Four MEPs from across the political spectrum have asked the European Commission to assess whether tachograph rules are proportionate for short-haul delivery transport, warning that human errors in record-keeping can lead to disproportionate penalties. In a written parliamentary question submitted on 9 June 2026, Merja Kyllönen (The Left), Katri Kulmuni (Renew), Sebastian Tynkkynen (ECR), and Maria Ohisalo (Verts/ALE) argue that frequent stops in distribution require constant tachograph adjustments, increasing the risk of unintentional mistakes that may be treated as intentional violations.
The MEPs note that such errors can raise a company's risk rating or even threaten its transport licence, even when actual driving time and workload remain within safe limits. They question whether the current system adequately distinguishes between intentional infringements and human error, and whether enforcement practices are proportionate for short-haul operations.
The question contains three concrete asks: the Commission's view on the suitability of tachograph rules for short-haul delivery; whether it will assess the need to clarify rules to ensure proportionate enforcement; and whether it will examine if current tachograph technology is compatible with modern urban and delivery transport.
Under Parliament's rules, the Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. The answer will signal whether the executive is open to adjusting the regulatory framework for short-haul transport, a sector that employs hundreds of thousands of drivers across the EU and is central to e-commerce and urban logistics.