also be taken into account.
In addition to driving, working time can include loading and unloading, supervising these operations, technical work, cleaning the vehicle and certain administrative tasks. An hour of waiting or loading time must therefore not automatically be treated as a rest break.
This distinction is important for tour planning: a driver may still have permissible driving time left and yet have already worked many hours. The tachograph must be operated according to the activity carried out.
An important exception concerns transports on the company’s own account if the carriage is not for hire or reward and driving is not the main activity of the person concerned. There are also further, in some cases narrowly defined, exceptions, for example for certain craft activities within a radius of 100 kilometres.
A general label of “own-account transport” is not enough. All conditions of the respective exception must be met. If in doubt, the specific use should be checked professionally or legally before the journey starts.
If a route planner shows ten hours of driving time, for example, delivery after exactly ten hours is usually not reliable planning. After 4.5 hours, a break is required. On top of this come loading, traffic, refuelling, access and unloading. In addition, the daily driving time may only be extended to ten hours twice a week.
It also matters how many driving hours the specific driver has already completed before collection. An available vehicle does not automatically mean that the driver may take on the entire route straight away.
Whether a double crew is worthwhile depends on the route, the delivery window and the additional costs. On a shorter run, it may not bring any relevant time advantage. On a long, time-critical transport, on the other hand, it can be the realistic alternative to an overnight stop.
