What the AETR is
The AETR is the European Agreement concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport. It was concluded in Geneva on 1 July 1970 and entered into force on 5 January 1976. The Republic of Moldova acceded on 26 May 1993; Romania acceded on 8 December 1994 (UN Treaty Collection).
In short, the AETR sets driving and rest rules and recording-equipment rules for international road transport between its contracting parties. In Russian it is called ЕСТР. We do not reproduce its detailed provisions here: use the official AETR text published by UNECE.
Romania is also an EU Member State, so inside the EU the EU rules apply to it as well. That double position is exactly why the question comes up for carriers on the Moldova–Romania corridor.
Why it matters when you drive into the EU
Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 is the EU driving-time regulation. Its Article 2(3) says that the AETR applies instead of Regulation 561/2006 to international road transport operations undertaken partly outside the EU, Switzerland and the EEA area (Regulation 561/2006). Two cases are listed:
- Vehicles registered in the EU or in a country that is a contracting party to the AETR: the AETR applies for the whole journey.
- Vehicles registered in a third country that is not an AETR party: the AETR applies only for the part of the journey in the EU or in AETR countries.
Three example routes
Take a truck registered in Moldova, which is an AETR party, driving Chișinău → Bucharest → Budapest. The journey is partly outside the EU, so under Article 2(3)(a) the AETR applies for the whole journey.
Now take a Romanian-registered truck on the same Chișinău → Bucharest → Budapest run. Romania is in the EU and is also an AETR party. The journey is again partly outside the EU, so under Article 2(3)(a) the AETR applies for the whole journey.
A Romanian truck driving only inside the EU, for example Bucharest → Budapest, is not on a journey partly outside the EU. Regulation 561/2006 applies to it.
These examples only follow the text of Article 2(3). Your own case may have details we do not cover, so confirm it with the competent authority or a transport lawyer.
Vans of 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes
Under Regulation (EU) 2020/1054, Regulation 561/2006 applies from 1 July 2026 to goods carriage in international transport or cabotage where the maximum permissible mass, including any trailer, exceeds 2.5 tonnes (Regulation 2020/1054). That is an EU rule. Recital 34 of the same Regulation says that rules for third-country undertakings are to be negotiated in the context of the AETR Agreement, so the AETR side is a separate matter. Details are in our guide on tachographs for vans from 2026.
Record-keeping for EU-regulated operations
For operations that fall under the EU rules, the same practical duties apply to any transport undertaking. Article 10(5)(a) of Regulation 561/2006 requires that data are downloaded from the vehicle unit and driver card as regularly as the Member State stipulates. The downloaded data must be kept for at least 12 months after recording, and be accessible directly or remotely from the undertaking's premises if an inspecting officer asks.
Regulation (EU) No 581/2010 sets maximum download intervals: 90 days for the vehicle unit and 28 days for the driver card, counting only days with recorded activity, and data must be downloaded so that none is lost (Regulation 581/2010).
At a roadside check the driver must be able to produce records for the current day and the preceding 56 days (previously 28), applying since 31 December 2024 (Regulation 165/2014). Undertakings keep record sheets, printouts and downloaded data, and give drivers a copy of data from their card on request.
Moldovan national obligations
This guide covers only the texts named above. For obligations that arise purely under Moldovan national rules, such as company cards or national enforcement, check with the competent Moldovan authority. We do not describe them here.
How Tafi GPS helps
Tafi GPS supports the office side of this work. With a Teltonika FMB640, FMC650 or FMM650 connected to the digital tachograph, driver card and vehicle-unit .ddd files are downloaded over the mobile network with no workshop visit (remote tachograph download). Vehicle-unit downloads are authenticated with the company card, which stays in the office in a card reader on a PC running the free Tafi Card Authenticator. Files are archived per driver and per vehicle, the office sees which downloads are done and which are due, and originals can be exported as one archive.
Live data from the tracker shows the current activity of driver 1 and driver 2, remaining daily and weekly driving time and the next required break or rest, with the driver identified from the tachograph card. Downloaded activity is checked against Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 (daily and weekly driving, breaks, daily and weekly rest). Each finding shows the rule, measured value, period and severity, and can be confirmed or dismissed.
Important: AETR-specific rules are not modelled separately. The checks are EU 561 rules, so read the results with that in mind. Tafi GPS does not replace your company's own legal responsibility and does not give legal advice.
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