Vehicle documentation, tachograph and periodic inspection
This domain tests the paperwork and calibration regime that keeps the combination legal on the road.
Documents in the cab
Driving licence with CE, registration certificates for tractor and trailer, valid periodic inspection record, insurance, transport authorisation or community licence, driver attestation where posting rules apply, ADR certificate if dangerous goods are carried, and tachograph printouts or manual records.
Tachograph
A digital tachograph is calibrated every two years by an approved workshop, and the seals must be intact. Report a faulty unit to the authorities and keep handwritten records until it is repaired. Driver cards are downloaded at least every 28 days; the operator downloads the vehicle unit at least every 90 days.
Periodic inspection
Heavy vehicles are inspected annually at Statens vegvesen or an approved facility. Faults noted as remarks must be repaired and the vehicle re-presented within the deadline; a serious defect can produce a prohibition on use (bruksforbud). Driving with a bruksforbud invalidates insurance and can put the operator's licence at risk.
Worked example
Your tractor passed inspection four months ago, but the trailer certificate expired last week. The combination is illegal even though the tractor is compliant: each unit carries its own certificate, plate and inspection record, and the trailer's must match its registration.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing the two-year tachograph calibration with the annual inspection.
- Leaving the driver card in another vehicle.
- Assuming an expired inspection matters only on the day of a check; it counts from the expiry date.