Thousands of new trucks and vans may come to a standstill As the so-called workshop cards for the tachograph are not delivered on time, many new trucks may not be allowed on the road by mid-June.
New trucks and vans registered after 15 June must be fitted with a smart tachograph. In the Netherlands, the tender for this lies with the company Kiwa, which must supply the necessary tachograph cards for this purpose.
Kiwa now reports that it can deliver these cards in over two months, while European legislation requires that the workshop cards must be available by 15 March at the latest. Kiwa's deadline is too late because new vehicles with smart tachographs are already being delivered to dealers this month.
'Suppliers and transport companies are screwed'
"Vehicle suppliers, dealers, transport companies and other companies using trucks are now at a loss," warns evofenedex. If the tachographs of those new vehicles cannot be calibrated on time, they will not be able to use the trucks currently in stock on 15 June.
Parliamentary questions VVD and SGP
Business associations in transport and logistics are therefore calling for more flexibility from Europe. The VVD and SGP have submitted parliamentary questions to minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (Infrastructure and Water Management). They ask the minister not to issue fines for vehicles not fitted with a smart tachograph on time.
In a letter to the Lower House, Van Nieuwenhuizen says she shares the concerns about the resulting delays. Van Nieuwenhuizen writes that supplier Kiwa is liable for this and that she has asked Kiwa to set up a damages procedure. She does not yet offer further solutions to the delay.
