speed and driving times have been recorded mechanically for drivers in Europe since at least the 90ies so going electronic was maybe not as radical a change for European drivers when they went electronic in 2006.

It's also worth noting that a lot of the culture around the labor market is different as the European regulators tend to be a bit more of an aggressive stance on companies creating pressures on employees and then try to shift all blame when those pressure's lead to rule breaking and accidents.