{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-1985-3821/annex-2/division-VI/division-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-1985-3821/annex-2/division-VI/division-4.json",
  "legislation": "eur/1985/3821",
  "legislation_title": "Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 of 20 December 1985 on recording equipment in road transport",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-1985-3821",
  "path": "annex/2/division/VI/division/4",
  "kind": "division",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "Periodic inspections",
  "text": "256 Periodic inspections of the equipment fitted to the vehicles shall take place after any repair of the equipment, or after any alteration of the characteristic coefficient of the vehicle or of the effective circumference of the tyres, or after equipment UTC time is wrong by more than 20 minutes, or when the VRN has changed, and at least once within two years (24 months) of the last inspection.\n257 These inspections shall include the following checks:\nthat the recording equipment is working properly, including the data storage in tachograph cards function,\nthat compliance with the provisions of Chapter III.2.1 and III.2.2 on the maximum tolerances on installation is ensured,\nthat the recording equipment carries the type approval mark,\nthat the installation plaque, as defined by Requirement 250, and the descriptive plaque, as defined by Requirement 169, are affixed,\nthat the seals on the equipment and on the other parts of the installation are intact,\nthe tyre size and the actual circumference of the wheel tyres,\nthat there are no manipulation devices attached to the equipment.\n257a If one of the events listed in Chapter III Section 9 (Detection of Events and/or Faults) is found to have occurred since the last inspection and is considered by tachograph manufacturers and/or national authorities as potentially putting the security of the equipment at risk, the workshop shall:\n(a) make a comparison between the motion sensor identification data of the motion sensor plugged into the gearbox with that of the paired motion sensor registered in the vehicle unit;\n(b) check if the information recorded on the installation plaque matches with the information contained within the vehicle unit record;\n(c) by checking if the motion sensor serial number and approval number, if printed on the body of the motion sensor, matches the information contained within the vehicle unit record.\n257b Workshops shall keep traces in their inspection reports of any findings concerning broken seals or manipulations devices. These reports shall be kept by workshops for at least two years and made available to the Competent Authority whenever requested to do so.\n258 These inspections shall include a calibration.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Inserted by Council Regulation (EC) No 2135/98 of 24 September 1998 amending Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport and Directive 88/599/EEC concerning the application of Regulations (EEC) No 3820/85 and (EEC) No 3821/85."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Substituted by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1360/2002 of 13 June 2002 adapting for the seventh time to technical progress Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport (Text with EEA relevance)."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Substituted by Commission Regulation (EU) No 1266/2009 of 16 December 2009 adapting for the tenth time to technical progress Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport (Text with EEA relevance)."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Inserted by Commission Regulation (EU) No 1266/2009 of 16 December 2009 adapting for the tenth time to technical progress Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport (Text with EEA relevance)."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/1985/3821/annex/2/division/VI/division/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:05:16.849228+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}