SENT GEO and GPS in RMPD, locators, rules and fines

SENT GEO is the PUESC subsystem that receives a truck's position from e-TOLL PL, an OBU or a ZSL for the whole Polish leg under SENT and RMPD (Article 10a of the SENT Act, Article 28b(5) of the Road Transport Act). A failure over an hour obliges the driver to stop, and a gap costs the carrier 10 000 zł.

In brief: SENT GEO is the part of the PUESC system that receives a truck's position for the whole Polish leg, under SENT and under RMPD (Article 10a of the SENT Act, Article 28b(5) of the Road Transport Act) · one locator serves both registers · three methods are allowed: the free e-TOLL PL app, an OBU device or an external ZSL system · there has been no "SENT GEO" app since 2021, e-TOLL PL took over its role · the locator number goes into the notification, otherwise positions are tied to nothing · a failure lasting more than an hour obliges the driver to stop (Article 10c) · a gap costs the carrier 10 000 zł and, under RMPD, the driver 2 000 zł.

The driver switched on e-TOLL PL in a car park near Hrubieszów and set off. Two hours later an inspector shows an empty map: the register has not received a single position. The app was green the whole time, but it had never been linked to the notification number.

SENT GEO does not check whether the truck has GPS. It checks whether positions for this particular journey reach the register. The duty is one of result: the carrier answers for what arrived, not for what was switched on.

What SENT GEO is

SENT GEO is the part of the SENT system on PUESC that takes in geolocation data from locators. The SENT Act requires the carrier to provide current data for the whole Polish leg (Article 10a), and the Road Transport Act applies the same duty to RMPD (Article 28b(5)). One locator therefore serves both the RMPD notification and the SENT notification.

Many people still look for a "SENT GEO" app in the store. It was withdrawn on 30 September 2021, and since 1 November 2021 the only app for sending positions to SENT has been e-TOLL PL, which is free.

Which locators are allowed

There are three methods: the e-TOLL PL app on the driver's phone, an OBU device, or an external ZSL tracking system from a GPS monitoring provider. Only the device operator can register an OBU or ZSL in SENT, and the carrier receives a business number to enter in the notification.

The device activates automatically when its business number is first entered in a notification. The notification also has a field for a backup locator, and the main and backup numbers must differ or the register rejects it. What the law demands of the locator and of the carrier is detailed in SENT-GEO locator requirements.

Can the driver's phone send the position? Yes. e-TOLL PL ranks equally with OBU and ZSL, provided the phone has roaming data, location permission set to "always" and battery saving switched off.

How to link e-TOLL PL to a notification

Each e-TOLL PL installation has its own business number, linked to a notification with the option "Powiąż ze zgłoszeniem SENT/RMPD". The list of notifications in the app appears only once a notification is registered with that locator's number. An empty list almost always means the number is missing from the notification, not that the app is broken.

The mode is switched on with "Przejazd SENT", a journey starts with "Rozpocznij przejazd" and ends with "Zakończ przejazd". If a notification lists both an OBU or ZSL and the app, the register accepts data from both and the phone acts as a backup locator. The app sends nothing only when the driver selects ZSL or OBU while configuring the journey in the app itself: it then just shows the status of the main device.

When to switch the locator on and off

The driver switches the locator on when the carriage on Polish territory begins and off no earlier than when it ends (Article 10b). Rest breaks are allowed, and forgetting to switch off after the trip has no consequences.

Silence at the start and end of a journey is more common than it seems. According to Sigil data from 1 August to 21 September 2026, 47 % of journeys began with silence and 40 % ended with it, because "Rozpocznij przejazd" gets pressed after departure and "Zakończ przejazd" too early. What the register answers to a position request, and how to read it, is covered in the article on position requests on the road.

How to check whether the position is arriving

The worst moment to learn that the locator is sending nothing is when an inspector asks. It can be checked by the carrier, free of charge.

The RMPD406 form on PUESC answers for a carriage filing, SENT406 for a goods filing. Both are free and both ask for three numbers: the reference number, the registration number and the locator number. The answer carries the last position and the time at which the register recorded it. How to read that answer is covered in the text on RMPD406.

An answer without a position means nothing reached the register. PUESC names three conditions for a position to appear at all. The filing has to be valid and complete, that is with the carrier's data, and the locator data has to reach SENT-GEO correctly. If even one fails, there will be no position in the answer, even while the phone app shows a green light.

Hence a simple rule for the trip. Check after departure and before the border rather than at the roadside, because there is still time to fix things.

What to do when the signal is gone

In "Przejazd SENT" mode, e-TOLL PL turns the GPS or internet icon orange after a 10-minute delay and red after 60. Action should start at orange. A failure longer than an hour obliges the driver to stop at the nearest car park (Article 10c(1)), counting from the last position in the register.

The journey may continue after one of four things: the locator works again, the goods are reloaded onto a truck with a working locator, a working locator is fitted, or customs seals or an escort are applied (Article 10c(3)). A plan for the first ten minutes is in what to do when GPS loses signal.

The RMPD406 form, which needs no login, shows the last position in the register. A reply without a position means nothing has arrived, and that is the moment to act, before any check. Reading the reply is explained in the RMPD406 check.

What a gap costs and how to contest it

A geolocation gap costs the carrier 10 000 zł (Article 22(2a) of the SENT Act and Annex 3, item 3.2b of the Road Transport Act). Under RMPD the driver pays 2 000 zł (Annex 1, item 2b), and under SENT faces a fine of 5 000 to 7 500 zł (Article 32(1)). Under SENT a gap caused by the register itself being unavailable is not penalised (Article 22(2b)); under RMPD proceedings are not opened or are discontinued if the evidence shows the carrier had no influence on it (Article 92c(1)(1) of the Road Transport Act). The fines calculator adds up several breaches.

A GPS penalty is not automatic. The administrative court in Kraków quashed one because the authority refused to examine why the app's data never reached the system although the app was switched on. In January 2024 the Supreme Administrative Court (II GSK 659/23) called "automatic punishment" a breach of proportionality, yet upheld the penalty where the driver saw the locator was dead and drove on for hours. These cases, and the evidence worth collecting, are covered in a court quashed a 10 000 zł GPS fine.

The strongest evidence is screenshots of the driver's phone with the journey counter, taken during the check. An appeal must be lodged within 14 days, and the procedure differs between SENT and RMPD, as explained in how to appeal a SENT or RMPD penalty.

What to do

1. 1Enter the locator number in every notification and make sure the main and backup numbers differ.
2. 2Link e-TOLL PL to the notification before departure and check that the app's journey list is not empty.
3. 3Switch on "Przejazd SENT" before entering Poland and keep it on until you leave, car parks included.
4. 4React to the orange icon rather than the red one, and check the position with RMPD406.
5. 5If a failure lasts more than an hour, stop and take screenshots showing the time and the journey counter.

What not to do

• ✗Do not look for a "SENT GEO" app. It has not existed since 2021, and similar names in the store do not send data to the register.
• ✗Do not treat a green app as proof of transmission. Without the number in the notification, positions are not tied to the trip and the 10 000 zł penalty follows anyway.
• ✗Do not drive on after an hour without signal. That is exactly what the Supreme Administrative Court treated as grounds to uphold the penalty.
• ✗Do not select ZSL or OBU in the app when the phone is meant to transmit. The app then only shows the device status and sends nothing.

Where technology fits in

Sigil files the RMPD with the locator number entered in the notification and checks the position by itself while the truck is in Poland. When positions stop arriving, the dispatcher gets an email before the hour after which the driver must stop, rather than finding out at a roadside check. Sigil does not wake anyone at night over a truck that is still loading in Ukraine. The dispatcher sees the last position in the dashboard with one button, the trip's GPS history exports to PDF free of charge, and the forwarder can follow the journey in an observer role.

Sigil handles RMPD declarations and tracks the SENT GEO position for them. The locator itself, whether the e-TOLL PL app, an OBU or a ZSL, is set up by the carrier, and Sigil does not file SENT notifications.