The Italian police tested the remote tachograph control equipment on the A1 motorway between Florence and Bologna.

During the event, which was attended by journalists, the authorities demonstrated the operation of a system based on the remote transmission of tachograph data, which allows for the so-called pre-selection of vehicles for inspection – reports the Italian transport website uominietrasporti.it.

“Thanks to remote access to data, we can focus solely on vehicles where the system has detected anomalies,” explains Davide Leone, Operations Commissioner of the Florence Traffic Police.

“Where previously we could check one vehicle, today we analyse dozens and only stop those that really need it,” adds Leone, as quoted by the Italian portal.

The system recently presented in Italy is not new. Under EU law, all enforcement authorities in EU countries are required to have equipment that enables the remote reading of RTM (Remote Tachograph Monitoring) parameters via DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communication) technology from 19 August 2024. This is one of the key tools for enforcing the provisions of the Mobility Package.

Despite this, not all countries have yet complied with the requirement.

Poland was one of the first countries to launch remote tachograph inspections – the equipment was delivered to enforcement bodies in November 2021. Prior to this, tests had been carried out by the police in Saxony (Germany) and the ILT inspectorate in the Netherlands. DSRC technology was later delivered to:

The basis of the new system is DSRC technology, which enables smart tachographs to transmit data about the vehicle and its use over short distances.

Smart Tacho 2.0 allows for the transfer of up to 25 parameters (for comparison – the first generation of devices provided only 19). In addition to data on possible tachograph manipulation, the DSRC system can also collect information on driving times – continuous, daily, weekly or even fortnightly – significantly increasing the detection of infringements on roads across the EU. Other parameters transmitted to officers in real time include:

• inconsistency between vehicle movement and operating mode
• system errors or attempted manipulation

Remote detection of irregularities does not automatically result in a fine – the decision is made only after the vehicle is physically stopped and inspected.