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Driver card and manual entry

When to insert your card, what to enter manually, and what to do if your card is lost or faulty.

Applies in: EU Last updated:

This translation was made automatically and has not been reviewed yet. If in doubt, the Dutch text and the official legal text prevail.

One card, for you only

  • You may hold only one valid driver card.
  • The card is personal. You may not lend it to anyone or drive with someone else's card.
  • Apply for a new card no later than 15 working days before the expiry date.

Start and end of your day

  1. Insert the card before you start driving and leave it in the tachograph until the end of your daily working period.
  2. When you insert the card, the tachograph asks whether you want to make a manual entry of activities since you last removed the card. Enter what you did while you were away from the vehicle: rest, other work (e.g. in the warehouse, or with another vehicle) or availability.
  3. Enter the country where your daily working period begins and where it ends.

Warning: "Other work" that you do not enter looks like rest during an inspection. This can get you into trouble, and your employer too, who is responsible for your working time.

Border crossings

Since 2 February 2022, every border crossing must be recorded. With a smart tachograph version 2 this happens automatically, even if your driver card is of an older generation. With an older device, you enter the country symbol yourself at the first safe stopping place after the border.

Changing vehicles

Take your card with you when you change vehicles and insert it in the new vehicle. If you drive a vehicle with an analogue tachograph along the way, also take the record sheets of that day with you.

Card lost, stolen or faulty?

What What you must do
Report Within 7 calendar days to the competent authority of the Member State where you normally reside (and, in case of theft, also to the police)
Continue driving Allowed for a maximum of 15 calendar days (or longer if needed to bring the vehicle back to the undertaking's premises)
Recording At the start and the end of every journey, make a printout. Write on it your name, your driver card or driving licence number and your signature, and enter your other activities by hand

Keep these printouts with you, because you must be able to show them during an inspection.

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