Belgium exempts heavy electric vans from tachograph obligation

As previously announced in 2023, the Belgian federal government has created an exemption for using a tachograph in electric vans of up to 4.25 tons. Professional drivers of these heavier vans will not have to adhere to mandatory rest times, but there are some conditions.

In an attempt to boost the electrification of light commercial vehicles, the Belgian government has sought to level the playing field for heavier e-vans of up to 4.25 tons, which fall beyond the 3.5-ton limit for the regular car license (B). Normally, a truck license (C) would be needed, with all of the limitations and regulations that professional truck drivers have to adhere to.

First B license, now also no tacho

However, this can be seen as unfair, as a 4.25-ton electric van offers a similar payload to a regular 3.5-ton combustion-powered van, with the difference in weight mainly coming from the batteries.

In April 2023, a three-year pilot project was already started to allow drivers with a B license to drive up to 4.25 tons of electric vans. A year later, the EU followed suit. Now, the Belgian government is cutting more regulations to facilitate heavier e-vans.

One of the most significant differences in professional usage between a van (<3.5 tons) and a truck (>3.5 tons) is that trucks have to use a tachograph, which records all of the driving and rest times of a truck driver.

Drivers are not allowed to drive for longer than 4.5 hours at a time, with a mandatory 45-minute break and a maximum of nine hours of driving per day.

Van drivers are not bound to these rules, which has led to the ‘vanification’ of the transport sector. Goods traditionally transported by truck now get divided into vans, which do not have driving time restrictions and, therefore, can exploit their drivers more by doing longer shifts, especially for self-employed contractors. But the fight against this takes place on a European level.

Conditions in place to prevent abuse

Conditions are in place to prevent abuse of the tachograph exemption for 4.25-ton e-vans. Transporters and professionals who want to apply have to take part in the pilot project, which started in 2023 and allows B license holders to drive these heavier vans.

They are, of course, limited to electric vans with a maximum permitted mass of 4.25 tons, and they are limited to an area of 100 km around the company’s official headquarters. Significantly, the last rule will greatly limit the potential for abuse of driving times.

Like the B license allowance, the tachograph exemption for heavier e-vans will run until 31 August 2026. Afterward, the Belgian government will evaluate whether this will become a permanent rule or the country will revert to classifying heavier vans as light trucks.