New Rules Take Effect on July 26
Ukraine will introduce updated requirements for the working time and rest periods of commercial vehicle drivers from July 26, 2026.
The changes were approved by Order No. 1727 of the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories, dated December 12, 2025. The document amends the existing Regulation on the Working Time and Rest Time of Drivers of Wheeled Vehicles, originally approved by Order No. 340 of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The new edition is scheduled to take effect on July 26.
The requirements apply to road carriers and drivers working under employment or civil-law contracts. They also cover certain international passenger services operated by taxi or on-demand vehicles designed to carry more than five but no more than nine people, including the driver.
The reform affects both freight and passenger transport and is intended to improve control over driving hours, rest periods and the use of recording equipment.
Which Vehicles Must Have Tachographs
The legislation makes functioning and properly calibrated tachographs mandatory for buses used in irregular passenger transport.
The requirement also applies to buses operating regular and regular special passenger services on routes longer than 50 kilometres.
Freight vehicles must be equipped with tachographs when their maximum technically permissible mass, including a trailer or semi-trailer, exceeds 3.5 tonnes.
For carriers, this means that tachograph compliance will become an essential part of fleet management. Companies will need to check whether devices are operational, verified and correctly used, while drivers must ensure that driving and rest data are recorded without gaps.
The rules reinforce a wider European trend toward digital monitoring of commercial transport. K2Cargo News recently reported that smart tachographs are becoming one of the central compliance tools in international road freight, alongside stricter control of working conditions and rest periods.
An Exception Applies to Short Domestic Bus Routes
Tachographs will not be mandatory for certain vehicles used on domestic regular passenger routes of no more than 50 kilometres.
This exemption applies to vehicles designed or adapted to carry more than nine people, including the driver, provided that the carrier and driver comply with alternative working-time control requirements.
They must maintain either an approved shift schedule or an individual control book for a self-employed driver.
The exemption is designed for short-distance passenger operations where the route structure and timetable make other forms of working-time control possible. However, carriers using the exception will need to keep the required documentation properly, as the absence of a tachograph does not remove the obligation to monitor working and rest periods.
Driving Time Limits Become More Important
The updated regulation provides that daily driving time should generally not exceed nine hours. It may be extended to ten hours no more than twice during a week.
For transport companies, the practical impact goes beyond the installation of equipment. Dispatchers and fleet managers will need to plan routes, loading windows and border crossings around legally permitted driving periods.
Any delay at a terminal, customs checkpoint or loading site can affect the remaining driving time available to the driver. This increases the importance of realistic schedules and secure parking locations where mandatory rest can be taken.
The rules are especially relevant for international operators, whose drivers may also be subject to requirements in neighbouring countries and the European Union.
New Requirements Cover More Passenger Operations
One of the important elements of the reform is the broader application of working-time rules to passenger transport.
The updated provisions cover drivers involved in international passenger transport by taxi or on-demand services when the vehicle has more than five and no more than nine seats, including the driver’s seat.
This category previously occupied an intermediate position between conventional taxi services and larger bus operations. Bringing such services under clearer working-time and rest controls should reduce fatigue risks and create more consistent conditions across the passenger transport market.
Carriers operating minibuses or similar vehicles will therefore need to review driver contracts, shift schedules and the equipment installed in their fleets.
What Carriers Need to Do Before July 26
Transport companies should identify all vehicles and drivers covered by the revised regulation.
They should verify tachograph installation, calibration dates and technical condition, and ensure that drivers know how to use the devices correctly.
Internal procedures for downloading, storing and reviewing tachograph data may also need to be updated. Companies relying on the exemption for short domestic bus routes should check whether their shift schedules or individual control books meet the required format.
The changes may also require revisions to route planning, employment documentation and instructions for dispatchers.
Failure to prepare could result in operational disruption during roadside inspections, especially if a vehicle is found without a required tachograph or if working-time records are incomplete.
Smart Tachographs Are Becoming the New Standard
The July 26 changes follow another important step in Ukraine’s road transport regulation.
From July 1, new trucks used in international transport were required to be equipped with smart tachographs. The measure strengthens digital control over driving time, rest periods and vehicle activity.
Smart devices make it more difficult to manipulate records and allow inspectors to analyse transport operations more efficiently. They also bring Ukrainian carriers closer to the technical standards already used in the European road freight market.
For international operators, the transition is particularly important because tachograph compliance affects access to cross-border services, roadside inspections and cooperation with European customers.
The wider European market is also moving toward increasingly automated enforcement. As K2Cargo News reported in its article on Bulgaria’s use of toll cameras to detect truck violations, transport authorities are combining tachographs, toll systems and automatic number plate recognition to monitor compliance without stopping every vehicle.
Regulation Will Affect Daily Fleet Operations
The updated rules are intended to improve road safety and reduce driver fatigue, but they will also change the daily work of carriers.
Companies will need to coordinate driving hours with loading operations, customs procedures and delivery appointments. Shippers may also have to accept more realistic transport schedules, particularly on routes with long border queues or limited parking capacity.
For drivers, clearer requirements can provide better protection against excessively long shifts. For carriers, however, compliance will require investment in equipment, training and administrative control.
The transition period before July 26 gives companies a limited amount of time to review their fleets and procedures. Operators that work in international transport or use mixed passenger and freight fleets should treat the reform as an operational priority rather than a formal legal update.
