The European Commission, through the Intelligent Tachograph Expert Group, has announced a new deadline for implementing OSNMA technology in smart tachographs. Meanwhile, CORTE, an international organization comprising transport associations, inspection services, equipment manufacturers, and government representatives, is urging hauliers to swiftly upgrade to second-generation smart tachographs.
The OSNMA authentication mechanism’s authorization has been postponed, now expected no sooner than October 2024.
“According to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/980, transitional vehicle units may only be fitted to vehicles registered for the first time until May 31, 2024, or five months after the OSNMA service declaration, whichever is later,” states the Polish General Inspectorate of Road Transport (GITD).
OSNMA (Open Service Navigation Message Authentication) technology authenticates positions determined by the European Galileo navigation system, protecting the location signal from interference and fraud. Due to delays in its development, the service will be available for G2V2 tachographs five months after its readiness announcement, delayed until October.
“After this period, all newly registered vehicles must have tachographs equipped with OSNMA functionality. Upgrading current transitional tachographs is problematic, as they require antennas with less interference, which most G2V2 tachographs cannot accommodate,” says Mateusz Włoch, Inelo development and training expert from the Eurowag Group.
He adds that hauliers with transitional tachographs won’t need to update them with the new OSNMA function, as regulations don’t require it.
At the recent CORTE conference, the urgent need to replace working time recording equipment with second-generation smart tachographs was emphasized. With a small number of vehicles currently equipped with the latest smart tachographs, appointments at replacement workshops in some countries are already booked until year-end. CORTE and member company Inelo urge hauliers to avoid last-minute replacements to prevent missing the deadline.
“For vehicles with pre-2019 analogue and digital tachographs, the replacement deadline is December 31, 2024. Users of first-generation smart tachographs (G2V1) have until August 19, 2025,” Włoch reminds.
“Delaying the G2V2 installation could lead to the withdrawal of vehicles from international traffic, severe financial penalties, and reputational damage,” the expert warns.
**Errors in Smart Tachograph 2.0**
The CORTE conference also addressed errors in second-generation smart tachographs, highlighted by the Spanish transport union federation Fenadismer.
“This is crucial for transport companies and inspections to understand, especially given the complexity of new tachographs using GNSS location,” says Piotr Żółty, international business development director and Inelo expert from the Eurowag Group.
A common error involves the loss of contact between the driver card and the tachograph, leading to incorrect recording of driving and rest periods.
“Such errors create risks for carriers and control services, which must interpret distorted data,” Žółty explains. Therefore, the topic of tachograph operation errors was thoroughly discussed by CORTE member institutions and organizations.
