New rules for vans 2026-2027: tachographs and driving and rest time

Short answer: Vans with a permissible total weight between 2,500 and 3,500 kg will be required to have a tachograph and follow driving and rest time rules when carrying goods. The requirements apply to international transport and cabotage from 1 July 2026, and are extended to national transport in Norway from 1 April 2027. Tradespeople and businesses carrying their own goods locally are largely exempt - but if you carry goods for hire or reward in a van, you should prepare now.

What is new?

Until now, the driving and rest time rules and the tachograph requirement have mainly applied to vehicles above 3.5 tonnes. That has made the van a loophole: the same type of transport, but with no requirements for rest time, recording or checks. The result has been increased pressure on serious operators and, in places, untenable working conditions in the van segment.

The loophole is now being closed in two steps:

• From 1 July 2026: Vans between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes engaged in international carriage of goods or cabotage are covered by the driving and rest time rules and must have a tachograph. This follows from the EU Mobility Package.
• From 1 April 2027: Norway extends the requirements to also cover national carriage of goods for hire or reward with the same vehicle category. That is stricter than the EU minimum - a deliberate move against social dumping in the Norwegian van transport market.

Note also that vans in international transport in the EU/EEA have already been required to hold a transport licence (transportløyve, Community licence) since 2022. The 2026/2027 changes concern driving and rest time and tachographs.

Who is affected - and who is not?

The rules target carriage of goods for hire or reward, that is where the transport is the service you sell. The most important exemptions:

• The tradesperson exemption: Driving with materials, tools and equipment the driver will use in their own work, within 100 km of base - as long as driving is not the main occupation.
• Own-account transport: Carrying the company's own goods as part of its own business, not as a transport service for others.
• Local producers: Delivery of self-produced goods within 100 km, where driving is not the main activity.
• Electric vans with trailers: Zero-emission vans may, within set limits, operate nationally with a total weight of up to 4,250 kg within 100 km without triggering the requirements.
• Non-commercial driving: Private moves and the like are not covered.

The boundaries are fine-grained, and it is worth noting the recurring 100-kilometre radius: the exemptions are designed for local activity. If you run regular distribution or courier services for payment, you should expect the rules to apply to you.

What does it mean in practice for a van operator?

A tachograph has to go in the vehicle. New requirements mean a latest-generation smart tachograph. Installation requires an approved workshop, and demand will probably peak just before the deadlines - do not wait until the last month.

Drivers get driving and rest time rules. Maximum driving time, breaks and daily rest - the same regime as lorry drivers. That affects how many stops a route can actually contain, and makes today's "stretch the elastic" planning illegal.

Planning must be documented. With a tachograph comes enforcement. Breaches are traced to both driver and company, and the transport buyer can also be held jointly liable. Route plans that systematically assume rule breaches become a risk for your customers too - something serious operators can use actively in sales.

The cost picture changes. Tachograph installation, training and tighter routes increase the cost per stop. Those who plan well - the right sequence, less empty running, realistic time windows - recover much of this. Those who plan on gut feeling do not.

Checklist: what to do before the deadlines

1. Establish whether you are covered. Do you carry goods for hire or reward in vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes? Internationally (deadline July 2026) or nationally (deadline April 2027)?
2. Book tachograph installation well in advance. Workshop capacity will become a bottleneck.
3. Train your drivers in driving and rest time rules. The rules are new to the van segment, and the fines are real.
4. Review your routes. Can today's routes accommodate breaks and rest time? If not, the plan must be redesigned - not stretched.
5. Get planning and documentation into a system. When driving time becomes a constraint, good dispatching becomes directly profitable. A TMS with a driver app gives you both the planning and the documentation in one place.

Frequently asked questions

Which vans will need a tachograph?

Vehicles with a permissible total weight between 2,500 and 3,500 kg used to carry goods for hire or reward - from 1 July 2026 in international transport and cabotage, from 1 April 2027 also in national transport in Norway.

Do the rules apply to tradespeople with vans?

As a rule, no. Driving with your own tools and materials to your own jobs within 100 km of base is exempt, as long as driving is not the driver's main occupation.

Do vans under 2.5 tonnes need a tachograph?

No. The requirements in this round apply to the group between 2,500 and 3,500 kg permissible total weight.

What happens if you do not install a tachograph?

Driving without a mandatory tachograph after the deadlines is a breach of the rules that can result in fines and sanctions against both driver and company at a check - on a par with the heavy vehicle segment.

Why is Norway introducing stricter rules than the EU?

The EU requirement only applies to international transport. Norway is extending it to national transport from April 2027 to prevent unscrupulous operators from moving the problem into the domestic market - and to create a level playing field between vans and lorries.

With FleetX, you plan van routes with realistic time windows and have the documentation in one place when the inspection comes. See how.

Sources: Regjeringen.no and NLF/lastebil.no as of August 2026.