CORTE Enforcement Working Group meeting in Podgorica

On 20 November 2024, another meeting of the CORTE Enforcement Working Group was held in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, organized in cooperation with the Transport Community Treaty.

The event was attended by representatives of Inelo (part of Eurowag Group): Piotr Żółty, Małgorzata Pander, Mateusz Włoch and Bartłomiej Zgudziak.

The meeting was inaugurated by the Minister of Transport of Montenegro, followed by a presentation of the activities of the Transport Community Treaty that cover six countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The main objective of the treaty is to bring the transport legislation of these countries into line with EU regulations, particularly with regard to Regulations 561/2006 and 165/2014, in order to prepare them for deployment of smart tachographs.

OSNMA – GNSS signal authorization delays

The European Commission has announced that OSNMA (Open Service Navigation Message Authentication) technology will not be ready before January 2025. Once the system is declared ready, the technology is not expected to be introduced in new vehicles registered for the first time until five months later. Importantly, carriers will not have to update their existing tachographs.

Challenges related to tachographs in non-EU companies

One of the key topics was the use of smart tachographs by non-EU transport companies. Although these companies are not required to have the latest tachographs, they often choose to replace them or purchase vehicles equipped with them.

However, inspection practices in e.g. Italy, where fines are imposed for using incorrect tachographs, have proven to be problematic. They are controversial, since new tachographs meet the same requirements as the old ones, as well as offer additional features. According to regulations, non-EU transport companies carrying out transport on EU-EU routes are subject to Regulation 561/2006, but not Regulation 165/2014. This means that they are not required to have new smart tachographs. However, if they choose to use them, this should not result in penalties.

Practical tips for the transport industry

During the “How to” event, documents were presented, covering topics such as: enforcing the ban on taking regular weekly rest periods in the cab, risk and good standing assessment, implementing ERRU in 3 steps, risk assessment for road transport companies and enforcing the mandatory installation of G2V2 tachographs in trucks. These materials are designed to facilitate the work of inspection services, helping them better understand key issues related to transportation regulations. At the same time, they provide valuable support for transport companies, explaining the intricacies of driver working time, current regulations and tachograph operation.

Registration of border crossings and replacement of tachographs

In addition, issues of recording border crossing data on drivers’ cards were raised, especially in the context of the extended inspection period that will come into effect starting next year. Tachograph replacement matters were also discussed. A representative of the European Commission said there are no plans to amend regulations in this regard, nor to introduce top-down guidelines for a softer approach to inspections during the initial period of the new regulations.