Transport opens the door for drivers with a B license to obtain the digital tachograph card

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has taken another step in regulating goods transport. Since March 29 , professional drivers with a Class B license can now issue the digital tachograph card , a document that previously required a Class C or D license.

This change comes at a crucial time for the sector, as it will allow drivers of light commercial vehicles —with a maximum authorized mass exceeding 2,500 kg—to carry out international and cabotage transport . This comes before the use of tachographs becomes mandatory for this type of transport in the European Union from July 1st of this year.

Drivers with a Class B license who use vehicles powered by alternative fuels will also be able to access this card , provided they have a maximum authorized mass greater than 3,500 kilograms and less than 4,250 kilograms.

REGULATORY CHANGES AND REQUIREMENTS

The new Order introduces modifications to two previous regulations : the 2005 regulation on the implementation of the digital tachograph and the 2012 regulation governing the administrative control document for public goods transport. It also updates the requirements for verifying the identity and residence of drivers.

For citizens of the European Union , any document with probative value will suffice. For citizens of third countries , residency must be proven by means of a residency certificate, although the Foreigner Identity Card or other documents included in the regulations on the rights and freedoms of foreigners in Spain will also be valid .

ADAPTATION TO EUROPEAN REGULATIONS

This Ministerial Order seeks to unify different regulatory frameworks. On the one hand, Royal Decree 971/2020, which incorporated Directive (EU) 2018/645 into Spanish legislation, allows driving vehicles without trailers powered by alternative fuels intended for the transport of goods, with a maximum authorized mass of between 3,500 and 4,250 kilograms, with a category B license held for more than two years .

On the other hand, Regulation 561/2006, amended by Regulation 2020/1054, establishes the obligation to equip vehicles exceeding 2,500 kilos of maximum authorized mass with a tachograph from 1 July 2026 when carrying out international or cabotage transport.

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has stated that it seeks to continue incentivizing professional freight transport while contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the improvement of air quality through the use of vehicles powered by alternative fuels.

He also stressed that it was necessary to modify Order FOM/2861/2012, which regulates the administrative control document required for public road freight transport.

When this regulation was modified by Royal Decree 70/2019, its article 6 was reformed, but not article 7, which left incorrect references to sections of the previous article that have now been corrected.